2007 Accomplishments:
Gray whale abundance monitoring: Twelve complete census surveys of the lagoon were conducted from February 5 to March 30, 2007. The maximum count of adult whales was 217 on 22 February (197 "single" whales and 20 cows with calves). The highest count of single whales was 197 and occurred on 22 February, and the highest cow-calf pairs count was 37 on 17 February. The high count of adult whales was 46% less than the highest recorded count of 407 adult whales on 14 February 1982, and occurred later in the season than 10 of the previous February highest count surveys suggesting a continuing decline in the number of whales utilizing this lagoon and a delay and shortening of the winter occupation of the lagoon by whales. Counts of female calf pairs also demonstrated declines from 137 pairs counted on 14 February 1982 to 37 pairs on 17 February 2007, or a decline of 73%.
Gray whale photo-identification: Photographic data for individual gray whales photographed in Laguna San Ignacio was compared for the periods 1978-1982, 1996-2000, and 2006-2007. The minimum residency time in the lagoon for single adult whales ranged from 2.6 days (95% CI 1.7 - 3.5) in 1996, to 6.8 days (95% CI 3.6 - 10.0) in 2000, to 7.29 days (95% CI 3.67 - 10.91) in 2006-2007, and for females with calves of the year was 19.1 days (95% CI 14.3-23.9) in 1996, to 25.5 days (95% CI 20.1-30.9) in 1999, and 14.50 days (95% CI 11.81 - 17.19) in 2006-2007. The interval between producing calves was estimated from photographic data by Jones (1990) at 2.11 years (SD = 0.0403) for the period 1978 to 1982, and was estimated at 2.82 years (95% CI 2.46-3.16) for the period 1996-2000.
Skinny Whales: The photographic data indicated that a number of individual whales exhibited obvious signs of mal-nutrition and/or disease that has been termed evidence of the “skinny whale syndrome” (Weller et al. 2000). While most gray whales observed within Laguna San Ignacio appeared to be normal, some individuals possessed noticeable “post cranial depression” and hump in the dorsal neck region of the body. Others were observed with protruding leading edges of their scapula, and concave rather than a convex profiles to their dorsal flank areas.
2007 Workshop and discussion of Ecosystem Science Program for Eco-Tourism Operators, lagoon fishermen, and local residents held 24 February 2007 at Kuyima facility at Laguna San Ignacio.
Preliminary report of the 2007 findings was submitted to the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee for review.
Internet Photo-ID web site to be launched in summer 2007 to allow interned based photo archiving and management, and expanded availability to other gray whale investigators.
Laguna San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Program Web-Site development initiated. Expected launch in fall 2007.
Workshop to review 2007 program findings and plans for 2008 to be held at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) in La Paz in September 2007.(Postpomed until 2008).
Preliminary benthic inventory surveys supported by Earthwatch Teams under William Megill, University of Bath (In Progress).
Gray Whale health and condition sampling by Lorenzo Rojas and Teri Rowles supported by NOAA Fisheries Service (In Progress).
2008 Activities and Objectives: The 2008 Ecosystem Science Program will build on the previous winter-time monitoring of gray whales and other aspects of Laguna San Ignacio, and it will initiate two new projects to expand the ecological “indicators” monitored in the lagoon; Project Grupo Tortuguero is a year-round sea turtle monitoring and assessment program, and Acoustic Noise and Gray Whale Vocalization Monitoring and Evaluation. The 2008 proposed projects are: 1. Seasonal Abundance and Distribution: Standardized vessel surveys to monitor gray whales winter abundance and distribution during the calving and breeding season will be continued in 2008. These vessel surveys were historically conducted during two time periods: from 1978 to 1982, and from 1996 to the present. These weekly small boat surveys use a standardized line transect survey methodology developed for Laguna San Ignacio. From these surveys indices of abundance and distribution within the lagoon are compared within and among years. Estimates of the number of other apex predators (e.g., dolphin, sealions) will also be collected during the surveys, and will serve as indices of relative abundance of those species. 2. Gray whale "Photo-Identification": This is an on-going research activity within Laguna San Ignacio since1977. The program will continue to obtain photographic identification data on individual gray whales to document the winter-time utilization of the lagoon by individuals whales (i.e., site fidelity, duration of stay, and dependence), and to estimate life history parameters (e.g., calving rate, annual production, survivorship) that are indicative of population trends. The photographic data archive will be transferred from a PC-based system to the internet which will provide Web-base access for gray whale researchers throughout the gray whales' geographic range, and it will facilitate the uploading of photographic data and searching for matching individuals. 3. NEW PROJECT: ProPeninsula’s Grupo Tortuguero project: This project conducted independent monthly in-water mark and recapture programs to monitor the distribution and seasonal movements sea turtles in Laguna San Ignacio for five consecutive years. This program will continue in 2008 as part of the Ecosystem Science Program in Laguna San Ignacio. Investigators present data at the Group’s Annual Meeting and Monitoring Workshop convened in Baja California. This ongoing data capture and information exchange allows the quantitative tracking of sea turtle population changes. In 2006 the San Ignacio team incorporated participation of tourists for the first time in the monitoring program, an effort they will seek to expand on in 2008. 4. NEW PROJECT: The Acoustic Noise and Gray Whale Vocalization Monitoring and Evaluation project: In 2008 the acoustics project will focus on documenting and measuring the ambient noise in the lagoon from whale-watching and other human activities (e.g., fishing) and from naturally occurring sources (e.g. snapping shrimp, fish, currents, etc.). Objectives of the project include: 1) comparing current noise types and levels in the lagoon to historical data from the 1980’s; 2) documenting gray whale vocal behavior and frequency of calls; and 3) comparing the seasonal density of gray whales in the lagoon with the frequency of gray whale calls as a possible means for estimating the relative abundance of whales in the lagoon system. 5. Primary production and specific physical and chemical water variables in the lagoon were investigated and measured in 1981 (Jones 1981), and again in 1997-1998 (Gutierrez de Velasco and Winant 2003).This program will resume these measurements and compare current water quality, chemistry and primary production with historical values to evaluate changes in the water chemistry that may have resulted from the removal of commercially important species of filter-feeding shellfish and other human related development (e.g., shore-based eco-tourism camps and local residences). 6. Whale-watching tourism within Laguna San Ignacio was documented each winter during the period 1978 to 1982 by Jones and Swartz (1984) and more recently by two students from the Autonomous University in La Paz (A. Gallardo, pers. comm.). Levels of present day eco-tourism related visitation and whale-watching were documented by the Kuyima Eco-Turismo Cooperative Association from 1996 to the present as part of the local management of the lagoon's eco-tourism activities. In partnership with Kuyima Eco-Toruismo levels of whale-watching and fishing boat activity will be determined from records maintained by the ecotourism operators and compared with historical levels to evaluate the impact of this commercial development within the lagoon. 7. A Peer Review Workshop will be convened in September 2008 on the campus of the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS) in La Paz, Baja California Sur. The workshop participants will evaluate the findings of the 2008 ecosystem science program, and to formulate recommendations for the 2009 program.
See 2007 Accomplishments and 2008 Work Plan
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