Marine Conservation Action Fund Newsletter Protecting and promoting marine biodiversity through small-scale, Volume 7, Number 1 time-sensitive, community-based programs Spring 2019

Since 1999, the Marine Shark Sanctuary Declared in Costa Rica Thanks Conservation Action Fund has supported to Years of Efforts by MCAF Fellow and His Team more than 140 small-scale, high-impact projects in In 2018, Costa Rica declared Dr. Sylvia Earle. The Hope 40-plus countries and has its first shark sanctuary in Spot designation will bring disbursed nearly $900,000 Golfo Dulce on the country’s more resources and attention for the conservation of west coast. This huge endangered species to the efforts to further protect conservation victory is a dream and habitats. this vital ecosystem. The added realized for MCAF Fellow recognition will also help it to MCAF is a program of the Andrés López and Ilena serve as a successful model for Anderson Cabot Center Zanella, co-founders of other conservation efforts for Ocean Life at the New Mision Tiburon. across the globe. England Aquarium and Thanks to the efforts of Misión Tiburón, made possible through López, Zanella, and their team a brighter future lies ahead for scalloped We have been honored to continuing and past support have worked tirelessly toward hammerhead sharks. support the work of Mision from the Oak Foundation, this goal for a decade. They Tiburon over the years with Curtis and Edith Munson have gathered tagging and have built collaborations and MCAF grants, as well a Foundation, New England survey data showing Golfo support for the sanctuary fellowship for Andrés López Biolabs Foundation, Dulce is a critical habitat for with fishermen, schools, and in 2017. We are thrilled to and individual donors. newborn and juvenile scalloped local communities. They have see this exciting and important hammerhead sharks, a species also become trusted scientific conservation outcome brought The MCAF newsletter is that is endangered due to advisors to local and national about by the hard work and produced and published by overfishing, bycatch, and governments and drawn global unwavering dedication of the New England Aquarium. shark finning. recognition for their efforts. Andrés, Ilena, Enrique, We welcome your comments, and their team. questions, and suggestions! In addition to spearheading Early this year, Golfo Dulce this research, Andrés, Ilena, was named a Hope Spot by Read the full press release Follow MCAF on Facebook and colleagues, including social Mission Blue, the organization from Mission Blue: and Twitter @MCAF_NEAq entrepreneur Enrique Uribe, led by famed oceanographer bit.ly/MissionBlueHope Contact Information Elizabeth Stephenson MCAF Chair Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium 617-226-2122 [email protected] Kelly Kryc, Ph.D. Director of Marine Conservation Policy and Leadership Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium [email protected]

To learn more about our global research and conservation initiatives, visit accol.org/MCAF.

Ilena Zanella and MCAF Fellow Andres Lopez, co-founders of Misión Tiburón, celebrate Golfo Dulce’s designation as a Hope Spot. Thresher Shark Tales In the story below, Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellow Anna Oposa, Chief Mermaid and Executive Director of Save Philippine Seas, tells of her efforts to strengthen support for and the impact of a shark shelter in the Philippines, work that was supported in part by MCAF.

Scuba divers from all over the Monad Shoal and another site world travel to Malapascua called Gato Island as shark Island, Cebu, Philippines, and ray sanctuaries, and all with the same objective: to three species of thresher sharks Thresher sharks are a major draw for dive tourism in the Philippines. see thresher sharks (Alopias became nationally protected. Inset: MCAF Fellow Anna Oposa, a scientist, social entrepreneur, advocate, pelagicus) in Monad Shoal. These milestones didn’t and educator, helped bring about the creation of shark and ray sanctuaries in Monad Shoal and Gato Island in the Philippines. Monad Shoal, a seamount just “take a village,” as the expression goes, they required off Malapascua, is the only has had three different mayors, a national movement, there were representatives place in the world so and will elect a fourth in the riding on from fisherfolk, government far where thresher upcoming elections. Each the global employees, housewives, and sharks can be new mayor was a reset button, momentum fish wardens. They shared seen almost inevitably slowing progress. their ideas, asked questions, daily at and attention for shark The support from the Marine and opened up about their recreational frustrations. They also depths (30 and ray Conservation Action Fund conservation, (MCAF) helped address repeatedly expressed gratitude meters) due to for being included in the their symbiotic and entailed these issues. The proposal had multiple three objectives: diversify the dialogue. “Finally,” several relationship of them remarked. with cleaner heartbreaks participation of stakeholders, wrasses. This and setbacks. strengthen and enhance The feedback from the community organizing shark species, classed as I wish I could tell you that participants brought us and participation, and vulnerable to extinction by that was the happy ending. back to the drawing board. collect relevant and realistic the International Union for But anyone in this line of work We made edits and applied information for an enforceable, Conservation of Nature, is knows that issues evolve. Solve changes to the Management socially just, science-based clearly the superstar of the one, and another one – or Plan, ordinance, and MPA Network Ordinance. island. The shark’s distinct two – will arise. In our case, communication materials. shape, marked by its long we began to see the impact of To meet these objectives, we By mid-December, we were tail, is on the logo of most focusing on Monad Shoal and used the financial resources able to submit the materials dive operators and resorts. Malapascua. By enhancing to draft a Management Plan, to the local government Its grace, doe-like eyes, and marine protected areas review existing local legislation, officials for review and presence have attracted many (MPAs) that are no-take use data collected from previous approval. Through a series tourists, researchers, and zones, local fisherfolk had projects and studies, and travel of follow-up messages and conservationists – including smaller fishing grounds, to Carnaza, Maya, and around informal meetings, we’ve myself. creating friction between the Malapascua. The Management been informed that there is artisanal fishing and tourism Plan and amendment to a no major opposition to any I began working in of the proposals. Malapascua in 2012 with big industries. The neighboring local ordinance to create an dreams: to protect thresher coastal communities, Carnaza MPA Network are meant Four months into 2019 sharks and establish the and Maya, needed resources to serve as blueprints for the and the Management Plan country’s first shark and ray for capacity-building and site’s long-term conservation has not yet been endorsed, sanctuary. I was 24 years old environmental education as plans, regardless of the current and the ordinance has not with no community-based well because they had MPAs administration. yet been passed due to the conservation experience, and near them that they could In the coastal communities, upcoming elections. This is the movement I co-founded, learn to manage. They too our lean team of three, in not necessarily bad news. Our called Save Philippine Seas, needed seats at the table partnership with the local local elections are coming up was just a year old. For the for development to be truly government, organized in May 2019, which means our next few years, I learned and inclusive and sustainable. stakeholder consultations. government officials have their failed quickly. However, with Another challenge we had It was the first time that hands full with campaigning. the help of the business sector, to confront was political stakeholder consultations for Only after the oath-taking of dive operators, advocates, instability. In the Philippines, marine conservation were held the new officials in June will local governments, national local government officials such in Carnaza and Maya, and momentum pick up again. government agencies, and as mayors and local legislators the turnout surprised us. In Then we begin a new chapter scientists, the big dreams have three-year terms and can Maya, 24 participants attended. of the thresher shark tales. came true. In 2015, an be elected up to three times. In Carnaza, 42 participants Executive Order declared Since 2010, the municipality joined. For each consultation,

2 Field Season Brings Exciting Encounters with Blue Whales in Sri Lanka for MCAF Fellow Dr. Asha de Vos By Asha de Vos, Ph.D., New England Aquarium MCAF Fellow, National Geographic Explorer, Pew Marine Fellow, and Founder of Oceanswell

This story is one of a series photos for every individual in on projects supported by the our catalog, which is obviously Anderson Cabot Center’s tricky. But this is the nature of Marine Conservation Action photo-identification work. This Fund (MCAF). Through MCAF, is why population estimation is we support researchers, not as straightforward as people conservationists, and think it is. grassroots organizations Most excitingly, we had three around the world as they encounters with two mother- work to address the most calf pairs of blue whales. On challenging problems facing the first occasion, we were the oceans. the only boat, so we switched The beauty of the MCAF off our engines and observed. grant is that it can act as an This is how we have our best emergency fund should you encounters, and we were The research team included, from left, Laura Howes, Ramona Stephen, very careful not to scare Asha de Vos, Ariesha Wikramanayake, and Mel Brown (Laura Howes have a financial shortfall to is a naturalist for New England Aquarium Whale Watch) complete an important project. off the pair or hassle them. This is exactly why I applied The calf spy-hopped, head- breached, swam right under cousins, the humpbacks). collect data, and truly try to (this is my second grant) and The pair were calm, and we understand a slightly more why I am grateful this grant our boat, and exhibited some behaviors akin to feeding. were able to record some elusive species in our waters. program exists. While we had interesting data about their hoped to photo-ID Bryde’s This is really exciting for us MCAF Fellow Dr. Asha because adult blue whales are behaviors. On the second de Vos leads the effort to whales and Omura’s whales, and third occasions, however, the latter was more elusive less demonstrative and do not photo-ID whale species show this diversity of behaviors the pairs were surrounded such as Bryde’s, Omura’s, than we had hoped, with no by whale watch boats and we sightings through our (unlike their more showy and pilot whales off the observed significant changes coast of Sri Lanka. month-long field season. in behavior as they were being However, we did have some charged at from all sides. We incredible encounters with also encountered a mother-calf blue whales, Bryde’s whales, pair of Bryde’s whales, who and even a pod of very were, once again, very calm relaxed pilot whales! as we did not try to approach *The MCAF Fellows program and the During our time on the water, or interact with them. During printing of this newsletter are supported we were able to kick-start the our time on the water, we in part by the Institute of Museum pilot whale photo ID database got some good photographs and Library Services, grant number MA-10-15-0258-15. The contents of this for Sri Lanka, with great of Bryde’s whales that will publication do not necessarily represent photos of 12 of the individuals provide another great and those of the Institute of Museum and we encountered. We were A pilot whale spy-hops.. rare opportunity to observe, Library Services. unable to photograph the entire pod or did not get photo-ID quality photos of all of them. When we first encountered this pod, the whales were in a mixed group with bottlenose dolphins. But shortly after, the two species split, going their separate ways. Our time on the water also gave us good photo-ID opportunities with blue whales, and we were able to add 66 blue whales to our existing blue whale catalog. It is important to note that we do not have Asha de Vos has pioneered the study of North Indian Ocean blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka, dubbing them the “unorthodox” both dorsal sides and tail fluke whales when she discovered that they did not undertake the long migrations common to other blue whales. 3 who found no right whales for months on end during 2017. Right Whales Simultaneously, part of the team is sailing the waters off the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where an increasing number of that Cross right whales has been recorded during recent years. It is good news, but it is clear that the whales are changing Hemispheres their distribution and that is a big challenge for monitoring their health. By MCAF Fellow Florencia Vilches When the weather was not suitable for sailing, we analyzed data at the field station. I was introduced to the Aquarium’s Right whales can be individually custom-made photo-identification software DIGITS and identified thanks to natural was able to explore options for managing our southern patches of roughened skin on right whale database. The bright side of searching for MCAF Fellow Florencia Vilches studies the health of whales in a catalog of 732 individuals, instead of 3,200 their heads called callosities. Patagonian right whales using photo-identification as I am used to, are the better chances of finding a match, Photo-identification is a tool that of individual whales. which is always a great satisfaction. Less happy was allows researchers to know who is realizing that many of the searches are based on scars who within a population of animals Bringing right whales from Valdés from vessel collisions or entanglements. During an intense and and, if done continuously and to the Boston community. The challenge faced by the Right Whale Team is intimidating: exciting week in July, I had the chance to interact with a prevent the extinction of the North Atlantic right whales. periodically, detects changes in the multiplicity of audiences. The Brown Bag Lecture for the After long after-dinner talks, I got to know that no calves population’s health and dynamic. researchers, educators, and communicators of the Aquarium were seen during the last calving season. Not one. Last led an enriching exchange of experiences about the great Just like the New England year, of the 17 whales that were found dead, 13 were known challenge of raising environmental awareness worldwide. individuals. For a moment, I placed myself in their shoes Aquarium curates the North The lecture at the Simons IMAX™ Theatre allowed me to and thought about finding a dead right whale in Valdés and Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena bring the life histories of the whales from Valdés and the realizing it was Antonia, Mochita, or any of “our” whales. threats to their conservation to dozens of attendees from glacialis) photo-identification It was heartbreaking. catalog, the Instituto de the Boston community and more than 3,000 viewers who Conservacion de Ballenas (ICB) streamed the lecture online. An interactive talk took place Lessons learned. The conservation and well being at the East Boston Public Library, where the audience of southern right whales are not severely threatened by from Argentina and Ocean Alliance actively participated with several questions about right vessel strikes and entanglements, but they are threatened (OA) from the United States curate whales. Also, I had the valuable opportunity to interact by other causes, such as kelp gull harassment in Valdés the Patagonian Southern Right with local children and teens, the audience I was very and the decline of the abundance of krill. There is a Whale (Eubalaena australis) catalog, excited about. common denominator in the threats that both species face: poorly managed human activities. In this world that During a meet-and-greet session with Aquarium visitors, which is the cornerstone of ICB/ devours resources in growing leaps and bounds, it is our many children got to know the family tree of the famous OA’s work and is considered duty as global citizens to protect such resources for future Whale 71 from our catalog of identified right whales and an invaluable data source for generations. And that requires more than turning off learned about the five generations of whales we currently unused lights and taps, or throwing trash in the proper bin. conservation and education. know thanks to 48 years of continuous scientific work. It requires community-scale actions. Initiatives proposed Other visitors were amazed by the tiny size of the cyamids, Since 1971 we have identified and executed in the neighborhood where you live, the invertebrates that cover the callosities on right whales. more than 3,200 southern right school where you study, or the office where you work whales. Unlike right whales from I met the teens of the Aquarium’s youth programs during a are the ones that will inspire others and create the social fun pizza night, just before inviting them to be right whale pressure necessary for resources to be used with as little the Northern Hemisphere, most photo-IDers for a day and build the trees of some of the impact as possible and be available for this and many more southern populations are now on whale families in our catalog. My mission was to inspire generations. It is necessary for the whales in the north not to the increase. Today, right whales them as future conservationists, but there were these young become extinct before ours eyes and the whales in the south are the focus of many whale persons, still in high school and investing their summer days to continue being crowds in our Patagonian coasts. in empowering themselves as future ocean stewards, who watching ventures in the Southern Thank you to all the New England Aquarium staff, who inspired me. Hemisphere, where they can be instantly made me feel at home, and especially to the viewed from shore as well as A different field season. Each summer since 1980, MCAF and Right Whale teams for your kindness, generosity, and inspiration. from boats. the New England Aquarium Right Whale Team conducts a field season at the Bay of Fundy to study the North Atlantic In 2016, with support from the right whales. With only about 430 whales remaining, this Marine Conservation Action population is severely threatened, mainly by vessel strikes Fund (MCAF), we initiated a and entanglements in fishing gear. project to incorporate into our The famous house in Lubec, Maine, that works as a field catalog more than 460,000 whale station reminds me of the field seasons I spend in the Patagonian house where Dr. Roger Payne once lived with his photos taken between 2004 and family. The walls are covered with photos and quotes and 2016 by whale watching reflect the decades of history hosted by that house. photographers from Península The Bay of Fundy is a whale party. In addition to right whales, Valdés in Patagonia. As an minke, fin, and humpback whales can be found there. Thus, MCAF Fellow, I was invited when we finally find a blow on the horizon during the first to the New England Aquarium day on the boat, we try to contain our excitement, since we to share my experience in the use still need to make sure it is a right whale. So, we come closer and … yes! … there is the unmistakable V-shaped blow. of photo-identification as a tool The 5 a.m. wake-up, terrible for a nonmorning person like for monitoring the health of me, was so worth it. I finally met the cousins of “my whales.” the Patagonian right whale My colleagues immediately tried to identify the individual population and in the collaborative and, with a joy that feels familiar to me, found out it is a known whale. Hours later, we found the second and last right Florencia Vilches and Aquarium right whale scientist work with local photographers. Kelsey Stone photograph a humpback whale off the whale I was going to see during my two weeks on the water. coast of Lubec, Maine. Learn More: bit.ly/SouthernRW Although that was a low number for me, as I am used to the bit.ly/TwoRightWhales crowds of whales of Valdés, it is good news for my colleagues, 350/5-19/Alpha 4