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Baja California Sur: February 2007

As the Costa Rica and the Galapagos field sites begin preparations for the rapidly approaching field seasons, the Mexico field site is already active and lively with the month of February marking the mid-point of the program season. Yeehaaw!!!

The fall season of the Island Ecology Program has successfully come and gone. A total of sixty-three participants from five veteran La Paz Baja California Sur High Schools valiantly immersed themselves in the spectacular turquoise waters of the newly acclaimed National Marine Park surrounding the Island of Espiritu Santo. These students and their accompanying teachers snorkeled transects of 125 meters while simultaneously identifying and counting marine invertebrates and measuring important environmental characteristics, such as water temperature, visibility, currents, substrate, etc. The fall season culminated with the Second Annual Student Symposium on December 9th 2006 at the Museo de la Ballena in La Paz. Scientific posters detailing original student investigations, conservation and science presentations from invited speakers, traditional folkloric dances, decorative piñatas and tacos de carne asada amplified the sentiment of the community event. 

To kick-off 2007, this January the Mexico field site proudly launched the second Whale Ecology Program season in collaboration with Autonomous University of Baja California Sur and Dr. Jorge Urban, coordinator of the Marine Mammals Research Lab. At this very moment, the third Mexican student group of the Whale Ecology Program season, Centro de Estudios Bachilleratos, is diligently scanning the waters of the Gulf of California for a glimpse of one or more of the 30 species of whales and dolphins that can be found within this world renown body of water. These species of cetaceans, the order of marine mammals that complete their entire life-cycle immersed in the marine environment, either spend their entire life swimming within the Gulf of California or migrate to it annually in order to complete important stages of their life cycle, such as breeding, birthing, rearing, and feeding. 

The first ten-day voyage, which was equally divided between two local Mexican school groups from the community of Loreto, La Preparatoia por Cooperación de Manual Ramirez and La Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur - Loreto explored the coastline and off-shore islands from La Paz to Loreto and back again to La Paz in search of these majestic creatures. Over the course of the first ten-day voyage the student groups registered 9 different species of cetaceans and counted a total of 2052 organisms. The list of their sightings and the voyage’s registry follows:

Blue whale: 29
Fin whale: 3
Humpback whale: 3 
Bryde’s whale: 1
Minke whale: 1
Sperm whale: 20
Pilot whale: ~110
Bottlenose dolphin: ~232
Common dolphin: ~1653

Fortunately, both student groups were blessed by good weather and opportunity to witness many mothers with young, swimming side-by-side. Additionally, participants awed at the enormous Blue whales feeding strategy, which involves the whale inflating its gigantic mouth with seawater, almost doubling its size, to then filter the water of tasty krill. 

Stay tuned for Whale Ecology season’s final sighting registry and additional highlights from 30 days of EPI students observing cetaceans in the Gulf of California . . . coming to you this March in the field site update!!! 

Students and researchers approach a Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, in the Sea of Cortez.