Rescuing the buoys: The MARU recovery trip!

Rodrigo Hucke (Centro Ballena Azul/Universidad Austral de Chile), Luis Bedriñana (Centro Ballena Azul/Universidad Austral de Chile), Fred Channell (Bioacoustics Lab, U. Cornell) and myself cruised onboard the Yagan II, a 50t 18m fishing boat, between the 16th and the 25th of June from Chiloe, through the Corcovado Gulf, out to the Boca de Guafo, back across the Moraleda Channel, over to the continent and Tic Toc Bay, and then back to Chiloe again. 


Our mission was to recovery 6 MARU (Marine Autonomous Recording Unit) sound buoys placed around the Corcovado Gulf blue whale feeding ground. These buoys were deployed in January and have been recording blue whale sounds for the past 5 months and will help us find out some key information on their movements and song dialects.


The weather was tough and we had alot of waiting around for ports to open. Unfortunately, 2 out of our 6 buoys were not recoverable, they answered us but they never surfaced. The other 4 were recovered fine, we sent them the 'release' sound signal, they responded to the signal, released their anchor and then floated to the surface in the vacinity of our boat. We also deployed a 7th buoy to replace one of the ones we lost. So all in all we got the job done! And were happy and relieved to go home...


Here are some photos:

The working deck on Yagan II.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Sending the buoy a signal and waiting for the answer...
Credit: Luis Bedriñana

A MARU at the surface. 
Credit: Luis Bedriñana   

A MARU at the surface with some growth on it. 
Credit: Luis Bedriñana    

Spotting the MARU and pulling it in...
Credit: Luis Bedriñana

Pulling in the MARU...
Credit: Luis Bedriñana   

The MARU on deck!
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Turning the buoy off once on board.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

The anchor connection before release.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

The anchor connection after release, leaving the anchor plate on the sea floor.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Fred talking to the replacement buoy before dpeloyment.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Getting the MARU ready for deployment.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Deploying MARU 7.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Deploying MARU 7. 
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

MARU 7 ready for deployment.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

A blue whale when we were deploying MARU 7!
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Capitan Espana,  me, Oliver (first mate), Fred and Rodrigo.
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Piratas!
Credit: Luis Bedrinana

Squid and octopus are also affected by ocean noise pollution

We are learning more and more about the effects of ocean sound pollution on marine organisms: beyond marine mammals, it seems that squid and octopus are also affected (suffer acoustic trauma) by noise pollution in the ocean. Squid, furthermore, are key prey items for sperm whales.

Read about it: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110411111032.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fdolphins_and_whales+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Plants+%26+

Winter research in Melimoyu: a selection of photos

We left Melimoyu on the 13th of June after a great three week stay. I am very pleased at how good the weather was and how much we were able to go out to sea and sample. Here is a selection of the best photos from our very successful winter campaign:

Arriving in Melimoyu on the Pincoya.
Credit: Oliver Alarcon

The Patagonia Sur research vessel: Chucao I.

Credit: Oliver Alarcon

Preparing the phytoplankton net.
Credit: Oliver Alarcon

Up comes the phytoplankton net!
Credit: Susannah Buchan

Hauling up a heavy zooplankton net!

Credit: Alex Machuca

Zooplankton net and Melimoyu volcano in the background!
Credit: Alex Machuca

Krill sample.

Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

A bigger-eyed, deeper-water species of krill that we have found in these winter trawls: Nematocelis megalops. 

Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

A pipefish in our trawl sample (Sygnathus sp).

Credit: Sebastian Yancovic 

Rough seas!
Credit: Susannah Buchan

Oliver bringing up the Niskin bottle for collecting seawater samples.
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

Bottling the seatwater sample from the Niskin bottle.
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

Our samples! Credit: Susannah Buchan

The dappled back of a blue whale on the 7th of June.
Credit: Oliver Alarcon

Frost on the Patagonia Sur guest house.
Credit: Oliver Alarcon

Black-browed Albatros and the Melimoyu volcano. Amazing!
Credit: Oliver Alarcon

Reading the Multiparameter sensor.
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

Casting the CTD sensor...
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic 

Up comes the CTD!
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic

Melimoyu volcano and clouds...
Credit: Susannah Buchan

Melimoyu volcano and more clouds...
Credit: Susannah Buchan

Leaving the Gulf behind and entering Refugio Channel after a long day of sampling...
Credit: Susannah Buchan 

Sunset in Melimoyu Bay from the house.
Credit: Sebastian Yancovic 

4 blue whales on the 7th of June!

On the 7th of June we spotted 4 blue whales in our study area! One was clearly feeding and so we made sure to sample that specific spot to see what the whale was targetting. Our trawl picked up a different krill species from the one most common in summer.

The theory is no whales outside the summer months in feeding grounds, i.e. December-April in Chilean Patagonia. However, worldwide this is now being questioned. It may be that a fraction of a population (but we don't know how important a fraction) stays in feeding grounds year-round, which would make sense especially for non-reproductive individuals. In effect, local fishermen in this area have provided anecdotal evidence over the years of whale sightings in winter. But this info has yet to be quantified and presented in the literature, or to decision makers.

We will know more once we look at the acoustic data up until June, and the data from this winter campaign.

All this info is key from a conservation management and eco-tourism perspective

Exciting news!

The dappled back of a blue whale on the 7th of June.

Credit: Oliver Alarcon