Our Mission: Science-Driven Whale Protection & Ocean Conservation

Expedition Overview

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Route: Ft Lauderdale → Beaufort → Newport, Rhode Island → Halifax

Primary Study Area: Gulf of St. Lawrence (north of New Brunswick), focusing on the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis).

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Expedition Name: Gulf of St. Lawrence Right Whale & Ocean Life Research Sail (NB Sector)

Core Study Area: Shediac Valley / southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (with optional legs to Cabot Strait)

Optimal Season: Late June to early September (best balance of whale presence, weather, and daylight); overall presence window late May to November

Why Here: The southern Gulf is a known foraging ground, with a large fraction of the population using the Gulf seasonally.

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University Participation

• Marine research teams with at-sea tracking and modern survey methods in Shediac Valley.

• Aquatic Resources & Biology students contribute with conservation, field methods, and sustainability framing.

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Optimal Timing & Sea Conditions

• Best Timing: Late June–August is the “sweet spot” for consistent field days, high biological activity, and active whale monitoring/protection.

• Sea-State Notes: Fog and reduced visibility are common; wind-against-current chops can build quickly; spring/late fall have more weather downtime.

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Feeding Habitat & Research Focus

• Feeding Ecology: North Atlantic right whales feed on dense patches of late-stage Calanus copepods (high-energy zooplankton). The southern Gulf is a foraging habitat with oceanographic structure that concentrates prey.

• Habitat Work: Linking whale sightings to prey fields, water mass structure, and physical drivers.

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Research Design & Objectives

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Primary Objectives (Right Whale)

• Presence & distribution: Visual transects, effort-corrected sightings

• Individual identification: Photo-ID of callosity patterns

• Behavior: Feeding/resting/travel, surface-active groups, respiration rates

• Health indicators: Body condition scoring from imagery

• Acoustics: Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM)

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Secondary Objectives (Ocean Life)

• Zooplankton community & energy density

• Oceanographic context (CTD + surface sampling)

• Co-occurring megafauna (fin whales, humpbacks, dolphins, seabirds)

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Outputs

• Daily position/effort tracks + sightings database (GPS-stamped)

• Plankton/CTD dataset with QA notes

• Photo-ID package

• Expedition report + student briefs for university credit/capstone

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Expedition Route & Study Blocks

• Staging Ports: Shediac / Cap-Pelé / Mira Michi (NB side) for quick access

• Optional: Short reposition to PEI/NS ports depending on weather and permits

• Study Blocks:

  • Block A: Shediac Valley core foraging ground

  • Block B: Southern Gulf transects

  • Block C (optional): Cabot Strait transit sampling

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Sample 14-Day Itinerary

• Day 0: Mobilization & compliance, safety brief, gear check, calibration, confirm vessel measures

• Days 1–3: Baseline mapping, visual transects, photo-ID, CTDs, plankton tows

• Days 4–6: Adaptive focus—switch to focal follows if whales detected, widen transects if not

• Day 7: Mid-expedition QA day, data backup, preliminary plots, re-plan sampling grid

• Days 8–11: Student-led research modules, observation shifts, drone/imagery workflow, logs

• Days 12–13: Wrap sampling, contingency weather window, revisit highest whale-density cells

• Day 14: Demobilize, chain-of-custody for samples, equipment checks, debrief, draft findings memo

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Crew Roles & Daily Flow

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Crew Roles (Rotating Daily):

• Skipper / Master: Navigation, compliance, safety

• Chief Scientist: Research priorities, adaptive planning

• Marine Mammal Lead: Visual surveys, behavior logs, photo-ID

• Oceanography Lead: CTD casts, plankton tows

• Data Manager: GPS effort, metadata, backups

• Acoustic Operator: PAM monitoring, detections

• Deck / Safety Officer: Launch/recovery, lookout, PPE

• Student / Research Assistants: Rotating support role

 

Rotation Rule: No one stands the same primary role more than 2 consecutive days.

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Daily Field Day Flow

• 0600–0700: Pre-day check (weather, sea state, fog, safety, equipment, role assignment)

• 0700–1200: Morning survey (visual + acoustic detection, compliant vessel speed, observers, PAM)

• 1200–1400: Sampling block (CTD casts, plankton tows, surface water sample, metadata, storage)

• 1400–1700: Adaptive operations (transects or reposition, megafauna logs, student-led blocks)

• 1700–1830: Data & maintenance (backup, QA, equipment rinse, battery charging)

• 1900: Evening brief (day summary, plan adjustment, safety check)

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Safety & Compliance: Continuous lookout in fog, PAM monitored, distance limits, no sudden course/speed changes near whales, abort sampling if safety compromised.

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Operations Plan (14-Day)

• Goal: High-resolution snapshot of whale presence + prey field

• Days 0–1: Mobilization & baseline transects

• Days 2–5: Core Shediac Valley survey + sampling

• Day 6: Adaptive focus (detections-driven)

• Day 7: QA & reposition

• Days 8–11: Student-led research modules

• Days 12–13: Comparative repeat stations

• Day 14: Demobilization & preliminary report

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Mission Practicality

• Lower cost

• Strong student engagement

• Excellent for pilot studies & conservation reporting