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Join some expert whale detectives in trying to help identify humpbacks Beth Goodwin and well known children’s author Shelley Gill both study the whales in Prince William Sound, Alaska during the summer. Their Eye of the Whale Research migration study is the longest running continuous humpback identification study in the world. For 26 years Goodwin and her partner Olga Von Ziegesar have followed the whales each summer photographing flukes (tails). Goodwin lives in Hawai’i and she and Gill recently came by the Jupiter Research Foundation to introduce themselves. Goodwin and Von Ziegesar have also joined forces with NOAA on the SPLASH Project, to help identify and study humpback populations around the world. Eye of the Whale Research is based on Squire Island, a remote camp in the western part of the Sound. The researchers make several trips into the field each summer and have identified 350 whales in that area! They have 30 matches in Hawaii and are looking for more in Hawaii and around the world. You can help! Checkout the photos here and match them against your own. Goodwin, a photo i.d. expert, says pay particular attention to the leading edge pattern on the fluke, black and white pigmentation and any scarring. Send us an email and photo, and we’ll make sure Goodwin and and Von Ziegesar get a chance to try and match it. Let us know if we can post the photo up on our site, and we would be happy to do so. whales@jupiterfoundation.org note: PWS = Prince William Sound  Gullivera (PWS 2005)  Ardna Chandra (PWS 2005)  Kye - fluke shot (PWS 2005)  Kye - back shot showing propeller injury (PWS 2005) Goodwin identified Kye in 1997. Because of these propeller injuries, there is additional concern about whether Kye was able to make the migration successfully in 2006.  Un-named (PWS 2005)  Jupiter (PWS 2005) In honor of the Foundation, there is now officially a whale called Jupiter! We look forward to your emails and photos. whales@jupiterfoundation.org |