The Whalenerd‘s Podcast

This is part one of a two part series of episodes this week and next week. We talked about the oil spill that happened in California at the beginning of October. This led us to an article about a transient killer whale population that has been studied since they swam through the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. We wrapped up part one talking about how whales generate and promote life and how they can be sentinels for climate change. 

Remember Erica from Episode 56? She's back and her book is out now! We had a little chat with her about the process of her book and she did a reading for us from her new book Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis.

Wow.

That's the best three letters we can use to describe whalenerds weekend. Our first in person event was INCREDIBLE. We couldn't have asked for better weather, better people, or better whales. In this episode we recap the weekend for those of you who could not be there. If you want to join in on the fun with us in the spring - we are hosting three single day trips on April 22, 23, and 24 of 2022. Join us aboard the High Spirits in Moss Landing, CA. More trip information can be found on our website at thewhalenerds.com/trips

We are back after a week off! Everyone had great sightings since the last time we recorded and the excitement is growing for Whalenerds Weekend in just a few short weeks.

This week we talked about an article shedding some light on whales that were still killed by whalers even though they never made it to the ship for processing. It's an interesting and important aspect to consider when reflecting on the impact of whaling over our history.

After our host updates from our daily adventures on the water, the nerds take you through the history of right whales. The most rotund of the baleen whales, right whales have had a tough go in the modern world. After their rebound from the whaling era, the population of North Atlantic right whales has begun to take a turn. We talk about a paper that goes through the NARW's history, population estimates, and threats they face. 

This week we took a little different strategy than our usual episodes. Instead of talking about news or research we told some stories and talked about sightings past and present. We are so excited for the trip in October, we can't wait to make new memories together during our favorite time of year in Monterey Bay

This week we talked quite a bit about sound, mostly from the frame of humpback whales. We all have been listening to the MBARI hydrophone off and on this week (let's be honest, we listen to it all the time) and this is the time of year that the humpbacks start to making vocalizations that sound more and more like song. 

We are so excited to have Research Specialist John Ryan from MBARI speak at Whalenerds Weekend next month! If you join the trip you can enjoy a dinner with him and Wil Oestrich, and ask them questions after their presentation. In the meantime, listen to the hydrophone like we do. https://www.mbari.org/soundscape-listening-room/

 

We also talked about some recent research papers about humpback whales singing on a feeding ground in the North Atlantic in the winter time, and some potential universal components of humpback whale calls that are consistent and persistent across time and space.

We had a special guest to go along with an incredible sightings report from Monterey Bay. This week Kate Cummings from Blue Ocean Whale Watch joined us to talk about all the action on the bay this summer. We are using her company for our trips during Whalenerds Weekend in October! To check out the trip and to make a booking please go to thewhalenerds.com/trips

Katlyn has had some pleasant sea conditions and plenty of humpbacks post Hurricane Henri but the report from Monterey Bay really stole the show. Slater, Adam and Kate witnessed a pretty rare event of killer whales hunting Risso's dolphins. They break down the entire day during the episode. We also talked briefly about a paper that described a playback study of killer whale calls to pilot whales and Risso's dolphins to go along with their sighting story.

This week we talked about the current state of ropeless fishing gear in the United States. Katlyn had a very interesting encounter on one of her trips recently that inspired this topic. Many strides have been made to improve fishing gear and make it safer for whales, but ropeless seems to be the way of the future. 

This week’s theme was bottlenose dolphins! We covered news and recent papers from all over the world. Information about behaviors, communication, reproduction, conservation - and even a little drama and potential scandal! Bottlenose dolphins are much cooler and more interesting than most people give them credit for.