International Whale Research – Sperm Whales

Did you know your Sea of Whales adventure contributes to international whale research?

You know from our previous blog about humpback whale research that whales can be identified by their unique tail markings — kind of like a human finger print. Whale Photo Identification is the first step in understanding what is happening with the whales in our area. Photo identification can determine the number of individual whales in an area, the relationships between them, and the life history of each individual whale. Whale researchers from all over the world work to match animals in order to track their journeys as they migrate.

Sea of Whales Adventures has also been doing Photo ID work with sperm whales since they started frequenting the Trinity Bay trench in 2003.

Blodgett was the first sperm whale that had been spotted in this area in many years. Traditionally, sperm whales were hunted for the spermaceti oil in their heads. Sperm whales were taken in Trinity and Bonavista Bay whale hunts.

Sperm whales typically live in very deep water off the continental shelf, or close to oceanic islands. Trinity and Bonavista Bays both have very deep water trenches, thanks to the glaciers that passed over this area during the last ice age. These trenches reach depths up to 1500 feet. In the last 21 years, the number of sperm whales occupying the deep water trenches in Trinity and Bonavista Bays has steadily increased.

The sperm whales that frequent the waters in Trinity and Bonavista Bays are all males. Once they reach sexual maturity, male sperm whales travel to northern latitudes to feed. Females stay in more temperate waters. Males will only return during breeding season to the areas that the females frequent. These whales are identified by their unique tail shapes and scars.

The first sperm whales in this area were spotted only on the Trinity Bay side, and then eventually moved over to the Bonavista Bay side. To this day, we still hear sperm whales in the Trinity Bay trench but they now feed much further out, which means seeing them in Trinity Bay has become much more rare than Bonavista Bay sightings.

Blodgett

The first sperm whale seen in our area was Blodgett. Peter Blodgett, was a boat captain that Kris and Shawna Prince worked with who has recently passed away. It seemed only fitting to name this big male whale after him. After that, when others started to join Blodgett in the trench, we began naming them after Arctic explorers, and then after prominent families that live in the region that the sperm whales frequent.

Blodget Sightings:

• Summer 2003 – Trinity Bay Trench
• Winter 2003 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2004 – Trinity Bay Trench
• Summer 2007 – Trinity Bay Trench
• Summer 2008 – Trintiy Bay Trench

Cook

Captain James Cook (1728–1779) was a British explorer, navigator, and cartographer who made detailed maps of Newfoundland, but is more commonly remembered as the ‘discoverer’ of Australia.

Cook Sightings:

• August 2006 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• July 2007 – Trinity Bay Trench
• August 2008 – Trinity Bay Trench, Bonavista Bay Trench
• July 2009 – Trinity Bay Trench
• June 2010 – Trinity Bay Trench
• July-September 2011 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• July-August 2013 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2017 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2022 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2023 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2024 – Bonavista Bay Trench

Nelson

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) was a British flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy. He served in the West Indies, Baltic, and Canada. He was wounded several times, losing his right arm and the sight in his right eye. Nelson was an Admiral, and a Lord.

Nelson Sightings:

• Summer 2010 – Trinity Bay Trench (with Cook)
• Summer 2013 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2017 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2021 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2023 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2024 – Bonavista Bay Trench

Kuipers

Kuipers is named after a Dutch explorer, André Kuipers, an astronaut and physician, whose last mission saw him spend six months on the international space station in 2013.

This whale was named by Paul & Sandra Dolk, who were the first to photograph him.

Kuipers Sightings:

• Summer 2013 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2024 – Bonavista Bay Trench

Baffin

This sperm whale is named after William Baffin (1584-1622), an English navigator, explorer, and cartographer. William Baffin is known for his attempt to find the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. During this expedition he was the first European to discover and name Baffin Bay.

Baffin Sightings:

• Summer 2022 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2023 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2024 – Bonavista Bay Trench

Polo

Marco Polo (1254 – 1324) was an Italian merchant traveller from Venice who travelled extensively in
Central Asia and China.

Polo Sightings:

• Summer 2009 – Trinity Bay Trench
• Summer 2013 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2019 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• Summer 2021 – Bonavista Bay Trench

Johnson

Named for Shawna Prince’s family.

Johnson Sightings:

• Summer 2013 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• July 2019 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• August 2019 – Bonavista Bay Trench
• May 2023 – Bonavista Bay Trench

See more photos of the whales we have identified on our Flickr site. Love to see them in person? Join us for an adventure — Book now!