Cruise GU-03-02, Leg I
June 12 - June 29, 2003

Track lines for all three legs of the project. The red tracklines represent the area covered during Leg I, the yellow tracklines
represent the area covered during Leg II and the black tracklines represent the area covered during Leg III.

Measuring up to 18 meters (59 feet) and weighing up to 68 tons, sperm whales are the largest toothed mammal in the world. Other than their large size, the most remarkable feature is their huge square head, one third of their total body length. The enormous head houses a huge organ called "spermaceti" (hence the name "sperm" whale) which is filled with up to 1900 liters (about 450 gallons) of waxy oil. In the 18th and 19th centuries, when Europe was powered by oil, this waxy oil was worth its weight in gold.

During that era, sperm whales became the mainstay of the whaling industry. They were pursued in great number and the population was severely depleted. Based on one such encounter with the whaling ship ESSEX (1820), they later 'earned' their fame in Melville's "Moby Dick."

Sperm whales made a comeback and they are fairly common nowadays in all oceans and seas around the world (except polar regions). They remain however, on the Endangered Species list and are closely monitored to ensure their healthy recovery.

Our current project was developed to update the data on sperm whales in the entire northern Gulf of Mexico. The 60 days allocated for this project were divided into 3 legs of roughly 20 days each. We have just completed Leg I.

Observers (from L to R) Jenny Litz, Kevin Rademacher,and Kevin Barry.	Sperm whales are the deepest and longest diving marine mammals - down to as deep as 3000 meters (9,800 feet) for as long as to 2 hours. Therefore, unless timed just right, visually spotting sperm whales is somewhat of a challenge. During daylight hours, a group of trained marine mammal observers, posted on the Flying Bridge (ship's highest working platform) looks through powerful "Big Eye" binoculars (25x150 magnification) as well as regular binoculars for visual sightings of all marine mammals. When mammals are sighted, the ship may be asked to divert from its course and maneuver in the direction of the animals. If all goes well, we will soon have dolphins riding our bow or whales surfacing nearby.
In preparation for a long dive, sperm whales spend about 10 minutes breathing at the surface.	A sperm whale's single blowhole is displaced to the left resulting in a distinct 3-5 meter (10-16 ft) high blow, offset to the left.
Just before they dive, the tail flukes are nearly always thrown high, giving the observer a good view of the triangular-shaped flukes. The nicks and notches, which develop on the flukes over time, become the individual whale's 'signature'. Identification of whales by their flukes is one of the primary objectives of our cruise. To minimize our impact, the ship usually maintains a safe distance from the whales. For the final approach, scientists use the ship's small boat. It is maneuvered near the whales for photo IDs as well as taking biopsies, if possible.
Fluke of a sperm whale.	Observers on the chase boat.
Another form of collecting data is listening to the whales. Sperm whales produce a variety of 'click' sounds that can be focused and projected with great intensity. It is believed that the sound is used for orientation, communication and feeding. 'Clicks' are produced in short series of 3 or 4 clicks called "codas". Codas are usually about 0.5 to 1.5 seconds in duration and repeated 2 to 6 or more times at variable intervals. Like their flukes, codas are unique to the individual whale.	Scientists Kathy Foley and Lindsay Hall are monitoring the graphic presentation of the codas of a male sperm whale.
To pick up the clicking sounds, GORDON GUNTER tows a listening device called an "Acoustic Array." It trails 350 meters (about 1000 feet) behind the ship, continuously listening for whales and other marine mammals. The acoustic team works closely with the visual observers to identify the animals as well as locate them.
Fantail with the acoustic array deployed.	Gordon Gunter.

More interesting facts about sperm whales:

• In the deep, sperm whales feed primarily on squid - up to 1 ton of squid a day!
• If not hunted or stranded, they live to be (about) 60 to 70 years old.
• Females sexually mature at about 8 years old, and males at 12-15 years old.
• Twenty to thirty females and young may live together in a matriarchal group. Mothers and their female offspring may stay together for life.
• Oldest males are often solitary except for brief stays with female groups during mating season.
• Newborn sperm whales are approx. 4 meters (13 feet) long and weigh nearly 1 ton.

While on the lookout for sperm whales, scientists are also looking for other marine mammals. The most common sightings are the various species of dolphins. On our first leg, we saw 12 different species totaling hundreds of animals. As we approach the animals, scientists will identify the species and estimate group size. At this point, scientists use professional cameras, with large zoom lenses, to take photos of the animals. These photos will be added to existing catalogues and used for studies on abundance. If possible, biopsy samples are taken from species of interest. Hollow-tipped darts fired from a dart projector are used for this purpose. Scientists insist that taking biopsies only 'pinch' the animals but do not cause pain.

Scientists gathered on the bow.

Scientist Tony Martinez prepares to take a biopsy off the ship's bow.

Scientist Maria Cardona entering data in the biopsy log.

All observations and biopsies are carefully documented in scientific logbooks. While identifying the animals is a group effort, estimating their group size (sometimes in the hundreds) is done individually. Observers are requested to keep their estimates private to remain unbiased.

Here are photos of various animals we saw on Leg 1. (All photos are property of NOAA)

False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) - Unknown to most people, killer whales as well as the false killer whales, are actually dolphins (family Delphinidae). In the photo above, a false killer whale is riding our stern wake.

Life on the ship is not all science. Many hours of hard work are put into keeping the ship and its equipment in fine shape.

1AE Don Huffman, 2AE Mark Walton and
JE Bill Jerard maintaining the crane for
the Safe boat.

And it's not all about work either.

F JD Ropiak is showing off his new $40(!) digital camera.	Scientist (and professional musician) Jack Stamates fiddles aboard GUNTER.	Mammal observer Megan Mattson oversees a joke played on one of her co-workers.
Water spout in the distance.	CO Rix (R), F JD Ropiak (M), and ET Chris Churylo (L) hang out on the bow.	NOAA officer LTJG Tom Peltzer relaxes on the bow.

See stories and photos from the other legs of this project, Leg II and Leg III.