1 00:00:00,533 --> 00:00:04,804 (majestic music) 2 00:00:04,804 --> 00:00:09,776 (water splashing) 3 00:00:09,776 --> 00:00:16,149 - [narrator] Humpback whales. 4 00:00:16,149 --> 00:00:18,051 These charismatic mammals 5 00:00:18,051 --> 00:00:23,723 occur throughout the world's oceans 6 00:00:23,723 --> 00:00:27,627 (water spraying) 7 00:00:27,627 --> 00:00:29,295 and they have long fascinated 8 00:00:29,295 --> 00:00:32,532 those lucky enough to observe them. 9 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:42,575 (camera shutter clicking) 10 00:00:42,575 --> 00:00:45,712 (whales calling) 11 00:00:45,712 --> 00:00:48,548 - [anke] They have this really complex social system. 12 00:00:48,548 --> 00:00:57,223 - [andy] They're quite intelligent critters. 13 00:00:57,223 --> 00:00:58,258 - [rachel] The whale gives a feeling 14 00:00:58,258 --> 00:01:00,093 of the wildness of the world. 15 00:01:00,093 --> 00:01:03,329 (whale thumping) 16 00:01:03,329 --> 00:01:10,036 (somber music) 17 00:01:10,036 --> 00:01:13,306 - [narrator] Once nearly hunted to extinction, 18 00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:15,275 these awe-inspiring animals 19 00:01:15,275 --> 00:01:19,546 have made a remarkable comeback since 1966, 20 00:01:19,546 --> 00:01:21,581 when the International Whaling Commission 21 00:01:21,581 --> 00:01:24,284 completed the global ban on commercial whaling 22 00:01:24,284 --> 00:01:29,989 of humpback whales. 23 00:01:29,989 --> 00:01:31,357 - [martin] The North Pacific humpbacks, 24 00:01:31,357 --> 00:01:33,126 they were hunted quite heavily 25 00:01:33,126 --> 00:01:39,766 down to about 5% of the original population size. 26 00:01:39,766 --> 00:01:41,201 - [andy] Some have estimated 27 00:01:41,201 --> 00:01:43,903 that there was about 1,200 to 1,400 individuals 28 00:01:43,903 --> 00:01:46,005 in the entire North Pacific. 29 00:01:46,005 --> 00:01:47,173 - [marc] Humpback whale populations 30 00:01:47,173 --> 00:01:48,942 really were severely depleted, 31 00:01:48,942 --> 00:01:52,045 and it wasn't until they became protected 32 00:01:52,045 --> 00:01:54,547 through acts like the Marine Mammal Protection Act 33 00:01:54,547 --> 00:01:56,382 and the Endangered Species Act 34 00:01:56,382 --> 00:02:00,687 that we started to see a recovery of these populations. 35 00:02:00,687 --> 00:02:03,690 (cheerful music) 36 00:02:03,690 --> 00:02:07,460 - [narrator] Since the 1970s, researchers have been studying 37 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:10,263 the distinct humpback whale population 38 00:02:10,263 --> 00:02:12,499 that migrates between feeding grounds 39 00:02:12,499 --> 00:02:17,737 in southeast Alaska and breeding grounds in Hawai i. 40 00:02:17,737 --> 00:02:21,474 With time, the numbers of animals steadily increased, 41 00:02:21,474 --> 00:02:25,712 and in 2004, a multi-year research effort 42 00:02:25,712 --> 00:02:29,782 involving more than 50 research groups got underway 43 00:02:29,782 --> 00:02:32,352 to determine the abundance of humpbacks 44 00:02:32,352 --> 00:02:35,488 throughout the North Pacific. 45 00:02:35,488 --> 00:02:36,656 - [adam] It was estimated 46 00:02:36,656 --> 00:02:39,559 that there was a little over 10,000 whales 47 00:02:39,559 --> 00:02:41,127 now visiting Hawai i. 48 00:02:41,127 --> 00:02:44,831 Now from less than a thousand in the 1970s 49 00:02:44,831 --> 00:02:48,468 to over 10,000 in 2006, 50 00:02:48,468 --> 00:02:51,171 and that was from a population North Pacific wide 51 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:53,673 of about 21,000 whales. 52 00:02:53,673 --> 00:02:56,176 That's an incredible recovery story. 53 00:02:56,176 --> 00:03:01,881 The rate of annual abundance increase was about 6 to 7%. 54 00:03:01,881 --> 00:03:04,817 (low urgent music) 55 00:03:04,817 --> 00:03:07,687 - [narrator] Based on this assessment and others, 56 00:03:07,687 --> 00:03:11,291 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 57 00:03:11,291 --> 00:03:14,327 removed the Hawai i distinct population segment 58 00:03:14,327 --> 00:03:15,828 of humpback whales 59 00:03:15,828 --> 00:03:21,467 from the U.S. endangered species list in 2016. 60 00:03:21,467 --> 00:03:22,635 - [lars] It's not very often 61 00:03:22,635 --> 00:03:24,504 that we see these conservation successes. 62 00:03:24,504 --> 00:03:27,507 So that's an example of us doing something right in nature. 63 00:03:27,507 --> 00:03:28,975 (water spraying) 64 00:03:28,975 --> 00:03:30,210 - [joe] So people are breathing a sigh of relief 65 00:03:30,210 --> 00:03:31,878 thinking they're out of the woods. 66 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:33,279 - [narrator] But the celebration 67 00:03:33,279 --> 00:03:36,416 of this incredible conservation success story 68 00:03:36,416 --> 00:03:38,184 was short-lived. 69 00:03:38,184 --> 00:03:42,121 - [eden] In the 2015/2016 whale season here in Hawai i, 70 00:03:42,121 --> 00:03:43,690 we started to get anecdotal reports 71 00:03:43,690 --> 00:03:45,858 that whale numbers were lower than usual. 72 00:03:45,858 --> 00:03:49,095 So initially we thought maybe there's just a late arrival, 73 00:03:49,095 --> 00:03:51,731 could be patchy distribution, not really sure, 74 00:03:51,731 --> 00:03:57,170 but that trend continued for the next three seasons. 75 00:03:57,170 --> 00:03:58,705 (camera shutter clicking) 76 00:03:58,705 --> 00:04:00,640 - [andy] We started seeing fewer whales here in Alaska, 77 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,776 far fewer calves than we had seen in previous years, 78 00:04:03,776 --> 00:04:07,213 we're seeing more whales apparently that 79 00:04:07,213 --> 00:04:11,918 and we're seeing a lot more skinny and emaciated whales. 80 00:04:11,918 --> 00:04:13,353 - [marc] It came as a big shock 81 00:04:13,353 --> 00:04:15,121 because the humpback whale population 82 00:04:15,121 --> 00:04:17,624 had been recovering so steadily. 83 00:04:17,624 --> 00:04:19,559 All of us really were caught off guard 84 00:04:19,559 --> 00:04:24,030 and we just didn't know what to think. 85 00:04:24,030 --> 00:04:25,298 - [adam] It was a major concern. 86 00:04:25,298 --> 00:04:28,434 You can't help but be impacted emotionally. 87 00:04:28,434 --> 00:04:30,570 (water spraying) 88 00:04:30,570 --> 00:04:31,738 (plane engine whirring) 89 00:04:31,738 --> 00:04:32,972 - [joe] People think of scientists 90 00:04:32,972 --> 00:04:35,241 as being kind of all head and no heart, 91 00:04:35,241 --> 00:04:38,378 but no, it's quite different. 92 00:04:38,378 --> 00:04:39,912 (fin thuds) 93 00:04:39,912 --> 00:04:42,215 After you've been studying the species for a while, 94 00:04:42,215 --> 00:04:44,851 it becomes a personal involvement. 95 00:04:44,851 --> 00:04:45,852 - [adam] If they're missing, 96 00:04:45,852 --> 00:04:49,122 it's like losing a family member. 97 00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:50,623 (water spraying) 98 00:04:50,623 --> 00:04:52,725 - [eden] Cetaceans, you know, whales, dolphins, porpoises, 99 00:04:52,725 --> 00:04:55,194 are really canaries in the coal mine. 100 00:04:55,194 --> 00:04:57,397 (water spraying) 101 00:04:57,397 --> 00:04:59,399 They tell us the health of our oceans. 102 00:04:59,399 --> 00:05:01,334 And so when they're not doing that well, 103 00:05:01,334 --> 00:05:03,569 we really need to listen. 104 00:05:03,569 --> 00:05:07,807 (wistful music) 105 00:05:07,807 --> 00:05:10,310 - [narrator] What had happened to the humpbacks? 106 00:05:10,310 --> 00:05:13,880 And how did the scientific community mobilize 107 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,082 to answer this question? 108 00:05:16,082 --> 00:05:38,304 (dramatic music) 109 00:05:38,304 --> 00:05:40,139 - [announcer] Major funding for this program 110 00:05:40,139 --> 00:05:43,109 was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, 111 00:05:43,109 --> 00:05:45,912 encouraging people to preserve and protect 112 00:05:45,912 --> 00:05:49,916 America's underwater resources. 113 00:05:49,916 --> 00:05:51,918 Additional funding was provided 114 00:05:51,918 --> 00:05:58,691 by the Parrot Family Endowment for Environmental Education. 115 00:05:58,691 --> 00:06:04,997 (wistful music) 116 00:06:04,997 --> 00:06:08,534 - [narrator] For decades, scientists in southeast Alaska 117 00:06:08,534 --> 00:06:10,703 and the main Hawaiian Islands 118 00:06:10,703 --> 00:06:13,005 have been studying the humpback whales 119 00:06:13,005 --> 00:06:14,807 that frequent their waters. 120 00:06:14,807 --> 00:06:16,642 (whale calling) 121 00:06:16,642 --> 00:06:21,280 - [andy] The whales are in Alaska 122 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:23,082 They definitely start to drop off 123 00:06:23,082 --> 00:06:25,385 in November through December 124 00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:27,587 with a very low point in January, 125 00:06:27,587 --> 00:06:29,989 and then they start coming back up in abundance 126 00:06:29,989 --> 00:06:32,158 across the late winter and early spring. 127 00:06:32,158 --> 00:06:35,561 (camera shutter clicking) (whimsical music) 128 00:06:35,561 --> 00:06:37,463 - [narrator] The vast majority of whales 129 00:06:37,463 --> 00:06:39,866 that feed in southeast Alaska 130 00:06:39,866 --> 00:06:43,970 will migrate thousands of miles to the main Hawaiian Islands 131 00:06:43,970 --> 00:06:47,607 to breed in late winter and early spring. 132 00:06:47,607 --> 00:06:51,344 - [andy] I think we estimate now it's probably 88%. 133 00:06:51,344 --> 00:06:56,048 What seems to drive the areas that the animals travel to, 134 00:06:56,048 --> 00:06:58,351 seems to be where they went with their moms. 135 00:06:58,351 --> 00:06:59,886 (gentle music) 136 00:06:59,886 --> 00:07:01,354 If you were born in Hawai i 137 00:07:01,354 --> 00:07:03,189 and your mom brings you up to Alaska in your first year, 138 00:07:03,189 --> 00:07:05,725 you're gonna come back to Alaska and the odds are, 139 00:07:05,725 --> 00:07:08,828 you're gonna go back to Hawai i as well. 140 00:07:08,828 --> 00:07:10,730 - [narrator] Experts in both locations 141 00:07:10,730 --> 00:07:15,468 are used to seeing many of the same whales year after year. 142 00:07:15,468 --> 00:07:17,537 So when the animals stopped showing up 143 00:07:17,537 --> 00:07:21,908 in their usual numbers, people became concerned. 144 00:07:21,908 --> 00:07:28,948 (regal music) 145 00:07:28,948 --> 00:07:31,184 - [eden] In 2018, the Hawaiian Islands 146 00:07:31,184 --> 00:07:33,219 Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, 147 00:07:33,219 --> 00:07:35,588 helped to convene over 30 researchers 148 00:07:35,588 --> 00:07:38,391 and I think it was over 17 institutions, 149 00:07:38,391 --> 00:07:40,927 to come together and try to figure out what's going on 150 00:07:40,927 --> 00:07:43,763 with our North Pacific stock of humpback whales. 151 00:07:43,763 --> 00:07:45,565 And so this involves people 152 00:07:45,565 --> 00:07:48,968 from all the different islands here in Hawai i and Alaska, 153 00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:50,470 and we're really trying to work together 154 00:07:50,470 --> 00:07:52,038 to figure out what is going on. 155 00:07:52,038 --> 00:07:53,039 (water spraying) 156 00:07:53,039 --> 00:07:54,507 - [marc] It's very important, I think, 157 00:07:54,507 --> 00:07:57,443 to have these discussions and these collaborations, 158 00:07:57,443 --> 00:08:01,581 because we have a lot of knowledge gaps. 159 00:08:01,581 --> 00:08:02,949 - [joe] The consensus of the meeting 160 00:08:02,949 --> 00:08:06,786 was that we needed to, you know, figure out, 161 00:08:06,786 --> 00:08:08,788 you know, what their status was now, 162 00:08:08,788 --> 00:08:10,790 using different methods. 163 00:08:10,790 --> 00:08:13,192 (regal music) 164 00:08:13,192 --> 00:08:15,461 - (Sanctuary Employee) Sighting! 165 00:08:15,461 --> 00:08:18,464 9-2-0-9-2-3. 166 00:08:18,464 --> 00:08:20,633 - [narrator] Researchers at the Hawaiian Islands 167 00:08:20,633 --> 00:08:23,870 Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary 168 00:08:23,870 --> 00:08:26,439 came up with a three-pronged approach 169 00:08:26,439 --> 00:08:28,040 to determine how many whales 170 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,612 are coming to the winter breeding grounds each season. 171 00:08:32,612 --> 00:08:35,047 - [eden] The hope is that if we combine each one of these data 172 00:08:35,047 --> 00:08:36,549 that we'll get a better understanding 173 00:08:36,549 --> 00:08:40,219 of how many animals are really in our waters here in Maui. 174 00:08:40,219 --> 00:08:48,828 (upbeat music) 175 00:08:48,828 --> 00:08:53,733 (air hissing) 176 00:08:53,733 --> 00:08:56,402 - [marc] We have a number of acoustic recorders 177 00:08:56,402 --> 00:09:01,173 out in various parts of the Hawaiian Islands. 178 00:09:01,173 --> 00:09:03,209 - [narrator] While on the breeding grounds, 179 00:09:03,209 --> 00:09:06,746 the male humpbacks perform elaborate songs, 180 00:09:06,746 --> 00:09:10,850 which become the dominant source of sound underwater. 181 00:09:10,850 --> 00:09:13,519 (whales calling) 182 00:09:13,519 --> 00:09:16,622 - [marc] The acoustic recorders help us determine 183 00:09:16,622 --> 00:09:19,058 when whales are in Hawaiian waters, 184 00:09:19,058 --> 00:09:21,928 because the acoustic energy increases, 185 00:09:21,928 --> 00:09:24,931 so we can measure the arrival of the whales 186 00:09:24,931 --> 00:09:28,968 in the December timeframe. 187 00:09:28,968 --> 00:09:33,639 The acoustic levels go up rapidly. 188 00:09:33,639 --> 00:09:36,242 They usually peak around February or March, 189 00:09:36,242 --> 00:09:39,145 and then decrease in the April timeframe. 190 00:09:39,145 --> 00:09:40,613 (thoughtful music) 191 00:09:40,613 --> 00:09:43,182 Now, that allows us to track the whale season itself, 192 00:09:43,182 --> 00:09:45,618 but then we can also use that information 193 00:09:45,618 --> 00:09:49,755 to compare the whale seasons between years. 194 00:09:49,755 --> 00:09:51,557 - [narrator] The scientists discovered 195 00:09:51,557 --> 00:09:54,994 that between 2015 and 2018 196 00:09:54,994 --> 00:09:59,231 the acoustic energy recorded at six sites off Maui 197 00:09:59,231 --> 00:10:04,971 dropped by 50% during the peak whale season. 198 00:10:04,971 --> 00:10:07,373 - [marc] Not only was the peak of the chorusing was lower 199 00:10:07,373 --> 00:10:08,574 during those three years, 200 00:10:08,574 --> 00:10:11,110 but we could tell that the season changed 201 00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:13,579 and the whales started to leave Hawaiian waters 202 00:10:13,579 --> 00:10:17,750 earlier and earlier. 203 00:10:17,750 --> 00:10:22,054 (boat engine whirring) 204 00:10:22,054 --> 00:10:26,258 (majestic music) 205 00:10:26,258 --> 00:10:29,128 - [narrator] Knowing this, the experts decided to count 206 00:10:29,128 --> 00:10:32,798 the actual numbers of whales in the area. 207 00:10:32,798 --> 00:10:35,801 Sanctuary staff began regular boat surveys 208 00:10:35,801 --> 00:10:39,538 in the leeward waters off west Maui. 209 00:10:39,538 --> 00:10:43,175 This is an area where whales tend to occur in large numbers, 210 00:10:43,175 --> 00:10:45,311 and it overlaps with the coverage area 211 00:10:45,311 --> 00:10:47,380 of the acoustic recorders. 212 00:10:47,380 --> 00:10:50,983 - [eden] We conduct roughly about 10 to 12 vessel 213 00:10:50,983 --> 00:10:52,251 in a whale season. 214 00:10:52,251 --> 00:10:53,519 - [narrator] Surveys are scheduled 215 00:10:53,519 --> 00:10:56,255 between December and April of each year 216 00:10:56,255 --> 00:10:59,225 to capture the beginning, peak, and tail end 217 00:10:59,225 --> 00:11:02,662 of the humpback whale breeding season. 218 00:11:02,662 --> 00:11:04,964 - [eden] Each survey is a full day 219 00:11:04,964 --> 00:11:09,435 and we follow a systematic transect line. 220 00:11:09,435 --> 00:11:12,171 - [narrator] While the boat surveys are underway, 221 00:11:12,171 --> 00:11:14,373 (low urgent music) 222 00:11:14,373 --> 00:11:17,877 Ph.D. Candidate Anke K gler counts whales 223 00:11:17,877 --> 00:11:27,186 from an elevated shore station overlooking the same area. 224 00:11:27,186 --> 00:11:28,387 - [anke] So we try to schedule 225 00:11:28,387 --> 00:11:31,057 the boat and land days at the same time, 226 00:11:31,057 --> 00:11:34,393 and I'm also doing additional land surveys. 227 00:11:34,393 --> 00:11:36,729 I come up here like once a week 228 00:11:36,729 --> 00:11:42,668 and I scan the entire area for any humpback whale presence 229 00:11:42,668 --> 00:11:45,971 from about eight o'clock to 2:30, 230 00:11:45,971 --> 00:11:49,475 and then I do scans for 30 minutes every hour 231 00:11:49,475 --> 00:11:57,583 and basically try to get the location of every whale I see. 232 00:11:57,583 --> 00:11:59,719 - [narrator] Once Anke spots a whale, 233 00:11:59,719 --> 00:12:03,556 she uses a surveyor's instrument called a theodolite 234 00:12:03,556 --> 00:12:06,258 to measure the horizontal and vertical angle 235 00:12:06,258 --> 00:12:07,793 of its position. 236 00:12:07,793 --> 00:12:11,497 - [anke] And we can use those angles 237 00:12:11,497 --> 00:12:14,767 the actual GPS position of the whale. 238 00:12:14,767 --> 00:12:17,169 It gives us a spatial distribution of the whales 239 00:12:17,169 --> 00:12:19,972 at a given time in the area. 240 00:12:19,972 --> 00:12:22,975 - [marc] By combining these efforts, 241 00:12:22,975 --> 00:12:29,014 is show that between 2015 and 2018, 242 00:12:29,014 --> 00:12:31,517 there was approximately a 50% decrease 243 00:12:31,517 --> 00:12:34,220 in the number of whales that were occupying 244 00:12:34,220 --> 00:12:36,222 the area that we've been monitoring. 245 00:12:36,222 --> 00:12:38,224 - [narrator] In the three years that followed, 246 00:12:38,224 --> 00:12:41,527 the numbers of whales generally increased again, 247 00:12:41,527 --> 00:12:44,263 though scientists say there were some fluctuations 248 00:12:44,263 --> 00:12:46,732 in the lengths of the seasons. 249 00:12:46,732 --> 00:12:47,967 - [anke] I've seen for example, 250 00:12:47,967 --> 00:12:51,137 like shifts in the peak of the season. 251 00:12:51,137 --> 00:13:01,480 The numbers I'm seeing drop like earlier in some years. 252 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,849 - [rachel] No, I think there 253 00:13:03,849 --> 00:13:05,117 Yeah, there was, yeah. 254 00:13:05,117 --> 00:13:07,086 So just head down towards that way. 255 00:13:07,086 --> 00:13:08,554 - [rachel] Fine. - Yeah. 256 00:13:08,554 --> 00:13:11,090 - [narrator] Researchers with the Keiki Kohola Project, 257 00:13:11,090 --> 00:13:13,859 who focus on mothers and calves, 258 00:13:13,859 --> 00:13:16,962 also recorded a drastic decline in whale numbers 259 00:13:16,962 --> 00:13:18,898 over a three-year period. 260 00:13:18,898 --> 00:13:20,766 (thoughtful music) 261 00:13:20,766 --> 00:13:24,436 - [rachel] Our long-term study is a transect-based study, 262 00:13:24,436 --> 00:13:26,605 which encompasses one of the main areas 263 00:13:26,605 --> 00:13:28,507 that's favored by mother and calf pairs 264 00:13:28,507 --> 00:13:33,078 when they're in Hawai i, and that's been underway since 2008 265 00:13:33,078 --> 00:13:35,481 and we do it three times a season. 266 00:13:35,481 --> 00:13:38,751 Mid-January, mid-February, and mid-March surveys. 267 00:13:38,751 --> 00:13:42,154 2016 is when we first saw a really clear decline 268 00:13:42,154 --> 00:13:45,591 in the numbers of whales we were seeing in Hawaiian waters, 269 00:13:45,591 --> 00:13:48,060 and then over the next two years that played out. 270 00:13:48,060 --> 00:13:54,533 When we compared 2013 and 14 to 2017 and 18, 271 00:13:54,533 --> 00:13:58,103 those two-year periods, we were seeing a 76% decrease 272 00:13:58,103 --> 00:13:59,705 in the numbers of mothers and calves 273 00:13:59,705 --> 00:14:02,241 that we encountered on those transect lines. 274 00:14:02,241 --> 00:14:03,475 Related to that, 275 00:14:03,475 --> 00:14:06,078 we also started to see a change in seasonality. 276 00:14:06,078 --> 00:14:09,348 2019 was when we first saw our numbers coming back up 277 00:14:09,348 --> 00:14:11,483 quite healthily in Hawai i 278 00:14:11,483 --> 00:14:14,553 and we were getting back to maybe where we were 279 00:14:14,553 --> 00:14:21,026 at the start of the demise. 280 00:14:21,026 --> 00:14:22,695 (plane engine whirring) 281 00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:24,029 - [narrator] Another team of experts 282 00:14:24,029 --> 00:14:25,931 saw similar improvements 283 00:14:25,931 --> 00:14:30,603 when in 2019 and 2020, they conducted aerial surveys 284 00:14:30,603 --> 00:14:32,838 to estimate the whales' density. 285 00:14:32,838 --> 00:14:34,640 (gentle music) (radio chattering) 286 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:36,242 This group focused its efforts 287 00:14:36,242 --> 00:14:38,677 on the entire Maui Nui region, 288 00:14:38,677 --> 00:14:40,880 where humpbacks are known to aggregate 289 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,450 in the relatively shallow water. 290 00:14:44,450 --> 00:14:47,453 - [joe] The highest densities of humpbacks 291 00:14:47,453 --> 00:14:50,456 are here between those four islands. 292 00:14:50,456 --> 00:14:53,726 - [adam] What we've been doing is three aerial surveys, 293 00:14:53,726 --> 00:14:56,729 one prior to the peak of the season, one at the peak, 294 00:14:56,729 --> 00:14:58,364 and one post peak. 295 00:14:58,364 --> 00:14:59,899 (radio chattering) 296 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:02,534 - [narrator] The scientists used the same survey methods 297 00:15:02,534 --> 00:15:04,536 as they did during aerial surveys 298 00:15:04,536 --> 00:15:08,807 conducted between 1993 and 2003 299 00:15:08,807 --> 00:15:11,677 to ensure that results would be comparable. 300 00:15:11,677 --> 00:15:15,047 At that time, they discovered that the whale population 301 00:15:15,047 --> 00:15:21,120 was increasing at an average rate of 7% per year. 302 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:26,058 The 2019 and 2020 surveys, which covered a smaller area, 303 00:15:26,058 --> 00:15:28,894 didn't show the same annual increase, 304 00:15:28,894 --> 00:15:32,932 but the findings suggest that the population of humpbacks 305 00:15:32,932 --> 00:15:38,170 that winter in Hawai i appears to be relatively stable. 306 00:15:38,170 --> 00:15:41,874 - [joe] That's one of the most promising statistics 307 00:15:41,874 --> 00:15:45,010 that we picked up in 2019. 308 00:15:45,010 --> 00:15:48,213 There's 9% of the pods that we saw had calves 309 00:15:48,213 --> 00:15:53,018 and that's higher than it had been in the past. 310 00:15:53,018 --> 00:15:55,254 (thoughtful music) 311 00:15:55,254 --> 00:15:56,789 (radio beeping) 312 00:15:56,789 --> 00:15:59,158 - [narrator] Like all their colleagues in Hawai i, 313 00:15:59,158 --> 00:16:02,628 a network of research partners in southeast Alaska 314 00:16:02,628 --> 00:16:05,364 observed similar trends. 315 00:16:05,364 --> 00:16:11,236 - [andy] We were finding far fewer animals in 2016, 2017, and 316 00:16:11,236 --> 00:16:12,604 than we had in previous years, 317 00:16:12,604 --> 00:16:14,807 we're seeing record low numbers of calves, 318 00:16:14,807 --> 00:16:16,041 and we're were finding a large number 319 00:16:16,041 --> 00:16:18,844 of skinny and emaciated whales. 320 00:16:18,844 --> 00:16:20,746 - [john] By the time 2019 came around, 321 00:16:20,746 --> 00:16:22,114 things were looking a little bit better. 322 00:16:22,114 --> 00:16:23,949 We started seeing calves again, 323 00:16:23,949 --> 00:16:27,453 the whales seemed a little bit healthier, looked fatter, 324 00:16:27,453 --> 00:16:29,855 and we saw numbers increase in the southeast. 325 00:16:29,855 --> 00:16:31,056 In the Prince William Sound, 326 00:16:31,056 --> 00:16:32,891 the numbers have not quite bounced back yet, 327 00:16:32,891 --> 00:16:35,527 we're still seeing really low, low numbers. 328 00:16:35,527 --> 00:16:37,062 - [martin] Glacier Bay National Park, 329 00:16:37,062 --> 00:16:40,165 they have this incredible data set dating back 30 plus years 330 00:16:40,165 --> 00:16:41,800 of the same individuals coming back 331 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,837 with incredibly high consistent site fidelity. 332 00:16:44,837 --> 00:16:47,806 And unfortunately, some of their main animals just vanished 333 00:16:47,806 --> 00:16:50,509 and they still have not come back there. 334 00:16:50,509 --> 00:16:52,778 - [narrator] So what had happened to the whales 335 00:16:52,778 --> 00:16:55,214 during that three-year period? 336 00:16:55,214 --> 00:16:58,350 - [adam] There seemed to be three different phenomenon 337 00:16:58,350 --> 00:17:00,953 that were converging at the same time. 338 00:17:00,953 --> 00:17:04,289 One was a strong El Nino and that's a normal phenomenon 339 00:17:04,289 --> 00:17:06,759 that sometimes occurs, of course. 340 00:17:06,759 --> 00:17:09,028 - [narrator] In addition, a shift occurred 341 00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:11,764 in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, 342 00:17:11,764 --> 00:17:15,367 a longer-lived pattern of climate variability. 343 00:17:15,367 --> 00:17:18,704 - [adam] Which is also a normal kind of warming event, 344 00:17:18,704 --> 00:17:22,207 but on a longer-term scale. 345 00:17:22,207 --> 00:17:24,443 - [narrator] These two warming events 346 00:17:24,443 --> 00:17:27,913 coincided with the worst marine heatwave 347 00:17:27,913 --> 00:17:31,884 ever recorded in the North Pacific. 348 00:17:31,884 --> 00:17:34,053 - [rachel] And that created a lens of warm water 349 00:17:34,053 --> 00:17:35,721 that became known as the blob, 350 00:17:35,721 --> 00:17:38,323 mainly because it crept very slowly 351 00:17:38,323 --> 00:17:42,528 and expanded across the waters of the North Pacific. 352 00:17:42,528 --> 00:17:45,297 - [martin] Putting them all together, 353 00:17:45,297 --> 00:17:47,633 - [rachel] At that point, you had three levels of warming 354 00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:51,270 that were all going to amplify each other. 355 00:17:51,270 --> 00:17:52,905 And once those waters are warm, 356 00:17:52,905 --> 00:17:55,441 the problem is that they don't turn over at the same rate, 357 00:17:55,441 --> 00:17:59,244 and so nutrients don't cycle through the water. 358 00:17:59,244 --> 00:18:02,047 - [marc] Which then, of course, effect the life 359 00:18:02,047 --> 00:18:04,416 that depends on those nutrients. 360 00:18:04,416 --> 00:18:07,086 - [john] It will change the composition of the plankton. 361 00:18:07,086 --> 00:18:09,855 A lot more warm water species can show up. 362 00:18:09,855 --> 00:18:11,023 They don't have as much fat in them, 363 00:18:11,023 --> 00:18:13,692 so that in turn means less fatty food 364 00:18:13,692 --> 00:18:15,928 for things like krill and herring, 365 00:18:15,928 --> 00:18:18,797 which makes it harder for those those animals to make it. 366 00:18:18,797 --> 00:18:22,000 - [narrator] In essence, the food the whales depend on 367 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,571 while in Alaska had been drastically reduced 368 00:18:25,571 --> 00:18:29,408 in the areas they're known to frequent. 369 00:18:29,408 --> 00:18:30,976 - [john] They're feeding on krill, 370 00:18:30,976 --> 00:18:32,411 little shrimp-like creature 371 00:18:32,411 --> 00:18:34,813 that get really dense aggregations, 372 00:18:34,813 --> 00:18:36,148 and, small schooling fish. 373 00:18:36,148 --> 00:18:38,650 So things like herring, capelin, sand lance, 374 00:18:38,650 --> 00:18:40,752 sometimes they eat juvenile salmon. 375 00:18:40,752 --> 00:18:43,288 So it's, fish and krill is the main diet. 376 00:18:43,288 --> 00:18:45,023 - [marc] The first year that we noticed these changes, 377 00:18:45,023 --> 00:18:47,526 there were an unusually high number of reports 378 00:18:47,526 --> 00:18:51,296 of dead whales, both here in Hawai i, but also in Alaska, 379 00:18:51,296 --> 00:18:53,198 but we didn't think that it was enough 380 00:18:53,198 --> 00:18:56,768 to explain the decrease in whale numbers. 381 00:18:56,768 --> 00:18:57,970 - [martin] These whales follow food. 382 00:18:57,970 --> 00:19:00,005 So if we're seeing less sightings of animals 383 00:19:00,005 --> 00:19:02,241 in areas that are really well-researched, 384 00:19:02,241 --> 00:19:03,509 there's a good chance 385 00:19:03,509 --> 00:19:06,111 that these whales have been moved elsewhere. 386 00:19:06,111 --> 00:19:09,481 They could be utilizing offshore areas a little bit more. 387 00:19:09,481 --> 00:19:12,217 There's certainly far less research effort 388 00:19:12,217 --> 00:19:15,654 out in these rough open waters. 389 00:19:15,654 --> 00:19:16,922 - [marc] And during the breeding season, 390 00:19:16,922 --> 00:19:19,124 it could well be that a certain number of whales 391 00:19:19,124 --> 00:19:21,593 just didn't have enough fuel in their tank, so to speak, 392 00:19:21,593 --> 00:19:23,462 to make the migration to the breeding grounds, 393 00:19:23,462 --> 00:19:26,498 and so it would be a wasted effort. 394 00:19:26,498 --> 00:19:28,800 - [narrator] Scientists say it's also possible 395 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:30,536 that some of the whales migrated 396 00:19:30,536 --> 00:19:32,638 to one of the other known feeding grounds 397 00:19:32,638 --> 00:19:34,206 in the North Pacific, 398 00:19:34,206 --> 00:19:38,043 or possibly went to the northwestern Hawaiian Islands 399 00:19:38,043 --> 00:19:41,079 where there is no monitoring. 400 00:19:41,079 --> 00:19:43,348 - [martin] As the climate changes, a 401 00:19:43,348 --> 00:19:45,551 that these sorts of events are becoming more frequent, 402 00:19:45,551 --> 00:19:48,620 and if this was a reaction to this sort of event, 403 00:19:48,620 --> 00:19:51,957 now what happens when this becomes the norm? 404 00:19:51,957 --> 00:19:55,861 - [adam] I think that this really 405 00:19:55,861 --> 00:19:59,064 or the tip of the iceberg. 406 00:19:59,064 --> 00:20:01,733 - [narrator] Knowing the impact the severe marine heatwave 407 00:20:01,733 --> 00:20:05,037 had on the whales made scientists want to learn more 408 00:20:05,037 --> 00:20:08,006 about the animals' health and body condition, 409 00:20:08,006 --> 00:20:10,776 and how that changes over the course of a year 410 00:20:10,776 --> 00:20:13,345 as well as between years. 411 00:20:13,345 --> 00:20:15,180 - [martin] Unfortunately, we still 412 00:20:15,180 --> 00:20:17,583 what a healthy humpback whale looks like. 413 00:20:17,583 --> 00:20:19,785 So for us to be able to figure out 414 00:20:19,785 --> 00:20:21,853 when a population is impacted, 415 00:20:21,853 --> 00:20:23,956 we need to know what the baseline is. 416 00:20:23,956 --> 00:20:26,024 (water spraying) 417 00:20:26,024 --> 00:20:33,398 (low urgent music) 418 00:20:33,398 --> 00:20:34,900 - [narrator] To do so, 419 00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:37,402 scientists from the Marine Mammal Research Program 420 00:20:37,402 --> 00:20:40,105 at the University of Hawai i at Manoa 421 00:20:40,105 --> 00:20:42,574 are collaborating closely with other experts 422 00:20:42,574 --> 00:20:44,876 in Hawai i and Alaska. 423 00:20:44,876 --> 00:20:47,679 Ph.D. student Martin van Aswegen 424 00:20:47,679 --> 00:20:51,583 spends each April through October in southeast Alaska 425 00:20:51,583 --> 00:20:56,288 conducting research with the Alaska Whale Foundation. 426 00:20:56,288 --> 00:20:59,491 - [andy] We're studying the distribution of the animals, 427 00:20:59,491 --> 00:21:01,059 the abundance of the animals, 428 00:21:01,059 --> 00:21:03,495 looking at the numbers of calves they're producing, 429 00:21:03,495 --> 00:21:05,797 and how that changes across the season. 430 00:21:05,797 --> 00:21:06,732 (drone whirring) 431 00:21:06,732 --> 00:21:11,536 - [martin] Three, two, one. 432 00:21:11,536 --> 00:21:13,839 - [narrator] In addition, Martin is collecting 433 00:21:13,839 --> 00:21:17,442 regular measurements of the animals from the air. 434 00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:19,778 - [martin] We're using these drones to noninvasively 435 00:21:19,778 --> 00:21:22,914 get over the top of the whales as they're surfacing. 436 00:21:22,914 --> 00:21:25,150 And as they surface, we can get a video, 437 00:21:25,150 --> 00:21:28,553 a high-resolution image of their body contours 438 00:21:28,553 --> 00:21:30,055 so we can see how long the whale is, 439 00:21:30,055 --> 00:21:32,691 but also how wide the animal is, 440 00:21:32,691 --> 00:21:34,826 and using some software that we have, 441 00:21:34,826 --> 00:21:37,062 we can measure the total length of the animal, 442 00:21:37,062 --> 00:21:38,330 as well as the width, 443 00:21:38,330 --> 00:21:40,932 across 20 different points on the body. 444 00:21:40,932 --> 00:21:42,734 We can do this again and again and again, 445 00:21:42,734 --> 00:21:45,003 with the same animals and different animals, 446 00:21:45,003 --> 00:21:46,705 and this allows us to see how quickly 447 00:21:46,705 --> 00:21:49,141 these whales are gaining mass. 448 00:21:49,141 --> 00:21:51,310 Their job up here is essentially just to gain 449 00:21:51,310 --> 00:21:53,545 as much mass and weight as they can 450 00:21:53,545 --> 00:21:56,214 in preparation for when they start to migrate south 451 00:21:56,214 --> 00:21:57,883 when they're fasting. 452 00:21:57,883 --> 00:22:00,118 - [lars] So we're trying to estimate how much 453 00:22:00,118 --> 00:22:03,789 they need to feed up in their foraging grounds, so Alaska, 454 00:22:03,789 --> 00:22:07,893 and what is the cost of the migration down here to Hawai i? 455 00:22:07,893 --> 00:22:09,294 - [martin] In addition to our 456 00:22:09,294 --> 00:22:11,296 we're sampling in Hawaii as well. 457 00:22:11,296 --> 00:22:14,099 We're sampling January, February, March. 458 00:22:14,099 --> 00:22:15,867 Some of the measurements that we're getting 459 00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:18,503 are quite surprising, things like adults losing 460 00:22:18,503 --> 00:22:21,239 up to 28 inches of their body width 461 00:22:21,239 --> 00:22:23,375 while on the breeding grounds, for example, 462 00:22:23,375 --> 00:22:24,509 and that's without a calf, 463 00:22:24,509 --> 00:22:28,013 that's just a regular mature adult. 464 00:22:28,013 --> 00:22:31,283 - [narrator] Between 2018 and 2021, 465 00:22:31,283 --> 00:22:35,220 Martin captured approximately 4,100 measurements 466 00:22:35,220 --> 00:22:39,891 of over 3,200 humpbacks in Hawai i and Alaska. 467 00:22:39,891 --> 00:22:41,727 This includes repeat sightings 468 00:22:41,727 --> 00:22:46,231 of more than 80 individual animals in both locations 469 00:22:46,231 --> 00:22:48,800 within six months of each other. 470 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,337 - [andy] The way you recognize an individual whale 471 00:22:52,337 --> 00:22:56,108 is by looking at the underside of its tail, its fluke. 472 00:22:56,108 --> 00:23:00,345 Every whale has unique black and white pigmentation patterns 473 00:23:00,345 --> 00:23:02,848 and the shape of the trailing edge of the fluke. 474 00:23:02,848 --> 00:23:04,483 (low urgent music) 475 00:23:04,483 --> 00:23:06,251 - [narrator] Whale experts from all over 476 00:23:06,251 --> 00:23:09,287 have long used photographs of the flukes 477 00:23:09,287 --> 00:23:10,622 as a way to identify 478 00:23:10,622 --> 00:23:14,559 the individual animals they're studying. 479 00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:19,798 New technology has revolutionized this 480 00:23:19,798 --> 00:23:21,233 - [lars] Very recently, a research group 481 00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:23,001 has started an initiative called Happy Whale, 482 00:23:23,001 --> 00:23:25,137 which is a software that allows 483 00:23:25,137 --> 00:23:28,940 automatic detection and matching of fluke shots, 484 00:23:28,940 --> 00:23:32,978 which is very time-consuming with with the naked eye. 485 00:23:32,978 --> 00:23:35,313 - [narrator] Now whale researchers everywhere 486 00:23:35,313 --> 00:23:37,282 can not only upload their images 487 00:23:37,282 --> 00:23:41,853 for faster identification within their database, 488 00:23:41,853 --> 00:23:44,122 but they're also able to see if any of their colleagues 489 00:23:44,122 --> 00:23:46,158 have seen the same whale elsewhere. 490 00:23:46,158 --> 00:23:47,592 (water splashing) 491 00:23:47,592 --> 00:23:49,528 - [lars] This new Happy Whale initiative is really helpful 492 00:23:49,528 --> 00:23:51,396 for all of us as a research community 493 00:23:51,396 --> 00:23:55,934 to try to understand the movement patterns 494 00:23:55,934 --> 00:23:57,436 (water spraying) (gentle music) 495 00:23:57,436 --> 00:23:59,738 - [narrator] In addition, the scientists collect 496 00:23:59,738 --> 00:24:03,542 small tissue biopsies of some of the whales they measure. 497 00:24:03,542 --> 00:24:06,378 This allows them to study the animals' diet, 498 00:24:06,378 --> 00:24:08,079 look at their fat stores, 499 00:24:08,079 --> 00:24:11,049 and determine if females are pregnant. 500 00:24:11,049 --> 00:24:13,218 - [lars] The biopsy samples also tell us 501 00:24:13,218 --> 00:24:16,621 about different stress levels in these animals as well. 502 00:24:16,621 --> 00:24:20,025 - [adam] As a whale is fasting and losing its body mass, 503 00:24:20,025 --> 00:24:24,663 it should be increasing in its stress levels. 504 00:24:24,663 --> 00:24:25,597 This part was. 505 00:24:25,597 --> 00:24:26,965 What we're interested in 506 00:24:26,965 --> 00:24:30,836 is kind of measuring a baseline for that, 507 00:24:30,836 --> 00:24:34,039 so that when climate events occur, 508 00:24:34,039 --> 00:24:36,575 we have something to compare it with. 509 00:24:36,575 --> 00:24:37,609 (regal music) 510 00:24:37,609 --> 00:24:39,211 - [martin] Coming up. 511 00:24:39,211 --> 00:24:40,045 Take off. 512 00:24:40,045 --> 00:24:41,613 (drone whirring) 513 00:24:41,613 --> 00:24:43,148 One o'clock. 514 00:24:43,148 --> 00:24:46,084 - [narrator] Whale experts in Alaska and Hawai i 515 00:24:46,084 --> 00:24:50,288 are relieved to see that the humpbacks seem to be recovering 516 00:24:50,288 --> 00:24:54,292 from the impacts of the recent marine heatwave. 517 00:24:54,292 --> 00:24:58,463 But, they say, they are also keenly aware 518 00:24:58,463 --> 00:25:02,200 that they need to be prepared for the future. 519 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:03,969 - [andy] People who study these warm water events 520 00:25:03,969 --> 00:25:06,137 predict that they're gonna happen more frequently 521 00:25:06,137 --> 00:25:09,107 and they're gonna be more persistent and last for longer 522 00:25:09,107 --> 00:25:11,943 moving forward as a result of climate change, 523 00:25:11,943 --> 00:25:13,645 and so that gives us a lot of concern 524 00:25:13,645 --> 00:25:17,883 that what we saw in those years, 2016 to 2018, 525 00:25:17,883 --> 00:25:22,087 will almost certainly happen again. 526 00:25:22,087 --> 00:25:26,091 - [adam] It makes us aware of being 527 00:25:26,091 --> 00:25:28,760 and how we need to really use these different tools 528 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:30,095 that we're using right now 529 00:25:30,095 --> 00:25:33,632 to continue to monitor the population. 530 00:25:33,632 --> 00:25:36,768 And collectively being able to monitor not just the whales, 531 00:25:36,768 --> 00:25:39,204 but the environmental factors as well 532 00:25:39,204 --> 00:25:41,206 is going to be critical. 533 00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:43,808 (regal music) 534 00:25:43,808 --> 00:25:48,547 (whale calling) 535 00:25:48,547 --> 00:25:56,955 (inspiring music) 536 00:25:56,955 --> 00:26:10,402 (water rushing) 537 00:26:10,402 --> 00:26:15,340 (drone whirring) 538 00:26:15,340 --> 00:26:19,210 (water spraying) 539 00:26:19,210 --> 00:26:21,012 - [announcer] Major funding for this program 540 00:26:21,012 --> 00:26:24,015 was provided by The Batchelor Foundation, 541 00:26:24,015 --> 00:26:26,818 encouraging people to preserve and protect 542 00:26:26,818 --> 00:26:30,789 America's underwater resources. 543 00:26:30,789 --> 00:26:32,824 Additional funding was provided 544 00:26:32,824 --> 00:26:39,164 by the Parrot Family Endowment for Environmental Education. 545 00:26:39,164 --> 00:26:43,164 (upbeat music)