Megaptera novaeangliae (Mammals)

Species Description

Humpback Whales received extensive media coverage following the sojourn of a mother and her calf, nicknamed Delta and Dawn, up the Sacramento River. Along this journey, the Humpbacks passed right under the Golden Gate, and through the waters of the Golden Gate National Parks.

Humpbacks are one of the most numerically depleted large whales, with a current population estimated at only one-tenth of the number alive before commercial whaling. These majestic animals have been protected as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act since the Act’s passage in 1973.

The northern California sub-population of Humpbacks winters off the coast of Mexico; their prime summer feeding grounds are the area off the continental shelf around the Farallon Islands, not far from the Golden Gate. 2008 GGNP Endangered Species Big Year participants had success searching for Humpback Whale at Fort Funston’s observation deck.

They possess distinctively long flippers, up to one third of their body length. During the winter breeding season, males produce very long—up to thirty minutes—complex and repetitive songs. These animals have a remarkable repertory of feeding strategies, including the use of columns or nets of expelled bubbles to concentrate fish, and cooperative fishing that is thought to include auditory signaling for synchronization.

Factors limiting the recovery of the Humpback population include entanglement in fishing nets, loss of habitat due to development, collisions with ships, and pollution, which can accumulate in the species’ long-lived bodies over time.

The best time to see Humpback Whales from the GGNP is during their migration season, from July to November. They are an acrobatic species: watch for them breeching off-shore.

Conservation Action Item

Reduce ship strikes:
Ask public officials for speed limits in marine sanctuaries

Collisions with ships are an increasing threat to many whale species: even Dawn and Delta showed scars and wounds indicative of a ship strike. In the Bay Area major shipping channels cross the Gulf of the Farallones, an important feeding ground for Humpback Whales. Contact the Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Banks, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries and ask them to implement a speed limit for large vessels when whales are present.

To Contact the Marine Sanctuaries:

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Superintendent Dan Howard
PH:(415) 663-0314 × 102
Email: dan.howard@noaa.gov

Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Superintendent Maria Brown
PH: (415) 561 6622 × 301
Email: maria.brown@noaa.gov

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Superintendent Paul Michel
PH: (831) 647-4201
Email: paul.michel@noaa.gov

Big Year Competitors have reported 0 sightings and taken 1 action to help this species recover so far this year.

Trips

• Sea Watch for Endangered Sea Creatures
  Saturday, 18 Aug 2012, 10:00 - 12:00 Pacific Time (US & Canada)
• Big Year Bike Ride
  Saturday, 20 Oct 2012, 09:30 - 12:30 Pacific Time (US & Canada)
• Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year Bike Ride
  Saturday, 20 Oct 2012, 09:30 - 12:30 Pacific Time (US & Canada)
• Presidio Wildlife Run
  Sunday, 23 Sep 2012, 09:00 - 12:00 Pacific Time (US & Canada)