A L L I E D W H A L COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC BAR HARBOR MAINE 04609 207 288 5644 ALLIED WHALE: A BRIEF HISTORY Allied Whale was founded in 1972 by Dr. Steven K. Katona, Professor of Biology, and students and staff of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. Since its beginning, Allied Whale has been at the forefront of modern whale research. Some of the techniques developed here for use in the study of whales have been adopted as standard practice by whale biologists world- wide. In 1973, with the cooperation of the U.S. Coast Guard, Allied Whale opened a research facility at Mt. Desert Rock, Maine, the site of the most remote lighthouse on the eastern seaboard. "The Rock", a 3 1/2 acre island nearly 25 miles off shore, is now the oldest land-based marine mammal research facility on the east coast. Identification and censusing of the various whale populations inhabiting this part of the Gulf of Maine; the photo-identification of individuals and nonintrusive studies of the behavior and respiration of whales are all part of the work done here. Inventories of migratory land birds, seabirds, seals, invertebrates and plants as well as extensive environmental monitoring also take place at Mt. Desert Rock during each year's field season. The Gulf of Maine Whale Sighting Network was also started in 1973 to collect sightings of whales made by commercial and private boat operators throughout New England waters. Allied Whale helps observers with species identification through the use of a postage-paid whale sighting report form and the publication of a regular report: Whales in the Gulf of Maine. Researchers at Allied Whale have been instrumental in the development and implementation of the techniques involved in the photo-identification of individual whales. By using these methods, a whale can be reidentified in different locations and at different times over the course of its life without the use of invasive tags. In 1976, the first historic match was made of a humpback whale photographed in Bermuda and then two months later at Mt. Desert Rock, Maine. The North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue, housed at Allied Whale, now includes photographs of over 3800 individual animals. These photographs have been supplied by numerous biologists and other interested observers from the Caribbean to Greenland and Iceland. The cataloguing effort has provided more information about the population size and life histories of these endangered whales than has been learned in any other way. mt. desert rock marine research station gulf of maine whale sighting network north atlantic humpback whale catalogue . north atlantic finback whale catalogue antarctic humpback whale catalogue bermuda humpback research caribbean humpback res In October, 1986, at a meeting of the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Association, Allied Whale was asked to develop the techniques necessary to compile a similar catalogue for finback whales. Finbacks, which may reach 80 feet in length, are the second largest animal ever to inhabit the earth. Though considered by some to be relatively abundant, they are an elusive creature about which little is known. They are still being hunted in the North Atlantic Ocean. A sub-committee of the International Whaling Commission has strongly recommended that plans for a long term study of finback whales be drawn up " to provide information on distribution, identity, stock size and trends in abundance. It also recommends that "a program of photographic identification of individual animals be undertaken to assist in assessment of stock size and reproductive parameters ". They continue by stating, "Without such a study, the sub-committee will never be in a position to provide management advice on this stock. " It is hoped that The North Atlantic Finback Whale Catalogue will help answer many questions about this poorly understood animal. The field research projects of Allied Whale are geographically far ranging. We routinely collaborate with research organizations such as New England Aquarium, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, Ocean Research and Education Society, Gloucester Fisherman's Museum, Atlantic Cetacean Research Center, Mingan Island Cetacean Study, Smithsonian Institution, Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation, Brier Island Ocean Study and workers at a number of universities on projects both in New England and elsewhere. In 1986, an Allied Whale biologist went to Antarctica to initiate cataloguing efforts of humpbacks there. The Antarctic Humpback Whale Cataloque is now based at Allied Whale. Six seasons of research in Bermuda and three in the Caribbean region have helped to answer many of the questions about the breeding behavior and migrations of humpback whales. Other cooperative projects include annual photographic and data collecting expeditions to Canada's Bay of Fundy and efforts to rescue and study stranded marine mammals along Maine's rocky coast. Allied Whale is a research arm of the College of the Atlantic and solicits funding independently in the form of government and foundation grants or contracts as well as charitable donations from individuals. Tax deductible contributions can be made to College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, in support of Allied Whale. Write or call for more information about how you can help.