USCG Whale Saving

[Crazy Horse]

I guess the other duties of the CG weren't enough

http://www.witntv.com/home/headlines/13562007.html

[EX-CG-GM]

The CG proves the cliche "We have been doing so much, with so little, for so long, that we can now do anything with nothing!"

 

[BuoyJumper]

Not really anything new here CH.  The CG has been involved in Marine Conservation for as long as I can remember.  On 11 January 1997, a baby gray whale was found dying on a Pacific beach.  The gray whale was transported to Sea World in San Diego.  After 15 months of rehabilitation and some 10-tons heavier, the whale named by Sea World caretakers as JJ, was returned to the Pacific Ocean by the 180-foot buoy tender CONIFER (WLB-301) and the 110-foot Patrol Boat TYBEE (WPB-1330).  You can read all about JJ the gray whale by clicking on this LINK.

The USCGC CONIFER with her 20-ton boom gently lowers JJ into the Pacific to be returned to the wild.

In the summer of 1967, when I was stationed aboard the MESQUITE we had a team of geologists and scientists from the U of Wis, Madison campus aboard for almost a month taking core samples from the bottom of Lake Michigan to determine the levels of silt and what effect pollution was having on the lake's bottom.  In March 1968 we had a team of geologists, physicists and technicians headed by Dr. Gunther Frankenstein (yes ... you read that right) for two weeks conducting ice surveys to better understand how ice forms and windrows and how best to break the ice to maintain shipping lanes on the Great Lakes.

On 14 December 2005 the Coast Guard rescued a 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons, from being entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. The humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter. "It felt to me like it was thanking us, knowing that it was free and that we had helped it," James Moskito, one of the rescue divers, said Tuesday. "It stopped about a foot away from me, pushed me around a little bit and had some fun."

[BuoyJumper]

HERE'S A VIDEO OF A COAST GUARD WHALE RESCUE

[sparky]

in 1966 there several folks from what was then the National Coast and Geodetic Survey...or something like that aboard the Acacia and we sailed up into the Canadian part of Lake Huron...and they did water clarity samples etc. Nothing up there but an occasional paper mill...dumping all of its waste into the lake.

Way back then in places like Alpena, Michigan in the ship turn around basins, you could stand on the fantail and watch all the raw sewage, etc., get all stirred up by the ship's screw...the water was brown for several miles out. I was from pristine, green and clean Oregon and I couldn't believe what was going into the great lakes.

I assume that's all been cleaned up, now our rivers are dirty.

[BuoyJumper]

in 1966 there several folks from what was then the National Coast and Geodetic Survey...or something like that aboard the Acacia and we sailed up into the Canadian part of Lake Huron...and they did water clarity samples etc. Nothing up there but an occasional paper mill...dumping all of its waste into the lake.

Way back then in places like Alpena, Michigan in the ship turn around basins, you could stand on the fantail and watch all the raw sewage, etc., get all stirred up by the ship's screw...the water was brown for several miles out. I was from pristine, green and clean Oregon and I couldn't believe what was going into the great lakes.

I assume that's all been cleaned up, now our rivers are dirty.

Sparky, we had the same dilema in Green Bay.  Of all the buoys we worked the WORST of the lot were located on the Fox River downstream from the Ft. Howard Paper Company as it emptied into Green Bay.  Fort Howard flushed all of its liquid waste into the Fox.  When you pulled a buoy sinker from the Fox there was the most foul smelling silt on the concrete sinkers from the outflow of the Fort Howard Paper Mill.  That smell was so bad it could gag a magot. I understand it's all been cleaned up now, but who really knows the enviromental damage done to the river and lower Green Bay from Fort Howard's discharge all those years.   

[BuoyJumper]

Updated at 4:30 a.m., Saturday, April 26, 2008

Coast Guard helping track entangled whale calf

           

HONOLULU - Coast Guard crews on Friday assisted members of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration in tracking an entangled whale calf 28 miles southwest
of Oahu.

The master of a fishing vessel initially spotted the entangled whale calf and called the
Coast Guard at approximately 12:30 p.m.  A rescue helicopter crew from Air Station
Barbers Point was first on scene and provided aerial support.

Crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard cutter Ahi transported a NOAA team to the
location of the entangled whale calf about 2:45 p.m.

The NOAA team attached a satellite-tracking buoy to the debris the whale calf was
tangled in and plans to free the whale from the debris today.

"We accomplished what we set out to do today thanks to the help of the Coast Guard
cutter Ahi crew," said David Schofield, a NOAA Fisheries Pacific Island Region Marine
Mammal Response Coordinator.

The Ahi is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Honolulu.

Original Article

[CHGuns]

I never saved any whales but when I was on Chase we ran over and killed a right whale off the coast of Va. Then we had to spend the summer in drydock in friggin' Portsmouth Va, the ******* of Va.

[BuoyJumper]

News Release
Date: April 9, 2009
Contact: D1 Public Affairs

Whale sighted in vicinity of Verrazano Bridge


Julika Wocial, a representative from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, scans the horizon with binoculars in search of a humback whale sighted south of the Verrazano Bridge in Ambrose Channel, N.Y., April 9, 2009.  Boat crews from Coast Guard Station New York, the Department of Conservation and the New York City Police Department maintained a vigilant watch to prevent commercial and recreational traffic from injuring the animal.

NEW YORK — The Coast Guard is maintaining a safety zone around a whale spotted approximately one mile south of the Verrazano Bridge, N.Y. on April 9, 2009.

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation has a team responding to the scene to assess the condition of the whale. The Riverhead Foundation is authorized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to marine life sightings.

"Several species of large whales are found off the Mid-Atlantic and even close to shore this time of year, including humpbacks, fin whales, right whales, and minke whales,” said Teri Frady, spokesperson for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service in the northeast. “Our current priority is to get a positive species identification, and to do an assessment of the animal's health and the local environment.”

The Coast Guard strongly urges the public to maintain a safe distance from the animal as it may be detrimental to the rescue effort.

At last sighting the whale had moved toward Coney Island and appeared to be in good health.

All inquiries about whale and whale behavior should be directed to Teri Frady with the NOAA at the above number.

News Release

[BuoyJumper]

News Release
Date: April 10, 2009
Contact: D11 Public Affairs

Deceased whale reported in L.A. harbor

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard received a report of a dead whale in Los Angeles Harbor this morning.

The report came from the Merchant Vessel OOCL Japan, a Hong Kong flagged ship coming into the harbor. Coast Guard Station Los Angeles was on scene to assess the situation until the members from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service arrived. The researchers determined the animal to be a 60-foot fin whale.

The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service and the Marine Exchange of Southern California are broadcasting a marine information broadcast to alert vessel traffic in the area as a precaution to protect both shipping and whales.

Collisions with whales or sightings of injured whales should be reported to NOAA at (562) 980-4017. Boaters can contact the U.S. Coast Guard on Channel 16.

News Release

[BuoyJumper]

Feature Story Release
Date: April 24, 2009
Contact: D14 Public Affairs

"Protecting the Deep" -- U.S. Coast Guard provides enforcement
for humpback whale sanctuary in Hawaiian Islands



HONOLULU — Whale season is wrapping up in Hawaii, but U.S. Coast Guard crews are still on the lookout as they scan for interactions between vessels and the big creatures below the surface around the Hawaiian Islands.

It's estimated that more than 10,000 humpback whales migrated from Alaska to their southern home in the warm waters of Hawaii this past season. Coast Guard crews routinely patrol the waters around Hawaii -- particularly the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary -- to ensure mariners mind the presence of these friendly giants.

Coast Guard crews respond frequently to mariners in distress, clean up oil and pollutants, service aids to navigation and numerous other operations. During humpback whale season, a special mission is added to the list of many, dubbed "Operation Kohola Guardian." The Coast Guard aims to protect both the safety of mariners as well as the endangered humpback whales while in the sanctuary (HIHWNMS for short).

Whales migrate to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (established Nov. 4, 1992, and located mostly in the "triangle" of water between Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, and including waters off Oahu) from November to May, with the largest amount of animals generally occurring between January and March. This becomes the breeding and calving grounds for the protected species. There is another species that uses the area as well -- humans, and it's the Coast Guard's enforcement mission to ensure interactions are kept to a minimum.

Hawaii is a maritime state and citizens work and play in the waters that surround the islands and may not know that this area is shared with marine mammal friends of the deep. So, that’s where the Coast Guard and other agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the state of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources step in.

Coast Guard crews conduct weekly sanctuary patrols to ensure citizens and marine life stay safe. Collisions can harm the boater as well as the whale. Weighing an average of 45 tons, a humpback whale colliding with a mariner can be catastrophic.

According to NOAA, there are at least a handful of whale collisions near the Hawaiian Islands every year. For the Coast Guardsmen on patrol, and other agencies who are responsible for the whales' protection, one collision is too many.

Coast Guard patrol boats and helicopters scan the area for signs of whales. The crews will alert mariners in the whale’s vicinity to ensure a 100-yard safety zone is met. It is illegal to get any closer to a whale. Also, it’s illegal for any aircraft to operate within 1,000 feet.

“This season, Coast Guard crews spent more than 600 hours patrolling the sanctuary,” said Eric Roberts, the 14th Coast Guard District's Marine Protected Species Program Manager. “For the first time, NOAA's Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) officers have regularly flown in HH-65 Dolphin helicopters and deployed on Coast Guard patrol boats to help enforce humpback whale approach regulations.”

One of the strategies of the Coast Guard’s Ocean Steward (a program dedicated to the preservation of marine resources) is to partner with other agencies to create a force multiplier for the mission. 

“By partnering with NOAA and other agencies, we’ve been able to increase our presence,” said Roberts. "Units have been more active in protecting endangered species this year than in the last decade."

The occurrence of vessel collisions with humpback whales in Hawaii has increased in recent years. NOAA has confirmed 38 vessel strikes in Hawaiian waters from 1975 to 2007.  Seven of those 38 ship strikes occurred during the 2006 whale season and six occurred during the 2007 whale season. Precautions must be taken to ensure collisions are minimal, said Roberts.

“If a humpback whale is sighted, it is advised to stay well outside of the 100-yard approach regulation,” said Roberts. “Keeping your speed down when whales are known to be in the area is also another precaution.  Whales break the surface of the water without always knowing what lies above them. If a vessel were to be in that path, the results could be devastating.” 

Another side of the Coast Guard’s efforts to protect humpback whales and other marine mammals is responding to distressed animals. The Coast Guard acts as first responders to entanglements and stranding reports supporting NOAA and the state of Hawaii's agencies. Rescue helicopters can locate an entangled whale and relay important information to surface assets.

University of Hawaii scientists estimate as many as one third of whales found in the sanctuary are entangled or show signs of recent entanglement. The Coast Guard assists with an average of 12 whale entanglements each season and transports numerous marine mammals that are in danger to safer locations. Eleven transplants have been successfully completed this season.

 “Over the last seven years scientists say the 'stock' (whale population) has increased,” said Roberts. “It’s good to know the Coast Guard contributed to saving whales and giving hope to an endangered species.”

Coast Guard crews assisted NOAA six times in February 2009 to aid in whale entanglement releases, safety zone violations, Hawaiian monk seal transportation and deceased whale sightings.

“We’re grateful for the help of the Coast Guard,” said Wendy Goo, Area Communications Officer for NOAA. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

The Coast Guard Ocean Steward plan provides a road map for agencies efforts to ensure the nation’s waterways and ecosystems remain productive by protecting all the nation’s living marine resources.

The Coast Guard has protected marine mammals since the Fur Seal Act of 1897. Fur seals were being hunted into extinction due to the value of their coats. The Coast Guard greatly reduced the hunting of these precious animals by banning poaching.

Mariners and citizens are asked to report injured or entangled marine mammals to the Coast Guard on VHF marine band channel 16 or at 808-842-2600 or by contacting the NOAA fisheries hot line at 800-853-1964.

Feature Story Release
Note:  Photos added by Buoy

[theriz]

I was on the Cape Newagen out of Maalaea Harbor, on Maui in 1979-1981. The unit was tasked with whale protection. We had a 21ft Whaler Outrage, that we took out every day and patroled the area between Lanai and Maui. There were three on us boat coxswains, yes even me the SS1, rotating as OOD and coxswains. On one day I was tasked with recovering a dead pilot whale stuck on Kamole Beach One, Near Keihi. This was a very popular beach and loaded with visitors. This simple job of towing the whale off the beach and taking it out to sea, turned into a fricking nightmare. These crazy women,some as big as the whale were throwing themselfs on the whale or trying to prevent the boat crew from attaching the towline. I had to call in Maui PD to assist in controlling the crowd. National Marine Fishers was no were in sight, their office was on Oahu. However we recovered the whale and disposed of the whale. I went home and took the CG decal off my car, I lived right across the street from Kamole Beach One. The crazies are still there.

[BuoyJumper]

Thanks for posting Martin.  Never had to deal with whales in the 9th.  I have heard enough horror stories from other Coasties over the years who have had to deal with dead whales and people getting in the way to know that I am glad I never encountered one.  Some of these green peace types are a little over zealous for their cause.      

[LTGunner]

The US Coast Guard has had a few encounters with whales too:

7/6/91 Unknown Whale Killed, Coast Guard Cutter; Chase; 84 m
185 km E of Delaware Bay, USA; 38_21.5_N, 73_06.5_W

At _1845 in calm seas and clear weather, two large whales, possibly sperm or right whales, were seen by the bridge watch surfacing 46 m ahead crossing the bow. They dove quickly perhaps trying to avoid the ship. A few seconds later the ship vibrated and the engine was disengaged. As the ship slowed, a calf about 4.6 m long rolled from under the stern bleeding profusely from large propeller gashes on its side. It rolled a few times, settled nose up for a few minutes, and sank ‘‘obviously dead.’’ The two large whales surfaced, circled back to the ship, lingered a while, and then left. Both propellers were damaged.

Source: NOAA

[BuoyJumper]

NGS Helps U.S. Coast Guard Protect Endangered Right Whales
System Provides Crucial Information to Sea Captains
By: Marketwire .
Apr. 29, 2009 06:00 AM

FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA — Nortel Government Solutions (NGS), a U.S. company wholly owned by Nortel(1) (TSX: NT)(OTCBB: NRTLQ), announced today it has won a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contract to maintain and support the Mandatory Ship Reporting System (MSR) - a system which is helping the U.S. Coast Guard to protect a critically endangered species of whale. The contract is a re-compete of the original 1999 contract, also won by NGS, for the initial building, implementation and maintenance of the MSR system.

The MSR was originally developed by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help prevent collisions between commercial ships and the endangered North Atlantic right whale(2). After whaling nearly wiped them out 100 years ago, there are approximately 350-400 right whales alive today. Their biggest threat today is not from whaling, but from collisions with vessels and entanglements with fishing gear.

The Coast Guard has sought to improve mariner awareness of whale habitats and identifying whale locations has become a key strategy to reduce the risk of ship strikes. Captains, who routinely navigated through right whale habitats, need updated sighting information to avoid these collisions.

In April 1999, the U.S. government won approval to monitor two reporting areas under the Mandatory Ship Reporting System (MSR) from the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO). Nortel Government Solutions has worked with the USCG through the lifecycle of the Mandatory Ship Reporting System, including its design, development and maintenance. After initial implementation, the system was enhanced to include web enabling of the reporting functions and message updates. Today the MSR helps prevent collisions between right whales and commercial vessels by providing mariners with the most current whale sighting information in and around specific right whale critical habitats. In short, right whales now have the right of way.

A computer server, operated and maintained by Nortel Government Solutions, handles and stores incoming ship reports, which are messages received as standard Internet-based emails or INMARSAT-C (International Maritime Satellite) telexes. NOAA manually populates the MSR with last known locations of right whales. When a vessel reports its entry within either of the two reporting areas, WHALESNORTH - off the Massachusetts coast - or WHALESSOUTH - off the coast of Georgia and Florida - the system provides the vessel with a whale location report and precautionary advice on how to avoid collisions. An interface with the U.S. Coast Guard's vessel management data provides ship routing information, determines system compliance and identifies probable violators.

From 1999 to 2002, the first three years of the system's operation, over two thousand valid ship report records were received and processed into the MSR. This knowledge may also contribute to consideration of other initiatives such as possible speed restrictions, re-routing measures, areas to be avoided, navigational safety enhancements, enforceability and economic impact of regulations-all while enhancing educational programs advising mariners on better ways to avoid collisions.

In today's global economy, container ships are the fastest growing shipping segment. Container ship calls to U.S. Atlantic ports are expected to increase 4% per year through 2020-from 47,000 calls to 93,500 calls. In this increasingly complex and sensitive marine environment, Nortel Government Solutions will continue to support the MSR in providing critical, real-time information to help mariners ensure the endangered right whale continues to have the right-of-way.

Original Article