[Mike]

http://www.earthwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?
c=dsJSK6PFJnH&b=692025&ct=3215083

Grey Whales Missing from North Pacific Feeding Grounds
Earthwatch volunteers to investigate feeding behavior off Baja,
Mexico this winter.

Dr. William MegillEarthwatch Institute, Maynard, MA, 20 October
2006 — Finding one thirty-ton animal in the vast North Pacific may
be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. But when the entire
estimated population of 17,000 grey whales is hard to find, it is
cause for concern. Researchers reported very few sightings in the
grey whales’ traditional summer feeding grounds last season.
Earthwatch teams are invited to join Dr. William Megill (University
of Bath) as he explores the impact on these whales at the southern
end of their migration, in Baja California, Mexico.

“We’ve just come off a second summer in Canada in which we’ve had
next to no whales show up,” said Megill, principal investigator of
Earthwatch-supported research on grey whales in both British
Columbia and Baja California. “Not only in our little area, but
apparently throughout the traditional feeding areas from Washington
on up north. We have no idea where the whales all went this year.”

Grey whales usually spend their summers feeding in the plankton-rich
waters of the North Pacific, from northern California to the Bering
and Chuckchi Seas. The whales migrate every winter to the warm
lagoons off Baja California, where they breed and give birth to
their calves. The extraordinary 6,000-mile exodus, one of nature’s
great spectacles, is one of the longest mammal migrations known on
Earth.

Although they were the first great whales to be removed from the
endangered species list, the future for grey whales is by no means
certain. The fact that they have abandoned their traditional summer
feeding grounds indicates to scientists that the whales may need to
range further to find sufficient food.

“Presumably they found other feeding areas, but they will have had
to look hard. This suggests they may be quite lean this winter,
particularly as this is now the second summer they’ve had to deal
with this problem,” said Megill. “We know that the Bering Sea has
taken a beating over the last ten years, and that productivity has
plummeted there, forcing the whales into new habitat. A new blow to
the productivity in these marginal habitats could hurt badly.”

Since 2000, Earthwatch volunteers have helped support Megill’s grey
whale research, both in British Columbia and Baja California. This
winter, in January, February, and March, they will be paying special
attention to feeding behaviors exhibited by the whales. Although
grey whales historically have rarely been seen feeding on their
winter breeding grounds, teams last year observed whales trying to
feed from the lagoon bottom.

“How much they were getting out of the mud they were sifting, I
don’t know,” said Megill. “But there was a lot of it going on, more
than I’m used to seeing. We’re expecting to see the animals feeding
even more in Mexican waters this year. We’ll be heading out into the
Pacific to see what the whales are doing offshore.”

The research site for Earthwatch teams is Laguna San Ignacio, in one
of Mexico’s most remote regions. This turquoise lagoon, surrounded
by salt flats, mangrove forests, mesas, and desert, has been a
sanctuary for breeding grey whales for centuries and is one of the
most pristine breeding sites left. A UNESCO World Heritage Site,
Laguna San Ignacio was the focus of a recent agreement between local
landowners and a consortium of environmental groups to promote
sustainable development in the area.

Earthwatch Institute is a global volunteer organization that
supports scientific field research by offering members of the public
unique opportunities to work alongside leading field scientists and
researchers. Earthwatch’s mission is to engage people worldwide in
scientific field research and education to promote the understanding
and action necessary for a sustainable environment. The year 2006
marks Earthwatch’s 35th anniversary.

Be sure to watch A Year on Earth, a two-part special to debut on
Discovery Kids Channel on December 3 and 10. A Year on Earth
chronicles the adventures of three American teens who join Megill in
Baja California and several other Earthwatch research projects
around the world. Together, they discover how ordinary people can
make a difference in the most pressing environmental issues of our
time.

More information about Among Baja’s Grey Whales
Press contact:
Delta Willis