Several HAPPYWHALE Returns

     This past Labor Day weekend I went on a tuna fishing trip with my friend who captain’s the boat.  In addition to catching a yellowfin tuna and several mahi mahi, we were entertained throughout the day with many humpback whales and a few fin whales surfacing all around the fishing grounds.  We were near the Hudson Canyon and the whales were not shy with sharing their feeding spot with the fishing vessels.  

The whales were very active, surfacing very close to our boat and others.  On deep dives, they raised their tails well clear of the water.  I took many photographs and, as I have been doing for over a year now, submitted some to Happywhale.com.  Happywhale uses a database of photos, particularly humpback whale tails (flukes), to identify individual whales.  Combined with encounters submitted by other observers, you can track an identified whale.  Each humpback’s fluke is unique, like a human fingerprint.  Happywhale originally focused only on humpback whales but is expanding to other whale species.

Five of the whales I submitted last weekend have been identified, bringing my total to nine identified whales.  Four of the recently identified whales have been given names.  The other five have catalog ID numbers.  I’ll introduce some of my whales here.

Meet Iota.  I spotted Iota on September 2 in New York waters while fishing.  She was first seen by another observer on February 15, 2005, off of the Dominican Republic.
Iota, near the Hudson Canyon.  © S. Weiss

This is Jupiter.  I photographed Jupiter on September 2.  Jupiter was first spotted on August 21, 2009, off of Maine.  Jupiter is a 2009 calf of Mars.
Jupiter, near the Hudson Canyon.  © S. Weiss

Here is Peninsula.  I saw Peninsula on September 2.  Peninsula was first photographed on July 24, 2011, off of Maine.
Peninsula, near the Hudson Canyon.  © S. Weiss

Then there is Stump.  My sighting of Stump on September 2 was the first submitted since its initial picture was taken on August 11, 2014, off of Massachusetts.
Stump, near the Hudson Canyon.  © S. Weiss

My favorite though has yet to be named but is identified as VARF-230.  I have seen VARF-230 twice, both times off of Cape May.  The first time was on October 8, 2021, with my wife aboard the Cape May Whale Watcher.  The second time was on October 21, 2022, while on a pelagic trip aboard the American Star.  VARF-230 has been spotted as far as Virginia.
VARF-230, off of Cape May, NJ.  © S. Weiss
Left, October 8, 2021.  Right, October 21, 2022.








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