The start of the 2023 humpback whale drone surveys have begun! As part of our long-term project funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), the Thorne Lab collects morphometric data on the humpback whales that frequent the south shore of Long Island and the New York Bight. Our goal in this field work is to spot humpback whales, take photos for identification, and get aerial footage of each whale using an unmanned aerial system (UAS, aka a drone). From the aerial footage, we can actually take bodily measurements of these whales to better understand their body condition. This is important not only to know how well the whales are doing around here, but the “fattiness” of these whales can actually act as a indicator of the health of the greater New York Bight ecosystem.
Our field work is conducted from research vessels out of the Southampton Marine Station on the south shore of Long Island, in the eastern portion of the New York Bight. Our UAS surveys started in May, but humpback whale sightings were slow for the first month, though humpbacks had been sighted regularly in the New York Harbor region to the west. We had some common bottlenose dolphins sightings during surveys in late May, but were surprised by the lack of life that we saw otherwise. Schools of menhaden (aka bunker fish), often seen bubbling at the surface in nearshore waters, were nowhere to be seen during May and much of June. Typically, menhaden occur in inshore waters near the south shore of Long Island each spring, providing a feast for hundreds of young and hungry whales, in addition to other marine consumers like seabirds.
Finally, in early July, with reports of menhaden spotted near shore, we spotted our first two humpback whales of the season! With short quick breaths at the surface and long dives, rather than the surface feeding behavior we often see in inshore waters, acquiring drone images was challenging, but Nathan Hirtle, our newest certified drone pilot , was able to get some excellent aerial footage of them for body condition research.
As more menhaden is increasingly spotted along the southeastern shore of Long Island, we’re excited to see more humpback whales on our survey days for the rest of the summer. Stay tuned to see how the rest of the season plays out!
A school of Bunkerfish (aka Atlantic Menhaden) off the south shore of Long Island