While doing some reading, I stumbled upon an interesting bit of research that some scientists had done regarding the transmission of whale songs among humpback populations.  Apparently, whales switch up their songs and spread them around, replacing the old songs with the new and creating a trend that affects all the populations involved.

Humpback mating songs are singular in nature, with only one song dominating all populations at any given time.  Inevitably, however, the songs change.  The study shows that the new songs almost always start with populations in Australia and then travel eastwards until they reach French Polynesia.  This is believed to be a result of populations being higher in western regions than in the east.  By the end of a breeding season, the new song dominates and eventually the old one dies out.

Every year, gray whales migrate north along the Western United States coast, coming up from the waters of Central America to make their 10,000 mile journey to the rich feeding grounds of Alaska.  This year is a particularly special one for the small calf and cow families.  The gray whale count is the largest that it has been in more than 15 years thanks to an exceptional birth rate.  The numbers of gray whales estimated to be migrating this year are 20,000.

The birth rate has been record-setting and nearly 1200 calves have been counted so far.  The numbers spotted last year were only about 600 and the year before saw only 200 calves in the entire migration.  Since the early 1900s, gray whales have been endangered, but these new counts suggest that these mammals are making a striking comeback.

In the wake of mass dolphin deaths in Peru, another incident has occurred that may be the result of using high-powered sound waves beneath the ocean.  Earlier this year, a female West Coast Orca whale washed up on the shores of Washington State.  This was shortly after a sonar testing run by the Canadian Navy, and it has prompted an investigation into the death by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The investigation is aimed at finding out whether the sonar testing had anything to do with the death of the whale.  Sonar is known to create problems with whales, causing them to become confused, which leads to them rising quickly from whatever depths they are at and sometimes causing a condition similar to decompression sickness.  This can lead to death due to damage to the brain and other tissues. 

Japanese whaling fleets have returned from the Antarctic region and announced their kill numbers recently.  This whaling is being conducted by the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) in order to exploit a loophole in an anti-whaling ban.  They have reported that 267 whales were killed in the hunt, almost all of them minke whales.  What makes things even worse than these hundreds of reported deaths are the approximately 100 deaths that occurred unofficially.  Statistics show that 107 of the whales were females and that 92.5 percent of these were pregnant at the time of their execution.

Last year’s numbers for the same fleet amounted to only 172.  This year is a sharp increase from the previous numbers, though the ICR stated that the 267 they managed to successfully hunt were still well-below the number they were targeting.

There is no better way to experience the majesty of whales than in their own environment.  This is one of the reasons why whale watching has become so popular over the years.  Due to whales’ migratory patterns, Alaska happens to be one of the best places for this activity during the summer season.  The converging currents turn the areas around Juneau and Glacier Bay into a prime feeding ground, teeming with fish, and whales come in abundance to take advantage of the ample food supply. 

From June to September is generally regarded as the best time to visit Juneau and take a whale watching trip.  Though some humpbacks have been known to stay in the area year-round, most of them begin migrating to other areas come September and do not return until May.