ABOUT THE WHALES
Every Hyannis Whale Watcher cruise is a unique opportunity to experience Cape Cod's most amazing residents - the whales. To help you better appreciate your cruise adventure, we've created a few "primers" outlining the various species of whales you may see, their history and environment, the food they eat and the other creatures that inhabit the Cape Cod waters.

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Whale Species | Marine Life | Stellwagen Bank | Food Webs | more coming soon!

MARINE LIFE
Whales aren't the only creatures that inhabit the waters of Cape Cod. A vast ecosystem, life fills every space of the marine ecosystem and takes on many forms - from the invertebrates in all their shapes and sizes, the fish that roam the waters deep and shallow, the birds that soar high above, and the life giving plankton everywhere inbetween. Below is a quick primer on some of these amazing inhabitants of our region, some of which you may see on your Whale Watcher cruise.

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PLANKTON
Plankton is the term used to describe the plants and animals which form the base of the food web in the world’s oceans. Some species may be viewed with the naked eye, but most of these organisms are so tiny that they are visible only through a microscope. The greatest numbers of plankton are found in the surface waters of the open ocean. Sunlight can only penetrate the water to a certain depth before it diffuses, or loses its intensity. It is here in the open ocean’s sunlit region that green plants can grow. By growing in huge numbers, these plants provide food for the planktonic animals. Some planktonic animals can swim on their own. They are called nektons, but in general, plankton drift with the ocean currents. The movements of plankton are at the mercy of the sea.

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Phytoplankton Planktonic plants are called phytoplankton. These are often one-celled algae, the simplest of green plants. One of the biggest groups are the diatoms. In New England, plankton growth is a seasonal phenomenon. In the springtime, day length increases steadily until June 21. This causes the surface waters to warm, and it gives these tiny plants a chance to grow and multiply. By July, the waters around Cape Cod appear light green in color from all of the new plant growth. This is the period of greatest productivity in the Gulf of Maine. By October, the days get shorter and the waters cool. At this point, phytoplankton growth slows and the busy marine food web begins to break down until the following spring.

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Zooplankton Planktonic animals are called zooplankton. This microscopic world includes many species. These include tiny shrimp-like animals like krill and copepods. Copepods are thought to be the most numerous animals in the world. The troublemaking character Plankton, on Spongebob Squarepants, is a copepod! Many other animals are also present in the zooplankton world. There are primitive shelled animals like the radiolarians and faraminifera who inhabited the world‘s oceans before any fish ever swam! There is also a group of animals known as meroplankton. This diverse group includes the larvae or immature stages of fish, crabs, lobsters, squid and octopi, and even sea stars and sand dollars. The health of plankton populations is critical to all life on earth. Plankton fuel the ocean’s food web, the largest in the world. Phytoplankton produce more oxygen through photosynthesis than all of the world’s trees. Plankton are also a good way to take the “pulse” of the oceans. Plankton are sensitive to heat and chemical pollution. Populations are also responding to changes in our atmosphere. Ozone depletion from greenhouse gasses have been shown to have major impacts on plankton populations in across great expanses of ocean. Governments need to take steps to monitor the health of plankton locally and globally to prepare for the future.

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INVERTEBRATES
Invertebrates are animals without backbones. They can be found at all points on the food chain. They range from worms, clams, and snails to octopi and crabs. Some are so small they are almost invisible to the naked eye, like some of the zooplankton species. They can also be as large as the enormous giant squids. Two species of invertebrates are very well known in the Gulf of Maine as food for humans and for marine life as well. These animals are not seen from the Whale Watcher, but they do live out there. Let’s take a look at these two very different animals.

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American Lobster (Homerus americana) Length: to +3ft./ +1m The lobster is familiar to anyone who has visited New England. This large crustacean is known for it’s two oversized claws. The larger and more massive claw is known as the crusher claw. The smaller one with the sharp points is the ripper claw. Whichever side the crusher claw is on tells people wheather it is right or left handed! Along with the big claws, lobsters have eight other legs for walking on the ocean bottom. Each of these legs has a tiny claw on the tip. Lobsters also have two sets of large antennae to help them sense danger and to find food. Lobsters are both predators and scavengers. Besides humans, other predators include many fish species such as cod, halibut, and wolfish. Octopi also hunt lobster. Lobsters prefer live prey. Clams, worms, unlucky fish and even smaller lobsters are part of their diet. If a fresh meal is not available, they will eat the carcasses of dead marine animals and help keep the oceans clean. They locate food mostly through the senses of smell, taste, and touch. Their eyes are not very useful in the darkness of deep water. Using these senses the lobster sometimes finds its way into the traps or “pots” of lucky commercial fisherman. Lobster was not always a gourmet food. It was so common along the coast that they were cut up and used as fertilizer! In the 1700’s, lobster was often fed to prisoners, orphans and servants. At one point, indentured servants became so tired of being fed lobster that they lobbied the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to pass a law that servants not be fed lobster more than three times a week! At the beginning of the 1900’s, lobster became the fashion food it is now. Today there is even a restaurant in New York where a lobster omelet topped with caviar sells for $1000. A huge fishing industry and whole communities grew up around the demand for lobster. That fishery is considered to be one of the best managed fisheries in the world.

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Short-finned Squid (Illex illecebrosus) The Short-finned Squid is the most common squid species in the Gulf of Maine. Squid are most closely related to octopi and cuttlefish, but also to clams, oysters and snails. Squid have a long tube-shaped body with two triangular fins for propulsion. Their body is supported by a thin shell on the inside called a “pen”. They also have a sharp parrot-like beak for feeding. Squid may be best known for their eight arms and two long sucker lined tentacles. Short-finned Squid live in the open ocean. They spend their days near the bottom and migrate up the water column to feed at the surface at night or on cloudy days. They are excellent hunter and eat a wide variety of fish species. They chase their prey down using “jet-propulsion“. Water is sucked in at one end of their body and is shot out the other. They grab their prey with their tentacles and hold it with their arms while they feed. Many bird, fish and marine mammals feed on squid, but New Englanders never did care for them. Many squid were harvested from the ocean for bait in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, but it was not until the 1970’s that other countries, where squid are a delicacy began to fish for them and import them. That fishery did well for 20 years, but then the population crashed. Squid only live for about 1 year. By taking so many there were not enough to replace their numbers. Today, the fishery for squid is coming back, and the populations are being watched closely.

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FISH
There are many species of fish in the Gulf of Maine. Some are tiny and others are true giants. Some swim in the open ocean, others live near the bottom. Some are found by the millions, and others are so very rare that only one or two have ever been found. To try to name and describe all of the species in the Gulf would take a really long time.

In this section you will find some examples of fish that live in the Gulf of Maine. There are examples from the three major groups of fish species: jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, and bony fish. Several species are important to people as food and support entire economies. A few species might give even grownups nightmares! What is important to remember is that all of these species have a part to play in the balance of nature within the Gulf of Maine.

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Jawless Fishes
These two species are some of the oldest fish found in fossil records. As the name says, these fish do not have a hinged jaw as other fish do.

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Hagfish or Slime eel (Myxine glutinosa) Length: to +3ft./ +1m. Hagfish are not pretty. They look like an eel but lack the two-part jaw found in a true eels. Instead, their mouths open in a star-shaped pattern to reveal a paired tongue which is covered with sharp bumps, much like the pattern on a cheese-grater. They use their special tongue to feed. Their eyes are very tiny and almost useless, but science has shown that they have an excellent sense of smell. An interesting adaptation are the mucus or “slime” glands on the sides of their body. This mucus protects the hagfish from cuts, bumps and scrapes in its environment, but it is also used in defense against predators. If you annoy a hagfish, its body works overtime to produce mucus. This slime is really messy, and disgusting, and they can produce LOTS of it! Hagfish live at the bottom of the ocean in areas with soft muddy bottoms that they burrow into while waiting for food. Their favorite foods include sea worms and other soft bodied animals. They are also scavengers and take every advantage to get a meal from dead or dying marine life. When groundfish like cod are captured in a bottom net, nearby hagfish home in on the taste of the distressed fish and attack! They use their rasp like tongue to borrow into the body of the unfortunate fish. Sometimes several will join in the feeding frenzy. They will eat the organs and tissues of the fish leaving a bag of bones for the fishers. If they are brought onto the boat, the chore of sorting out the “slime eels” is one that nobody looks forward to. So how can an ugly fish with disgusting habits be important? The answer is that hagfish work as an underwater cleanup crew, much the way seagulls do on our beaches. Hagfish help to recycle the nutrients trapped in dead marine life and keep the ocean floor free of rotting carcasses. These animals do not take more than they need, in fact, after a big meal they may not eat again for many months. Though hagfish are eaten by people in a few countries, their hide is valuable as a type of leather and a fishery does exist for them. This needs to be watched. Hagfish do not produce many eggs so their population grows slowly. Over fishing could mean that there are fewer of these animals to do their job in the world’s oceans.

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Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) Length: to +3ft./ +1m. Like the hagfish, the lamprey resembles a true eel and lacks a true jaw. The eyes of the lamprey are much more advanced than those of its cousin the hagfish. When closed, the mouth looks like a slit on the front and bottom of the head. Powerful muscles are used to open the circular mouth and reveal the lamprey’s impressive teeth. The sharp, hooked teeth in a lamprey mouth are arranged in circular rows. There may be ten to twelve rows of these teeth in the animal’s mouth with the biggest teeth centered near the throat. Hollywood has borrowed this feature in designing many movie monsters! Indeed, the lamprey’s lifestyle does resemble that of one Halloween villain, the vampire! Lampreys are a predatory fish that feed on the body fluids of other animals, specifically blood. The lamprey locates its prey by taste, smell and eyesight. The lamprey swims alongside its victim and fastens to its prey’s flank. Once attached, it begins to feed. Most of the species that are targeted are free swimming. Salmon, cod, shad, herring, mackerel, billfish and sharks are but a few. In August of 2005, a 60 foot Finback Whale was seen from the Whale Watcher with a three foot lamprey attached to its back! The harm done to an animal of this size would be minor but smaller animals may not recover. Animals which feed off of other living creatures are known as parasites. The Sea Lamprey is an example of an anadromous fish. These are species which live in the ocean as adults but return to freshwater to lay their eggs. The blood that the females get from their prey help them to produce their eggs, just like mosquitoes! The eggs are laid on gravelly bottoms in rivers and streams. After the eggs hatch, the larva settle in muddy or sandy areas where they grow to their adult stage and return to the sea. In the oceans, lamprey populations are controlled by larger fish which eat them. In some places, like the Great Lakes, lampreys have invaded through manmade canals and channels. There, they have no natural predators to control them, and have caused problems in fish populations. Today there is a major project underway to control the numbers of lamprey in those areas using a poison which targets the baby lampreys.

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Cartilaginous Fish
Sharks and rays are what scientists call cartilaginous fish. Unlike true bony fish, the skeletons of these animals are made up of cartilage. We have cartilage in our bodies, too. It is found in spaces between bones and works like shock absorbers in our spinal column and in our knees. Sharks and rays are very old in the fossil record and made the ocean home long before the whales came about, and even before the dinosaurs! Their shape has changed very little over millions of years which shows that their design has been effective for survival.

Sharks have a bad reputation, much of which is based on incorrect information and scary movies. There are roughly 350 species of sharks in the world. Eighty percent are smaller than five feet as adults and pose very little danger unless handled or provoked. Only 32 species of sharks have been blamed in attacks on people. Another 36 species grow over six feet in length, and could be considered dangerous, but most of these live in deep and cold waters.

Today, many species of sharks are threatened from over-fishing and reckless hunting. The author of the book “Jaws“, Peter Benchley has spoken out in defense of these animals. He spoke at a news conference in Hong Kong in 2000, and had this to say: "In the 25 years since 'Jaws' was first released, sharks have experienced an unprecedented and uncontrolled attack. Sharks are much more the victims than the villains.” There have been 12 species of rays and 19 species of sharks reported in the Gulf of Maine. They all have their place. Skates and stingrays live on the bottom and are not seen . Sharks are sometimes encountered on the Whale Watcher as they swim at the surface. Let’s look at a few of them.

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Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) Length: +4ft./ +1.3m. Weight: to 20 lbs./8kg. The Spiny Dogfish is the most common shark in the Gulf of Maine. There are thousands of dogfish to every one shark of any other species. These are small sharks and are not a threat to swimmers. They are called “spiny” because each has a single slightly venomous spine at the front of the two fins on their back (dorsal fins). They use these spines for defense from larger predators and will use them against fishermen who have to remove them from hooks or nets. Their teeth are small but sharp and point towards the corners of their mouths, giving them a cutting edge that they use to cut and tear the flesh of their prey. Unlike many species of sharks which are loners, Spiny Dogfish gather and travel in very large schools or packs. They are very good hunters. Like all sharks, they use their sense of smell and taste to find food. Sharks also have hundreds of tiny electroreceptors all over their bodies. All animals give off electrical signals and sharks can use these special organs to locate and identify prey. Prey species of dogfish include many species of fish. They also eat squid, krill, crabs and worms. Some of them are important to commercial fisheries such as herring and mackerel. Packs of dogfish have been known to tear into nets full of fish, letting much of the catch escape. For this reason, they have a very bad reputation with fishermen. Today, man eating sharks may be the biggest threat to dogfish. Not great white or tiger sharks, but the fact that humans have found that the dogfish’s flesh makes tasty fish and chips. Beginning in the late 20th century, some countries began to harvest the oceans for dogfish. They are numerous and they travel in schools, so many could be taken at one time. This fishery is now governed by federal laws. Since ancient times, from a well designed predator, to a nuisance to fishermen, to a favorite menu item, the Spiny Dogfish has earned its place in the ecology of the Gulf of Maine

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Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) Length: +12ft./ +4m. Weight: to 600 lbs./300kg. It is the deep shades of blue that give this species its name. When viewed underwater, it is hard to imagine an animal better adapted for life in the open ocean. It is a slender and streamlined species with a pointed nose and long pectoral fins. The teeth of the blue shark are pointed and have an edge that resembles a steak knife. Like all sharks, new teeth grow in rows throughout the shark’s lifetime and replace those that are lost or worn. Blue sharks are found in all of the world’s oceans, and thought to be the most numerous shark in the world. They are sometimes spotted on whale watches as they cruise just below the surface. The broad diet of the Blue Shark may be one reason it is so common. Squid and small schooling fish are the main food source, but Blue Sharks will eat almost anything that catches their eye. They have even been known to feed on garbage from cruise ships! Whalers knew the Blue Shark which fed on the remains of whales which had been butchered at sea. Baby Blue Sharks are born fully outfitted for life. Twenty to over one hundred may be born at one time. Young sharks are known as pups and are born into litters. Because they are a large species, Blue Sharks do pose a hazard to humans. But since they are an open water species, they are rarely encountered by swimmers. There have been accounts of these sharks preying on the victims of shipwrecks. On July 30, 1945, the cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the Philippine Sea, and sank in only 12 minutes. Of the 1199 man crew, only 316 survived. Many of those lives lost were the victims of Blue Sharks. From that time forward, the Navy has been experimenting with different ways to safeguard against shark attacks. There has never been a large fishery for Blue Sharks, but they are often taken on long lines, and in nets which were set for other species of fish.

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White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) Length: +20ft./ +7m. Weight: to 5000 lbs./2400 kg. This predator is at the top of the marine food pyramid and are found in all of the world’s oceans. White sharks are heavily built and powerful fish. Their teeth are large and triangular in shape, with sharp edges that are designed for tearing flesh. The largest White Shark recorded was over 36 feet long, but most are far smaller. Even though this shark is famous the world over, it is just in recent years that scientists are piecing its natural history together. The diet of the White Shark includes just about anything in the ocean that can fit into its mouth! Many species of fish including other sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and marine mammals have been recorded as prey. One of the most important prey items for large white sharks are seals and sea lions. White sharks are well known in areas where these mammals gather and breed. The white shark has a special tactic for taking these large animals. They use their electroreceptors to home in on their prey. White sharks often begin their attack with a savage bite which is meant to weaken the victim. The shark will then circle in the area as the animal loses blood. A final attack is then made to finish the job. This behavior has saved the lives of victims in White Shark attacks, especially surfers. It appears that after the shark has found out that the person is not a seal or sea lion, they do not continue the attack. This has been seen time and time again in attacks where the victim survives. In July of 1975 the movie “Jaws” was released and made the White Shark public enemy number one. For years after the movie’s release, sharks were hunted by fishermen who thought that the only good shark was a dead shark. The jaws of a White Shark can sell for thousands of dollars, and many sharks are killed every year for these souvenirs. Today, many countries have chosen to protect white shark populations so that future generations will be able to marvel at this awesome predator.

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Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) Length: +30ft/+10m Weight: +8000 lbs/+16,000kg The Basking Shark is the most commonly observed shark species aboard the Whale Watcher. They are the second largest fish species on earth; only the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) of tropical waters is larger. Basking sharks have a powerful build, are deep bodied, and have a classic shark shape. Many people think that Basking sharks are actually White Sharks and get scared. Though all sharks have teeth, we need not fear! In the case of Basking Sharks, the teeth are tiny and useless for feeding. Like the whale shark, this gentle giant gets its fill of its favorite food, plankton, by slowly swimming near the surface with their mouth wide open. The tiny plank tonic animals, called zooplankton, are captured in long extensions of their gills. These are called gill rakers and look like the teeth on a comb. Once the gill rakers are full of plankton, they close their mouths and swallow. In late fall, as zooplankton become scarce, the old gill rakers are shed and new ones grow in to be ready for next year’s feeding season. Like some of our whales, basking sharks do not feed during the coldest months of the year. The Basking Shark is able to rely on nourishment from its enormous liver where fats and proteins are stored These animals sometimes travel in groups of up to 100 individuals. Some scientists believe that a gathering of many basking sharks may indicate breeding behavior. Interestingly, these animals are sometimes seen leaping clear of the water as whales do at times. It is suggested that this breaching may be an attempt to dislodge large parasites like lamprey eels. In some parts of the world, these sharks are hunted for their livers and their fins. The liver oil is used as a form of fuel and also for traditional medicine. The fins are used in shark-fin soup which is a delicacy in some countries. Like whales, they are hunted with harpoons. For now, the Gulf of Maine population seems to be safe from overfishing.

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Bony Fish
Bony fish are those species which have a skeleton made up of bones. Most bony fish also have a swim bladder which helps the fish stay afloat. There are more species of fish than any other group vertebrates, those animals with backbones. They can be big or small, skinny or fat and live everywhere between the water’s edge to the deep waters of the continental shelf. Fish are true experts at adaptation.

There are many fish species in the Gulf of Maine. They range from tiny Atlantic Silversides to giant Bluefin Tuna. Some species of fish are very important to coastal economies and helped shape the New England landscape. Today, many of our fisheries are in danger of collapse. Over fishing and pollution are very real threats to the future of the ocean environment. Different species of schooling fish are sometimes seen near the surface during whale watches. Let’s take a look at some of the bony fish species, big and small, that call the Gulf of Maine home and see how they make their livings.

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Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) Length: +1ft./ +.3m. Weight: 1 lb./.5 kg. The New England Indians did not have printed calendars to mark the passage of time. Instead, their year was marked by important events. One of those events happened every spring when the alewives returned to spawn. The alewife is a small silvery fish which looks like a herring. Unlike herring which spawn at sea, alewives are anadromous fish which means they travel from the oceans to spawn in fresh water. In late spring, they swim up streams, creeks and rivers to reach the quiet waters of ponds. Here the female will lay between 60, 000 -100,000 eggs. The eggs are fertilized by the males. The sticky eggs attach to twigs, rocks and even the shells of turtles! The eggs hatch in about one week. and the baby alewife spend the summer feeding before returning to the ocean in autumn. Once they reach reproductive age, at three years old, they will return to the same streams where they were born, and so the cycle of life goes on. Many species of animals from sea gulls, to raccoons, to striped bass, count on the abundance of food to be found during the alewife run. The alewife has long been important to people. During colonial times, tons of these fish were harvested, these were smoked, dried, or preserved in salt. In the town of Falmouth, on Cape Cod, the alewife actually caused a “big stink.” In 1800, the townspeople were divided over the damming of streams which the fish used to spawn. In a battle over land use, two parties formed, a herring party and an anti-herring party. At one point, some of the anti-herring people filled a cannon on the town green with alewives and then lit the fuse, trying to make a point to the herring party. Unfortunately, they must have packed it too tightly because the cannon exploded, killing the cannoner, and sending alewife all over the place. It may sound fishy, but this is a true story!

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Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus) Length: +1.5ft./ +.5m. Weight: 1.5lb./.7 kg. What the Atlantic Herring lacks in size, it makes up for in sheer numbers. These small silver fish are a schooling species. A single school may contain tens of thousands of individuals. One reason for schooling is that there is safely in numbers. Predators have a harder time singling one fish out of many. This is good for the herring because they are preyed upon by many different species. Seabirds, many types of fish, squid, whales and dolphins will all make a meal out of herring. Herring feed on tiny animals called zooplankton. Like the much larger basking shark, the herring’s food is filtered out of the water by special gill rakers which look like a fine-toothed comb. Herring take part on long seasonal migrations within the Gulf of Maine, but return to spawn on shoals and ledges offshore during the springtime. The young herring are often called sardines by fisher peoples. Herring are very important to the health of the Gulf of Maine’s environment. They serve as food for humans as well as for many animals. The fishery for herring is important to many coastal communities, but over fishing of this species has become a big problem. A very effective way to harvest herring is by using two fishing boats towing a huge net in between them. In this way, millions and millions of fish are removed. This is called pair seining and has many scientists worried. Taking too many herring leaves little food for whales and other animals. If fishing pressure keeps up, a collapse of the herring population could take place and may effect the entire marine ecosystem for years to come.

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Sand Lance (Ammodytes americanus) Length: +5in./ +30cm. The slender little sand lance is a very important species in the Gulf of Maine. Like the herring, it gathers in very large schools and is preyed upon by many different species including baleen whales. Humpback whales can eat over one ton of sand lance in a single day. They can be found in either shallow or deep waters. The sand lance has the interesting habit of burrowing into sandy bottoms with their sharp, pointed nose. They may actually stay buried during the changes of tides. How the little fish are able to breath in the sand is a question which interests scientists. Sand lance eat a diet of small animals including the small shrimp-like copepods and other invertebrates. They also eat the young of many species of fish. The female sand lance lay their eggs on the bottom where they attach to grains of sand. Once the eggs hatch, the babies float to the surface where they spend a few weeks and are an important food item for many other species. After growing to about an inch in length, they settle back to the bottom where they will live out their lives. There has never been a large fishery for these small fish but that does not mean that they are safe from threats to their population. It seems that sand lance numbers rise and fall in cycles which scientists do not understand. In some years numbers are high, and in some years numbers are low. There is evidence that if the sandy bottoms where this species lives is changed by dumping or pollution, sand lance may be eliminated. It will be important to continue to learn more about this specie’s ecology.

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Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) Length: +5ft./ +1.8m. Weight: 150lb./70 kg. Cape Cod was named after the codfish. The Atlantic Cod is part of a large family of fish which includes haddock, pollack and hake, all of which have been important to humans since the colonial days. Most of these species spend their lives near the ocean floor. They are known as groundfish. Cod have a large head and heavy bodies.. Their mouths are filled with many tiny teeth. They also have a flesh whisker on their chin called a barble which helps the fish taste the water for nearby food. Cod feed on many different types of food, from schools of herring in shallow coastal waters, to squid taken in the deep waters offshore. Nothing escapes the hungry cod. Sea worms, clams, lobsters, sea urchins, many fish species, and even an occasional diving duck have found their way into the cod’s stomach. Baby cod, like most young fish are fed upon by many other marine species. Larger marine predators feed on cod, especially some shark species. Many studies have been made of the cod’s life cycle. This is important to understand because people love to eat cod. A four foot long female cod has been known to produce 4 million eggs. When the Pilgrims arrived, there were tens of millions of cod in the Gulf of Maine. That’s surely a lot of baby cod! Today, the situation is much different. Like the herring, cod have been heavily over-fished. There are not enough cod to support the fishery. Many of the fishing grounds may be closed for years to come as scientists wait to see if the population can recover.

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Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) Length: +3ft./ +1m. Weight: +to 25lb./10 kg. The Bluefish is known for being a bloodthirsty fish and is often called the piranhas of the oceans. They are actually related to a family of tropical marine fish called jacks. Their teeth are razor sharp and their jaws are powerful. Bluefish often travel in large schools. They can grow large and have been known to accidentally bite unsuspecting swimmers and even whales as they hunt for prey! Many fishermen have been badly injured trying to remove this toothy species from fishing hooks. Bluefish like to feed on smaller schooling fish like mackerel and herring. They also feed heavily on squid when they are to be found. So ferocious are their feeding frenzies, that they have been known to chase their prey right up on the beach! Even though Bluefish are found in the Gulf of Maine during warmer months, they migrate south in fall and winter. It is in these warmer waters where they spawn in open water. Like mackerel, newly hatched bluefish float in the upper water column where they provide food for many marine species. In the late summer, young Bluefish (snapper-blues) make their way north to feed in the estuaries or brackish water environments of coastal New England. Even the fearsome Bluefish has its enemies. Tuna feed on adult Bluefish, as do sharks and Swordfish. Like some other species, bluefish populations run in cycles. In some years, almost no bluefish are to be found. Some people love the flavor of Bluefish while others do not. Because of this, the New England fishery for bluefish is not as big as it is for some other large, schooling species. In years where bluefish are scarce, it is important to measure the commercial catch carefully.

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Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombus) Length: +2ft./ +.7m. Weight: 3lb./2.5 kg. Mackerel are related to larger fish species such as bonito, albacore, and tuna. They are much smaller than their cousins, but are powerful for their size. They are fast swimmers. This helps them when chasing food or when being chased by larger predators. Like many Gulf of Maine fish, they gather, travel, and feed in schools. Large schools of Atlantic Mackerel travel around the Gulf of Maine in regular yearly migration patterns. They are sometimes found near shore and in harbors, but are mostly thought of as a pelagic, or open water species. They spawn in the shallow coastal waters of the continental shelf. The eggs float free near the surface as they get ready to hatch. New born mackerel are part of the group of animals which are called zooplankton. When they are small, many species of birds, fish, and marine mammals feed on the young mackerel. As they grow larger, they become important predators themselves. Fishermen have known for years that the populations of mackerel naturally rise and fall like some other species of fish. It is believed that the survival of one or two years of baby mackerel can shape the fishery for years to come. Mackerel are one of the most important commercial species in the Gulf of Maine and are closely monitored by scientists and government officials.

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Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) Length: +12ft./ +4m. Weight: +to 1,200 lb./550 kg. One of the largest true fish in the world, the Bluefin Tuna is a top predator in the Gulf of Maine. They are shaped like a missile, are built for speed, and actually never stop swimming until they die. They must swim to keep water moving over their gills so that they can breath. Even at their slowest speed, Bluefin Tuna swim faster than any human ever has! This species has been clocked at over 50mph/80kmph in short bursts, faster than most powerboats. They are such powerful fighters, sport fishermen have collapsed and died while battling them on rod and reel. Bluefin Tuna feed on schooling fish. In the Gulf of Maine, they are known to eat herring, alewives, and other small fish. Mackerel, smaller tuna, even small sharks and adult bluefish show up in their diet. Bluefins have amazed the scientific community in a number of ways. It has been shown that unlike most fish, bluefins create their own heat, and so are considered a warm blooded animal. They also grow very quickly. Tuna nearly double their body weight almost every year until they five years old. Once they’re fully grown, they may weigh half a ton and have very few natural enemies. In the Gulf of Maine, only Orcas or Killer Whales base their diet on these giants. In the early days of commercial fishing, no one fished for the Bluefin Tuna. Their flesh was not valued and could not be sold for much money. In the early 1900s, things began to change. The catch of tuna in New England went from 94,000 lbs. in 1919 to 250,000 lbs. in the early 1930’s to over 2 million pounds in 1949. In the 1980s a new market in Asia opened to fishermen in New England. Fresh tuna is prized in Asian countries and the price in America soared. A single 500 lb. tuna which nobody would have paid $1 for in 1900 brought a price of $45,000 in 1990! Since that time, the tuna has been over fished in the Gulf of Maine. Today, new laws keep this species protected from this new demand.

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Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Length: +4ft./ +1.2m. Weight: +to 50 lb./25 kg. The Striped Bass is the largest member of the bass family. Like many other species of fish, the females tend to be larger in size than the males. They have a large head and wide jaws. Their teeth are small and point backwards toward the back of their mouth. Striped Bass are not the fastest Gulf of Maine fish species, but they are powerful. They are able to swim with ease in surf that would be too heavy for human swimmers. Like the alewife, Striped Bass are anadromous fish meaning that they live in salt water, but breed in fresh water. They enter large creeks and rivers where the females deposit up to one million eggs which are fertilized by the males. For the first two to three years of life, the young gather in groups and are called “schoolies” by local fishermen. The young bass feed on small invertebrates like shrimp, and worms, as well as small fish. As adults in the Gulf of Maine, they will eat almost any schooling fish as well as squid, eels, crabs and even lobsters. Adult fish move in and out of coastal waters in seasonal migrations. Since early colonial times, people have noticed that Striped Bass are very common in some years while nearly absent in others. Scientists call these cycles population fluctuations. Some scientists believe that Striped Bass and Bluefish have opposite cycles. It is well known that the health of coastal marshes has a big effect on fish populations. Development of wetlands and pollution are sure to have an impact on many species like the Striped Bass if care is not taken. The small commercial fishery is closely watched and regulated. This helps guarantee that the sport fishers who spend many millions of dollars locally will have a chance at catching a “striper.”

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Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) Length: +15ft./ +5m. Weight: +to 2000 lb./900 kg. The Ocean Sunfish is the largest bony fish in the world. They are also one of the strangest looking fish anyone could imagine. They lack a useful tail-fin for swimming. Instead, they use their tall dorsal (upper) and anal (lower) fins to swim. They are roundish and flattened in shape, like a giant swimming pancake! They have a small mouth. The teeth in each jaw are fused together so it looks like they have only on upper and one lower tooth. The mola’s closest living relatives are the puffer and porcupine fishes. They live most of the year in warm waters, so it is only in the summer that they are seen in the Gulf of Maine. The Ocean Sunfish’s diet is as odd as its looks are. They are one of the few animals which eat mostly jellyfish and their relatives. They also eat some of the larger zooplankton and even some plant life. Molas spend much of their time near the surface, feeding and sunning. They often pick up hitchhikers. Many small animals like copepods and some marine worms attach themselves to the ocean sunfish and feed off these large fish. Sometimes smaller fish come and help themselves to these parasites. The molas seem to welcome this. There has never been a commercial market for the ocean sunfish. Like its famous cousin, the Fugu Pufferfish, the flesh and organs of this fish can contain chemicals which are poisonous to humans. Ocean Sunfish do not feel the pressure from human activities that other species of fish do. They are a treat for passengers aboard the Whale Watcher to observe as they swim by.

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BIRDS
There are over 8000 species of birds in the world. They live on every continent and occupy every land-based habitat on the planet. They range in size from Ostriches, the giant flightless bird of Africa to Cuba’s tiny Bee Hummingbird which is no bigger than a human thumb and weighs less than a coin. The birds that passengers aboard the Whale Watcher are interested in are the seabirds, and as will be seen, some of these actually help us to find whales! We don’t even have to pay them.

If the name seabird is mentioned, most people right away think of a seagull, or maybe a pelican, and they are correct. Species like seagulls and pelicans spend most of their time in the shallow waters of the ocean, close to land. There are others, though, that are true ocean wanderers; birds which spend almost their whole lives out at sea. Some of these species may have never seen a tree in their life, let alone sat in one! Few people ever get a chance to encounter these animals unless they are willing to venture out on the ocean.

Birds have been tied to humans since ancient times and find their place in many myths, stories and superstitions. Humans are not creatures of the sea. The oceans are mysterious and sometimes frightening places to us. Therefore, when sailors encountered birds far out at sea, a kind of familiar connection was made. Birds reminded them of their homes, and not surprisingly, sea birds found their way into many legends. Many species of birds have been identified in the Gulf of Maine, some live here year-round , others pass through in migration, while others seem to arrive here by accident. Let’s look at some of the species we may encounter while on the Whale Watcher.

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Common Loon (Gavia immer) The common loon is a well known bird in New England. It’s haunting call was made famous in the movie “On Golden Pond.“ These heavy bodied diving birds look a bit like a big duck but they are not related to ducks. Loons are one of the oldest birds in the fossil record. Loons may have arose from a now extinct seabird, Hesperornis, which was over 5 feet in length and actually had teeth to catch and eat its prey! Loons are fish eaters and dive to pursue their finny food. A loon’s legs and feet are set very far back on their bodies. This makes them fast and powerful swimmers, but makes them unable to walk upright on land. In fact, a loon on land has to move about like a seal, inching along using their entire body. This means that loons are never found far from water. Loons are only seen on the Cape in the winter, spring and autumn. This is because loons leave to breed during the summer. Large ocean tides would leave them high and dry making them prey for foxes and other predators. Instead, they nest on freshwater lakes in the northern United States and into Canada. Nests are placed right next to the shoreline or on floating mats of vegetation. Human development of shoreline habitat has threatened the loon: however, new restrictions are helping loon populations recover.

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Shearwaters and Fulmars (Family-Procellariidae) Four species of this large family of pelagic or open ocean birds can be found in the Gulf of Maine at different times of year. They look like seagulls but are not related to them and fly quite differently. Gulls fly somewhat erratically, often flapping several times, and then gliding. Gulls often fly high above the water‘s surface, something rarely seen in shearwaters or fulmars. Instead, shearwaters and fulmars usually soar or glide very close to the water’s surface often not flapping their wings for long periods. They can do this by taking advantage of the “ground effect” of the water’s surface. Airplanes use this same effect to get off the ground . This style of flight allows these birds to be true ocean navigators. If wind and water conditions are right, they may travel miles in a day without flapping. This saves them lots of energy. Another adaptation for life at sea is the funny looking tube on the top of these birds’ beaks. The tube is called a naricorn, but it might as well be called a nose! Shearwaters, fulmars and their other relatives have a very good sense of smell, something not found in other birds, except vultures. They use this keen sense to locate small amounts of fish oils in the breeze and follow the smell to possible food sources. Feeding baleen whales eat many of the same fish and zooplankton that the tube-noses prefer. On the Whale Watcher, close watch is kept for these birds since they may show the location of whales! Most people have never seen a shearwater or a fulmar since they spend most of their adult life on the open ocean. The exception is when they nest. Most of the tubenoses nest within a small range, usually remote island groups. They travel back to the same place year after year. People who live on these islands know the bird’s habits. In some cases, humans have eliminated entire populations from over-harvesting the birds and their eggs. Introduced animals like rats, cats, and pigs, also put many populations in danger of extinction. In many places, conservation work is being done to solve these problems.

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Storm Petrels (Family-Hydrobatidae) Storm petrels are small, delicate pelagic seabirds. Many passengers aboard the Whale Watcher think they are seeing flocks of pigeons when we encounter storm petrels offshore because of their coloration and small size. There are two species which visit the Gulf of Maine: Leach’s and Wilson‘s Storm Petrels. Wilson’s Storm Petrels are most common and are actually thought to be one of the most numerous species of birds on earth. Like their ocean-going cousins, shearwaters and fulmars, they are tube-noses. They have a tube-like structure on top of their bill. This structure houses the birds sense of smell. It is also responsible for directing excess salt from the salt glands which are located above the bill. Salt glands filter the extra salts from sea water. This allows the tube-noses to drink salt water and survive! Storm petrels have a interesting style of feeding which has given rise to several legends regarding these birds. Storm petrels feed on zooplankton. They find this food source near the surface, drifting with ocean currents. When they encounter a good feeding area, storm petrels flap their wings enough to keep them above the water and begin dipping their feet in and out of the water. They look like they‘re walking on the water! Early Portuguese fisherman called these birds “Mother Carey’s Chickens after the Virgin Mary or Mater Cara.” They believed the petrels held the souls of those sailors who had been lost at sea. They thought the birds were sent to warning sailors against coming storms. In fact, the name Petrel comes from the Latin for Peter, as in St. Peter. Like many other seabirds, storm petrels prefer to nest on islands. Most use burrows to keep the nest safe from bad weather and predators. Leach’s Storm Petrel even nested on islands off the coast of Maine. When Europeans settled these islands with their livestock, the petrels began to disappear as burrows were trampled by sheep and horses or dug up by dogs and pigs. In those places where island farms were abandoned, these birds are making a comeback. The more common Wilson’s Storm Petrel nests in the Southern hemisphere.

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Double Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) The Double Crested Cormorant is a common summer resident. This bird looks like a large duck with a long, crooked neck, but is unrelated to the ducks. These birds are often overlooked until one sees them standing on a rock or piling with their wings stretched out. It makes them look like a Dracula duck! Cormorants are a diving bird which is an excellent fisherman. When they get out of the water, they like to spread their wings so their feathers can dry out. The Double Crested Cormorant is a coastal bird, but not a pelagic bird. They prefer to do their fishing close to land. Like loons, they dive and pursue their prey underwater. They are related to pelicans and like pelicans have a guar pouch in their throat. This means that cormorants sometimes come up with a fish that looks far too big for it to swallow. But after a couple of adjustments to fit the fish headfirst in its mouth, it tilts its head upward and the fish is gone!! After the cormorant digests its meal, it regurgitates a pellet of scales and fish bones, just like an owl. People have known that cormorants are master anglers for hundreds of years. In some regions of China, men raise cormorants from the egg and teach them to fish for people. The bird must be fitted with a collar around it’s neck so it does not eat all it catches. In New England, fisherman do not like the cormorant. Some claim that these birds eat too many fish, sometimes raiding fish farms. Fishermen want to be able to shoot these troublesome birds. So far, cormorants are protected by law, but many become victims of fishing nets where the get caught and drown.

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Northern Gannet (Morus bassenus) Passengers on the Whale Watcher often think of an albatross after sighting the huge Northern Gannet. Their wingspan can reach over 6 ft. or 2m! Like the cormorant, they are related to pelicans but not to albatrosses. Adults are mostly a snowy white color with black wing tips, while juvenile birds are a darker colored. They look like seagulls on steroids! Northern Gannets are fishermen, but they catch their prey differently from loon or cormorants. Instead of swimming on the surface and diving, gannets patrol up to 300 ft./90m. above the water looking for schooling mackerel, herring, or squid. Once they have spotted their prey with their powerful eyesight, they drop headfirst like a rocket. Wings are pulled in tightly to the body and the bird hits the water at up to 80 mph!! This plunge-dive may send the gannet up to 30ft./10m. underwater in pursuit of its meal. Gannets and their tropical relatives, the boobies have one of the most bizarre courtships of any bird. When the birds get ready to breed, the birds pair up and begin to display. This may involve what looks like a slow dance with the birds striking strange poses for days on end. The males may also give gifts or presents to the their girlfriends including rocks, feathers or sticks. A large breeding colony in Canada was almost wiped out in the 1800’s from egg hunters, but today they are protected. Unfortunately gannets are often caught on long-lines which are set for large pelagic fish.

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Gulls (Family-Laridae) On a Whale Watcher trip, one will see many seagulls. There are over 100 species of gulls in the world but only 3 species commonly seen during the Gulf of Maine summer, These 3 gulls are coastal species even though we often find them far from land. Gulls are strong fliers, but are comfortable on land as well. There are so many gulls on Cape Cod in the summer that it may seem that there would be no room for other birds. The reason for this is because gulls are opportunists. Opportunists are animals which are good at taking advantage of any chance for a meal. Gulls are also omnivores, which means predators that eat both plants and animals. Gulls will hunt the low tide line for worms or clams, but they will be just as comfortable chasing schooling fish, eating the eggs of shorebirds, or even stealing an unguarded picnic lunch at the beach! Many people dislike gulls because they thought to be filthy pests. Some people think that gulls should be killed off. The real story though, is a little more complicated. Gulls have adapted well to humans and human society. In real life, they provide the valuable service of being one of nature’s best clean-up crews keeping beaches and other areas free of animal carcasses which could carry diseases or attract other animals. They can even be fun to watch as they chase each other, beg for a handout, or frame a Cape Cod sunset. All gulls are protected by federal laws, so come on and give a gull a break. They are just doing their job.

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Terns (Family-Laridae) Terns are the seagulls’ smaller cousins in the bird family, Laridae. They are more streamlined and elegant in appearance and flight. In general, they have pointed wings and long sharp bills From the Whale Watcher, four species may be encountered during the summer months. Most terns are coastal species, but one species is an exception. The Arctic Tern is more at home in the open ocean or pelagic than many of its cousins. They are the record holders for long-distance migration in the animal world. In one calendar year, an Arctic Tern may log more than 31,000 miles/ 50,000 km of flight time as they move from their nesting grounds to their wintering areas near the continent of Antarctica. The diet of terns is more specialized than that of gulls. They feed mostly on small schooling fish following their movements in and out of shallow tidal waters. Sometimes terns may find Bluefish or Striped Bass feeding near the surface. When this happens, it is possible to find hundreds of terns and gulls following the feeding frenzy. Terns, like the Northern Gannet will often plunge-dive to pick up prey just below the surface. Terns on the east coast have suffered greatly at the hands of people. In the late 1800’s, tens of thousands of birds were slaughtered for the feather trade. At the time, the fashion was to use either bird feathers and even whole songbirds to decorate women’s hats. Strange, but true. The long pure white feathers of the terns were in high demand. The eggs of terns were also collected as food. Today the Least Tern is listed as a federally endangered species and the protection seems to be helping. Their numbers are beginning to recover.

More cruise info: Recent Sightings