false killer whale – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Gail Tang

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette

August 4, 2023 – September 1, 2023

Mission: Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey (HICEAS)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Hawaiian archipelago

Date: September 1, 2023

When referring to sailing knots, the bitter end signifies the end of the line (i.e. rope to non-seafarers). I thought this fitting, considering the conclusion of my rich time at sea! From interacting with the different deck crew, I learned different ways to tie knots—sometimes the same type of knot. For example, though I knew the bowline before I set sail, I didn’t have a process that stuck in my memory. With the aid of the crew, I solidified a process for myself. Exposure to different ways to tie a knot (or in the case of the mathematics classroom, different ways to approach a problem) gives the learner autonomy to choose a method that suits their learning. I also learned how to splice. See pictures below!

close-up view of a hand gripping the end of a cord tied on a pole with an intricate knot — Double Sheet Bend

a hand holds up a rope tied in a lover's knot against a view of the churning ocean topped by blue skies — Double Sheet Bend

a hand holds up a green rope tied into a loop against a background of the ocean, clouds on the horizon — Eye Splice (3-strand)

a hand holds up a green rope tied to itself (spliced) using some of the partially unraveled strands, in front of a railing on the deck; blue water and blue sky beyond — Eye Splice (3-strand)

Science and Technology Log

stunning close-up photo of a bird in flight, must have been taken with a powerful telephoto lens — Adult Brown Morph Red-footed Booby. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Michael Force (Permit #MB03330)

In the final week, all science teams (birders, marine mammal observers, acousticians, plankton team) wrapped up and prepared to disembark the ship. Traveling a total distance of 4,819.2 km, Leg 2 spanned 28 glorious days at sea. The cetacean team tallied 90 visual sightings (visually identified 15 species) and 122 acoustic detections. The seabird side saw 37 species and 4,124 individuals. The plankton team completed 39 net tows on Leg 2 and totals 44 tows overall. The images below from the HICEAS Map Tour page detail the specific cetaceans sighted and heard. I also include some cetacean photos taken by the marine mammal observers (MMOs).

a whale bursts vertically out of the ocean with a mahi mahi fish grasped in its mouth. confusingly, in front of the whale is a dark round object, also mid-air; this must be the trash bucket lid — False killer whale (a priority species) catches a Mahi-mahi from under sea trash (bucket lid). Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Ernesto Vasquez

beautiful view of a dolphin leaping mostly out of the bright blue water — Bottlenose Dolphin. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Gail Tang (Permit #25754)

a map of the Hawaiian Islands, including both the main islands and the outer islands in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, with straight line segments showing the survey tracklines and a variety of symbols marking the locations of sightings of 17 identified species and 5 more unidentified species — Cetacean Sightings and their Locations. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries Map Tour

top down view of a cardboard box containing glass vials separated by cardboard dividers. most of the bottles are capped; the top row contains uncapped empty extras. the capped vials are grouped with lines of labeled colored masking tape, reading "Tow 6," "Tow 8," "Tow 31," etc. Two larger vials are stored among the small ones; the cardboard divider had to be opened to make them fit. — The plankton team completed 39 tows in leg 2! Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Gail Tang

It was an incredible experience to witness science in action. I often referred to my time at sea as “Science Camp!” Cruise leader-in-training, Yvonne Barkley (featured in this previous blog post), briefly interviewed me for the HICEAS 2023 Map Tour. Aside from the science, she asked me what I’ll bring back home with me from this experience. I had to incubate on this question and after some reflection, realized that what I’ve gained are all the connections I made with my ship mates.

Gigantic mahalo to Fionna Matheson (Commanding Officer). We had many conversations during the Conductivity Temperature Depth operations and over meals. We bonded over being women in leadership positions, as well as sharing family stories. Thank you for a smooth cruise!

Gail and Fionna pose for a photo together seated in the galley — Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea) and Fionna Matheson (Commanding Officer) sharing a meal in the mess. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Suzanne Yin

Personal Log

My true purpose on the ship was to create crossword addicts. I love collaborating on crosswords, so I brought a book of Monday-Friday New York Times (NYT) crosswords on the ship. The book mostly stayed up on the flying bridge where someone “off effort” (someone not currently observing) would read clues for the marine mammal observers on effort. In many of our jobs, listening to music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc, help us focus on the work at hand; similarly, pondering crossword clues helped the MMOs concentrate on searching for mammals. By the end of the leg, Andrea Bendlin (MMO) printed out a clipboard full of more NYT crosswords, and both Suzanne Yin and Paul Nagelkirk (MMOs) made their own crosswords that incorporated both the science and the science team members. I’d say I left my legacy!

Marie sits in a swivel chair on the flying bridge holding a spiral bound book of crossword puzzles. at her left, Alexa kneels or crouches as she looks on get a closer view at the puzzle. Gail stands off to Marie's right, hands gripping the canvas shade covering above their heads, looking on as well. Gail has a radio hooked on her shorts. — Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea), Marie Hill (Cruise Leader) and Alexa Gonzalez (Acoustician) crosswording on the Flying Bridge. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Andrea Bendlin

Alexa Gonzalez (Acoustician) was one of my roommates! A Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at University of Hawaii, Manoa initially brought Alexa from sunny California (Santa Clarita! We’re practically neighbors.) to sunny Hawaii. During her time at school, she volunteered for the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) doing data entry and some monk seal responses for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. She also participated in outreach and marine mammal response for the Protected Resources Division of NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office. After graduation in 2018, Alexa had a fun job working on a tour boat wearing many hats as a deckhand, snorkel guide, and bartender. In 2019, she worked on monk seal population assessment efforts at the Hawaiian monk seal field camp at Holoikauaua/Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll). Right after, she was recruited by the Science Operations Division to fill the role she’s in now, Biological Science Technician. She participates on different research projects at PIFSC as a diver, small boat operator, acoustician and lab tech. Below, you can see a photo of Alexa as a small boat operator on Malia.

Gail takes a selfie with Erik and Alexa visible over her left and right shoulders. Alexa stands at the helm of the fast rescue boat. The water churns with the boat's wake, and the sky is blue with only a few clouds low on the horizon. Gail, Alexa, and Erik wear hard hats and life vests. — Alexa Gonzalez (Acoustician) driving fast-boat, Malia, with Erik Norris (Acoustician), and Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea). Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Gail Tang

Pizza and Mexican food top Alexa’s favorite food list, so what’s better than the fusion of the two at one of her favorite restaurants Asada Pizza in Sylmar, California. She loves to get the nopales pizza, topped with jalapeños and cilantro. Yum!! In my time with Alexa, I’ve come to learn the meaning of a quiet sort of connection. We didn’t have to converse much to enjoy each other’s company whether we were decorating Styrofoam cups to crush, playing guessing games in the acoustics lab, or doing crosswords! The lengthy down times made me very thankful for Andrea’s nail polish. Alexa and I had a spa night in the forward mess with Jason Dlugos (3^rd Assistant Engineer) and Paul Nagelkirk (MMO).

View over the bakck of a sofa wear Paul sits with his left hand extended so that Gail, still wearing a hard hat, can paint his nails. — Teacher at Sea, Gail Tang, takes a break during the plankton net tow to do MMO Paul Nagelkirk’s nails.

angled view of Alexa and Jason at a wood table. There's a comic-like illustration of NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette framed on the wall behind them, titled "Pride of the Pacific Island Fleet." Jason, suppressing a laugh, holds out his right hand so that Alexa can paint his nails. — Teacher at Sea, Gail Tang, takes a break during the plankton net tow to do MMO Paul Nagelkirk’s nails.

close-up of Jason looking toward the ceiling as he holds up his hands to show off sparkly blue nails (on his right) and sparkly purple nails (left). He is wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. — 3rd Assistant Engineer Jason Dlugos shows off the sparkles in his eyes and nails. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Yvonne Barkley

While most of us keep aurally busy while we work with our hands, the acousticians keep their hands busy while listening for cetaceans! Jennifer McCullough (Lead Acoustician) brought a never-ending supply of pipe cleaners to build objects. See some of the creations below!

3-D shapes made from pipe cleaners: cube, pyramid, others — Platonic Solids are now aboard the Sette!

Cookie Monster sculpted from pipe cleaners — Platonic Solids are now aboard the Sette!

Food and Career Blog

I will really miss the meals aboard the Sette as well as all the conversations shared. Mahalo to all the stewards and friends who made sure I was fed, especially during teaching hours!

plated meal — Potato pancakes topped with red cabbage and pork belly

taco components in a divided plastic container — Potato pancakes topped with red cabbage and pork belly

As mentioned before, I tried to do one small thing that I did not do the day before to break up the routine. This week’s major routine-break involved Hawaiian shave ice, put on by Verne Murakami (1^st Assistant Engineer)!! Though I recognize that sweets can taste good, I generally prefer savory, sour, or spicy foods. Regardless, I had a blast making shave ice for others. In particular, Zack High (General Vessel Assistant–GVA) and Paul Nagelkirk (MMO) allowed me to make their shave ices. First, a scoop of ice cream, then some ube. Shaved ice fills the cup, coming to a mound above the lip. Flavored syrups like mango or blueberry color the ice. Finally, a sprinkle of ling hing mui accents.

Gail smiles at the camera as she pours blue flavored syrup onto a cup of shave ice. In front her we see open containers of vanilla ice cream, bottles of other flavored syrups. — Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea) prepares shave ice for friends. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Suzanne Yin

Zack went to maritime school at Mid-Atlantic School in Norfolk, Virginia. Afterwards, he completed an internship on a vessel with the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. He learned basic CPR, safety and training, completed his Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping. One of his professors sent his resume to NOAA and a year later, Zack started working in Nov 2021 on the Sette! Though he started in the deck department under Chris Kaanaana (Chief Boatswain/Bosun), two months later, he transferred to the engineering department for a different career opportunity. As part of his role as a GVA, he goes on watch, does rounds, goes down to the main control room to take readings, goes up to the main deck to record temperatures of freezers, look for leaks or other signs of disrepair. He hopes to become a licensed engineer with aspirations to go into private industry or another federal branch. Zack is a big fan of weight lifting and loves fishing with Verne, catching big tuna and mahi mahi. He calls himself a gearhead because he likes working on cars and going to car shows. He also enjoys going to see live music; his last show was an underground punk concert in Seattle. He would like to start hiking. Zack likes boxing and he even gave me a little lesson on the ship!

Zack, wearing engineering overalls, is seated at a desk with computer monitors mounted on the wall in the background. He flashes a smile for the camera and holds up his cup of shave ice — Zack High (GVA Engineering) satisfied with his shave ice!

Zack, wearing boxing gloves, punches a punching bag mounted on the deck of the ship. — Zack High (GVA Engineering) satisfied with his shave ice!

Paul went to Michigan State University and majored in environmental biology and zoology. He became a fisheries observer in the Bering Sea and then later worked in oil and gas mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico to reduce environmental impacts due to noise pollution. In 2013, he started both ship and aerial surveys with NOAA. In the aerial surveys, the plane follows transect lines 600ft over the water.

Paul has also conducted aerial surveys of the North Atlantic Right Whale through the New England Aquarium. The New England Aquarium is the pioneer and premier research institution for the Right Whale. They run the individual ID catalog for the North Atlantic Right Whales (see https://rwcatalog.neaq.org/#/). They know the whales’ relationships to each other since they perform year to year tracking for conservation efforts. Climate change alters the whales’ prey locations, causing them to move farther north towards Canada. Further, they are susceptible to entanglements from the lobster and crab industry as well as collisions from ship traffic because they tend towards the coast. The number of North Atlantic Right Whales left is disturbingly low, about 350, landing them on the endangered species list.

Paul and I became fast friends. I affectionately call him my “worstie”, but he really is a “bestie”. We shared his favorite food (Detroit-style pizza) at Pizza Mamo in Honolulu–I highly recommend! His other hobbies (some of which we share) include Wordle, biking, hiking, and disc golf.

Paul smiles for the camera and holds up his cup of shave ice in his upturned palm. We can see his sparkly blue nail polish. — Paul Nagelkirk (MMO) is pleased with his shave ice.

Many Mahalos

A very special mahalo to Cruise Leader 💞Marie Hill💞. Marie’s charm brought much energy to the science team. Her vibrant character will be missed!

Gail, Marie, Suzanne, wearing hard hats and life vests, post for a close-up photo. — Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea), Marie Hill (Cruise Leader), and Suzanne Yin (MMO) during HARP retrieval. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Suzanne Yin

Regrettably, my career highlights lack comprehensiveness. Give me another month, Teacher at Sea Program 😉, and I could feature everyone. I include some visual shout-outs in the images below!

Darryl smiles for the camera, cocking his head to the side so that we can see the pipe cleaners in his hair — Darryl Henderson II (GVA-Deck) relents to the pressures of Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea) to decorate for the international date line crossing.

view of the back of Darryl's head, showing off the pink, yellow, and blue pipe cleaners tied into his dreads — Darryl Henderson II (GVA-Deck) relents to the pressures of Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea) to decorate for the international date line crossing.

Logan, wearing a hard hat and life vest, stands at the control panel (facing away from the camera) near the rail at sunset. Left hand on the panel, he leans his right arm over the railing, and looks over his right shoulder, gazing intently over the water. — Logan Gary (Able-bodied Seaman) deploying the CTD during sunset. Mahalo for all the fun, especially singing Part of Your World on the boat deck! Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Gail Tang

Chris stands under a davit on the ship's deck. The ship appears to be docked, as we can see land in the background. — Mahalo, Chris Kaanaana (Chief Boatswain/Bosun), for all your years of service aboard the *Sette*!

Kym and Gail, arms around each other, pose for a photo in front of NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette in port. — A myriad of mahalos to Kym Yano (Cruise Leader-in-Training) for answering my many questions before going underway and welcoming me ashore with an Ilima and Tuberose lei. I’ll miss you!

16 people pose for a photo on the deck of NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette with a whiteboard sign reading "HICEAS 2023 Leg 2!" In the background, we see the water of the harbor and mountains beyond. Everyone in the photo is arranged according to the color of their shirt in rainbow order. — Mahalo to all the scientists that cared for me, showed me the ropes, and involved me in all aspects of the science. Every rainbow I see will forever be a reminder of you. Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Nich Sucher

Did you know?

You may be familiar with the duality of the word “aloha”, embodying both a greeting and a farewell. My exposure to new meanings of “aloha” through Chef Chris’s Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai’i cookbook by Alana Kysar inspired me to learn more. According to the Hawai’i Law of the Aloha Spirit,

“‘Aloha’ is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. ‘Aloha’ means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.”

To all my community aboard the Sette, aloha.

view of a pen-and-ink drawing of NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette across the spread of a moleskin notebook, placed on a desk, surrounded by pens and other little desk objects — NOAA Ship *Oscar Elton Sette* through the eyes of Gail Tang (Teacher at Sea). Photo Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Gail Tang

NOAA Teacher at Sea Donna Knutson
NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
September 1 – September 29, 2010

Mission: Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey
Geograpical Area: Hawaii
Date: September 27, 2010

The Elusive Pseudorca

Mission and Geographical Area:

The Oscar Elton Sette is on a mission called HICEAS, which stands for Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey. This cruise will try to locate all marine mammals in the Exclusive Economic Zone called the “EEZ” of Hawaiian waters. The expedition will cover the waters out to 200 nautical miles of the Hawaiian Islands.

Data such as conductivity, temperature, depth, and chlorophyll abundance will be collected and sea bird sightings will also be documented.

dolphins & bridge 017 — This is me “looking” like I am driving the ship.

Science and Technology:

1642_0086_23$02730.JPG — Pseudorca “spy hopping”.

Latitude: 22^○09.1’ N

Longitude: 160^○12.3’ W

Clouds: 1/8 Cu

Visibility: 10 N.M.

Wind: 9 Knots

Wave height: 1-2 ft.

Water Temperature: 26.6^○C

Air Temperature: 25.2^○C

Sea Level Pressure: 1015.9 mb

Compared to its cousin the Killer Whale, little is known about the False Killer Whales. They do not have many similar traits other than their coloring. They both have black upper bodies with patches of white below. On the pseudorca the lighter color is on the chin and tapers along the stomach backward to the tail.

1642_0086_24$01940.JPG — False Killer Whales traveling side by side.

They are a much smaller animal, with a male maximum length of nineteen feet six inches and a weight of around three thousand pounds. The female is smaller with similar coloring. They have an erect dorsal fin that may be up to fifteen inches high.

The false killer whales may not sound so impressive but as cited in the Honolulu , September 2010 magazine, the pseudorca are not the typical marine mammals. They are actually a type of dolphin (as is the “true” killer whales), they swim extremely fast and have a unique community/friendship relationships. Pseudorca may stay with a group for more than twenty years.

1642_0086_24$01558.JPG — This is how biopsy samples are acquired.

To show a sense of community spirit, when a pseudorca catches a fish it may pass it around to all the other members before it comes back to the original thrower, (kind of like “throwing around the horn” in baseball). They are typically found in groups of ten to twenty members but can be found in broad bands several miles wide.

One population of pseudorca in the Main Hawaiian Islands has been dwindling from several hundred in the late 1980s to about one hundred fifty members today. These animals live primarily within seventy miles of the islands.

Fishing is one reason for the decline in numbers. The whales may see a free meal in yellow fin tuna or mahi mahi on a fisher’s line and become hooked and drown. This has caused an average of eight false killer whales to be drowned or seriously injured in each of the last five years.

1642_0086_24$01699.JPG — Pseudorca between the small boat and Sette.

Pseudorcas have a low reproduction rate. Their calving interval is very long, up to seven years, so not many whales are being born into the pod to replace those lost accidentally by humans. In July a team of scientists, fishermen and conservationalists turned in a plan on how to reduce the number of false killer whales injured on longlines. One of the recommendations is to close off an area abut 50-75 miles from the Hawaiian longline fishery. There is already a non-fishing mandate that protects the National Monument.

The National Marine Fisheries Service will decide if these regulations should be enacted and then determine if the pseudorcas should be protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

Personal Log:

1642_0086_24$01747.JPG — Pseudorcas have a gregarious personality.

One of the prime objectives of the HICEAS cruise is to find, tag, take a biopsy samples of, and pictures of pseudorcas. Because of the interest in protecting these animals, it is very important to get as much information on these animals as possible.

So now here we are into day 26 of our 29 day cruise, and guess who shows up! The pseudorcas! And when they come, get ready! The animals seen yesterday were traveling by themselves or in groups up to ten, and they were spread out over twelve miles!

Erin had established a protocol for monitoring all the different subgroups which would allow the scientists to get a count on the number of individuals present. Once a scientist spotted a group, they had to follow that group until it passed the ship. That was very challenging especially for the groups that were a long distance from the ship and took several minutes to pass.

Then you have the group that wants to merge with that group or one leaves this group and wants to go with that other group. It is not like they have brightly colored clothing to tell them apart! It was quite an exercise in patience and determination.

1642_0086_24$01831.JPG — Pseudorcas feed mainly on fish and squid.

I did not have a group, but I did have white board markers, which I acquired from running down to the exercise room to snatch them from the maker board below deck. Erin had mentioned someone should be a recorder of groups. I definitely know my way around a marker board, so I started writing the names of the observers, their group’s location and assigned them a letter. At one time we had five different groups being monitored. By the end we had groups A through S!

The scientists could not look away from their group for the entire time it was being counted until it left the area. Wow, they did a great job! As soon as their group left they picked up on another. Some scientists where watching two groups at the same time if they were close to each other. It took a lot of concentration.

Erin copied the data from the board to make sure all was accounted for and then the board was erased to start all over again. We did this for over two hours! The animals were spread over twelve miles! Now that may sound like a lot of pseudorcas, but there typically were not that many animals in a subgroup. They just needed to be monitored for a long time until all data was recorded properly.

When the last pseudorca was past the ship, Erin sent out the small boat. Allan was there to shoot the satellite tag into a fin for tracking the whale. Ernesto was in charge of getting biopsy samples and Corey was in the boat to get pictures with the laser camera. Of course the small boat driver, Mills was there along with Ray to help with lines and such.

1642_0086_24$01738.JPG — A pod of four pseudorca.

They looked like they had a fun time! The whales, who are very curious in nature, would pop up beside the small boat and often swim in small groups beside them. I read that these animals have been seen to act like the bottlenose and spinner dolphins and ride the bow wakes. They never did that on our ship, but were never far away.

The small boat was out for about two and a half hours. They did an amazing job of getting three animals tagged with tracking devices, eight biopsy samples and many great pictures. They were a lot of fun to watch! Their community structure in amazing. I can see why they are not “your typical dolphin”!

Tag: false killer whale

Gail Tang: The Bitter End, September 1, 2023

Donna Knutson, September 27, 2010