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Ahoy Shipmates,
Wow! What a day! Overnight the acoustics team in the sound lounge tracked and localized a single blue whale from its calls, such that by about 0900 this morning we were in visual touch with it - we were then able to launch the "Remora", the 6.3m purpose built RHIB we are carrying, and were able to get photo ID shots and a biopsy. Unfortunately we were unable to get a satellite tag away on this occasion, but we will still keep trying. This effort took about 3.5 hours, and is a very successful proof of the utilization of sonobuoy technology to locate Antarctic Blue Whales for non-lethal study. Overall this has been a fantastic team effort involving all onboard.
Now that we have our first runs on the board, we are proceeding further east and are tracking another group of vocalizing ABW's. This is a deliberate process which as we proved last night can take some time, but is worth the effort. We are not yet in contact with the ice edge, but as we progress south east we should see the sea ice in a couple of days. The Iceberg sweepstake which has been running was taken out by the ship's second mate, Sammy. He has donated his winnings to the Tasmanian bushfire appeal.
Now that we are well established in the study area, we will be working hard to get as many photo IDs, biopsies, and satellite tags on ABWs as we can.
Morale remains high!
Regards Chris, Margaret, and the VWhales Team
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.