Data Collection Aboard Commercial Whale Watching Vessels
Since 1975, naturalists and whale biologists working aboard commercial whale watching vessels have used benign techniques to learn more about the biology and ecology of whales and other marine wildlife sighted in the waters of the Gulf of Maine. When an animal is sighted from the vessel, researchers record a variety of information about the animal or animals that are observed.
Information recorded on data sheets includes:
- the time of the encounter
- the position - latitude and longitude of the animal or group of animals
- the behaviors that are observed
- the overall health of individuals
- photographic information for each individual
- weather conditions
The information above can then be added to long-term databases and used to learn more about the distribution and movements of marine wildlife in the Gulf of Maine. Long-term studies based on non-invasive techniques, like photo-identification, require a large investment of time and effort, both offshore and when back on land. But long-term studies are often the only way to understand the biology and ecology of long-lived, social animals especially species like whales that live in areas difficult to access.
Data Sheets
An example of a data sheet that can be used to record sighting and photographic 
information on marine wildlife observed offshore is shown on the right. This is the data sheet that Bridgewater State College interns and NECWA staff use aboard the Captain John Boats. You may download a copy of the data sheet for your own use.
Each sighting is designated a specific letter of the alphabet. A sighting could represent the observation of a single individual observed on its own, such as a single harbor seal that surfaces close to the boat. Or a sighting could represent a group of animals that are coordinating their activities together, such as a group of 3 humpback whales that are using bubble clouds to feed on small schooling fish.
Also included on the data sheet are codes that are used to record specific types of information, such as the species observed and behavioral observations. Using codes or other types of shorthand helps save time and space when collecting detailed information about a sighting. If you look at the species codes on the back of the sample data sheet, you will see that it is created by using parts of the animal’s scientific name. To create the species code, you use the first letter from the genus name followed by the first letter from the species name. As an example, the species code for the humpback whale is “Mn” which comes from scientific name, Megaptera novaengliae.
Importance of long-term studies
Long-term studies are often the only way that scientists can fully understand the biology and life history of many types of social that live a long time. Some researchers have maintained long-term studies of terrestrial animals, like Dr. Jane Goodall who has studied the Chimpanzees of Gombe, Africa, for over 30 years. Other researchers have conducted long-term studies on aquatic animals. One group, Allied Whale, is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Since the early 1970’s, Allied Whale has maintained the definitive catalog the North Atlantic humpbacks whale sighted in the waters of the Gulf of Maine. Decades of observation and study are now providing the necessary information that will allow these researchers to better understand questions related to reproduction, longevity and social structure.
Photo-Identification Techniques
One technique used by most researchers when conducting long-term studies of wild population is photo-identification also called photo-ID. This benign technique produces the least impact on the animals studied and it provides a method of following individuals over the course of their lifetime.
Photo-identification involves photographing various features of an animal’s body in order to identify that animal as an individual. For each species observed, there are often specific body features that are commonly photographed. In order for these features to be useful for photo-ID purposes, they must vary in size, shape and markings from one individual to another.
The most useful body features are those readily observed whenever the animal is encountered. Photographs taken of specific individuals are then used to create catalogs of known individuals. Researchers can then use these catalogs to re-identify an individual in the future. This technique allows the study of the social structure of the population over time.
For example, researchers studying the Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina carolina can identify individuals based on the color pattern on the 
top of the animal’s shell. Each box turtle has a unique pigmentation pattern that can be used as a type of fingerprint for future identification. This eliminates the need to mark or tag the turtle in any way. All that is required is to take a series of photographs of the top of the turtle’s shell - dorsal surface - and record some basic sighting information whenever the animal is sighted.
Below is an example of the use of photo-identification to learn about the movements of Eastern box turtles. One of NECWA’s staff members regularly photographs any box turtles she
observes walking over her lawn or her neighbor’s lawn. She takes a number of photographs and picks up the turtle to determine the sex of the individual. Then she records the time and location of the turtle and any observed behaviors. This takes only a few minutes and then she releases the turtle and off he or she goes.
Examine the photographs below and see if you can determine the identify of the box turtles below. Notice that these photographs were taken on different days and years. Carefully examine the beautify pattern on the upper part of the box turtle’s shell and see if any of the patterns are similar.
Careful observation indicates that there are two different individuals among the three separate sightings. The box turtle photographed on June 26, 2006 and May 16, 2007 is the same individual. The animal photographed on September 2, 2006 is a different individual.
Photo-identification is not complicated and does not require a lot of sophisticated equipment. Therefore, anyone who has an interest and love of nature can do this type of analysis. Due to the fact that many animals have features that vary from one individual to another, photo-ID can be applied to any wild or domestic population of animals.
