Photo-ID Workshop for NECWA Interns

-

On August 1, some of the NECWA interns met at Krill's house for a photo-identification workshop. Attending this workshop included NECWA intern Tammy, Shaya, Kelly, Michael and Theo. Unable to make this meeting was Tobias, Nick and Tiffany.

The first order of business was to have dinner and catch up on all the news offshore. Lots of fun chatting over pizzas, hummus, salsa and chips and fresh fruit. Once everyone was full and Michael finished his juggling act (And an impressive one at that!), Krill lead the workshop that reviewed the basics of photo-identification (or photo-ID for short) and how it is applied to research on baleen whales, especially humpback whales.


Over the course of the evening, interns learned how to do their own photo-analysis using the photographs they collect when working as research assistants aboard Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tour vessels (www.captjohn.com).


NECWA would like to take this moment to send a special thank you to Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours for collaborating with us on our Marine Wildlife Internship Program. Over the course of the season, Captain John provides two free tickets each day for our NECWA interns. This allows interns to see amazing sights offshore including a variety of coastal marine wildlife. NECWA interns join paying passengers offshore by collecting their own sighting data and by assisting with educational outreach when offshore.

Thanks so much to the staff, captains and crew of Captain John Boats, for your assistance is helping to make the NECWA internship program meaningful, comprehensive and "one of a kind."

As afternoon passed into evening, the NECWA interns learned how to analyze their own photographs in an effort to identify individual humpback whales. When their analysis is complete, they will be asked to communicate and send their data to researchers at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS). PCCS will integrate NECWA data into their main database on humpback whales. This information is then shared with Allied Whale, a nonprofit located in Bar Harbor, ME. Allied Whale is the clearinghouse for all humpback whales in the waters of the Gulf of Maine.


After the workshop, each NECWA intern met with Krill on a one-on-one basis to go over their photo-ID analysis. In the images below, Theo works to crop his original digital images of humpback dorsal fins and tails (flukes). The next step is to match unknown humpback tails to known individuals in one of the humpback fluke catalogs. Nice job Theo!


Congratulations and job well done all of our NECWA interns! We thank you for volunteering your time this season and wish you all good luck at college and grad school. All of our NECWA interns have indicated that they want to return next season. We would be honored to continue to work with these fabulous young people who bring so much joy to our lives and who worked so hard for the benefit of the whales and other marine wildlife that share this planet with us.

We look forward to another successful season of whales, whale watching and marine wildlife viewing in general. And we look forward to another great season working with our interns who are dedicated and determined to make this world a better place!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Electric Torpedo Ray of New England

-
Image
The Shocking Ray of New England Blog by  Coleman Earner - December 21, 2020 Dead Torpedo Ray in Brewster, MA Torpedo Rays are a genus of rays that are part of the Order  Torpediniformes (electric rays). In reference to local sightings, the most commonly seen torpedo ray in the Cape Cod region is the Atlantic Torpedo ( Torpedo nobiliana ). They are cartilaginous fish (most similar to the structure of sharks and skates) with a flat and rounded disc-like structure. As suggested by their order, torpedo rays are most commonly known for their ability to discharge electricity of up to 220 volts from both pectoral fins (pectoral fins are flat and expanded and fused to the head area) as a self defense mechanism or as a means of capturing prey. Their feeding strategy consists of burying themselves under the sand and waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by.  Dead Torpedo Ray on a Cape Cod Beach. Torpedo Rays feed mainly on benthic/pelagic fish such as flounders, damselfish, and o...
Read more
-
Image
NECWA Shark Week In Review Written by Emily Gerrior Intern Sarah helping at the blockprinting table. On July 24, 2024 and July 26, 2024, NECWA hosted two events themed around Shark Week. The first was at the Middleborough Public Library and the second was at the Bridgewater Public Library. For both events, we set up stations where attendees could make their own authentic shark tooth necklaces and create colorful block prints of sharks and other marine wildlife.  Free educational material for all Along with our assortment of diamondback terrapin, horseshoe crabs, and ocean sunfish artifacts, we also had shark jaws and a real fossil megalodon tooth on display.  Marine wildlife artifacts on display As soon as we opened the doors to both events, attendees poured into the room! The megalodon tooth and the shark tooth necklace station proved to be extremely popular among younger attendees. We also received several questions about our other marine life artifacts, which we w...
Read more

Ice Cream Social for NECWA Interns and Volunteers

-
Image
INTERN AND VOLUNTEER ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND FUN DAY   Written by Emily Gerrior Last Sunday (July 14 th , 2024), interns and volunteers were treated to an ice cream social, courtesy of NECWA. This event took place on the lawn outside NECWA’s Marion Field office. This event marked my first time meeting many of the interns outside of our weekly ZOOM meetings. I was also pleased to see many of the interns I had already worked with during previous NECWA educational events.  There was plenty of ice cream of all flavors to go around, served with reusable bowls and spoons, as well as popsicles, a fruit salad, chips, and cool drinks. After days of sweltering heat, it was certainly nice to have a cold treat!  Additionally, there were games for us to play. Some attendees chose to play cards and Jenga, while others participated in lawn games such as cornhole. We also swapped stories about NECWA events and successes.  Throughout the social, we had surprise visits from several (ador...
Read more