{"id":104621,"date":"2019-10-13T01:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-10-13T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=104621"},"modified":"2020-08-07T13:42:17","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T23:42:17","slug":"whale-bubble-net-feeding-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/10\/13\/whale-bubble-net-feeding-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Whale bubble-net feeding documented by <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> researchers through groundbreaking video"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_21864\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JNhldKgPRg0?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Whale bubble-net feeding documented by Â鶹´«Ã½researchers through groundbreaking video\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>(<span class=\"small-text\">Permit Number: <abbr>NOAA<\/abbr> #19703<\/span>)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the most unique things you will see in the wild. A humpback whale swimming in a circular pattern while blowing bubbles to create a &ldquo;net&rdquo; to encircle its prey. It\u2019s a regular occurrence in the cold blue-green waters of Southeast Alaska, and University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa researchers and their collaborators have captured it on video from an amazing whale\u2019s-point-of-view along with aerial video. The team used cameras and sensors attached to the whales with suction cups, coupled with drones to capture the video and important data for a project investigating causes of a possible decline in the humpback whale numbers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The footage is rather groundbreaking,&rdquo;  said <strong>Lars Bejder<\/strong>, director of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmrphawaii.org\/\">Marine Mammal Research Program<\/a> (<abbr>MMRP<\/abbr>). &ldquo;We\u2019re observing how these animals are manipulating their prey and preparing the prey for capture. It is allowing us to gain new insights that we really haven\u2019t been able to do before.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div id=\"wrap-video-right\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_77286\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ci2bqfbfs5E?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Stunning drone videos of humpback and gray whales aid new Â鶹´«Ã½marine mammal research\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\">NOAA<\/abbr> permit 19703<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bejder, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <abbr title=\"Doctor of Philosophy\">PhD<\/abbr> student <strong>Martin van Aswegen<\/strong> and key collaborator Andy Szabo, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskawhalefoundation.org\/\">Alaska Whale Foundation<\/a> director, recently observed and recorded the humpback whale bubble-net behaviors that they hope will shed light on shifts in habitat use and changes in food availability linked to prey depletion and climate change.<\/p>\n<p>The team worked with <abbr>PhD<\/abbr> student Will Gough and other members of Stanford University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/goldbogen.stanford.edu\/\">Goldbogen Lab<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/btbel.pbsci.ucsc.edu\/research\/\">Bio-telemetry and Behavioral Ecology Lab<\/a> at the University of California, Santa Cruz, using suction-cup tags fitted with cameras and accelerometers to gain an understanding of how humpback whales in Alaska feed and how some whales use bubbles to optimize their consumption of krill by producing bubble-nets.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Related <em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/01\/31\/rare-video-of-newborn-humpback-whale\/\">Rare video of newborn humpback whale from <abbr>UH<\/abbr> marine mammal research<\/a>, January 31, 2019<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/11\/04\/marine-mammal-research-program\/\">Stunning drone videos of humpback and gray whales aid new <abbr>UH<\/abbr> marine mammal research<\/a>, November 4, 2018<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The video and accelerometer data coupled with the drone data, are providing insights into the fine-scale details of how the whales carry out this behavior and how often they must do this to gain enough energy and weight before they migrate back down to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> to breed and mate.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have two angles. The drone\u2019s perspective is showing us these bubble nets and how the bubbles are starting to come to the surface and how the animals come up through the bubble net as they surface, while the cameras on the whales are showing us the animal\u2019s perspective,&rdquo; said Bejder &ldquo;So overlaying these two data sets is quite exciting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_104668\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-104668\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/manoa-mmrp-whale-bubbles-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Whale blowing bubbles underwater\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-104668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/manoa-mmrp-whale-bubbles-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/manoa-mmrp-whale-bubbles-2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/manoa-mmrp-whale-bubbles-2-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/manoa-mmrp-whale-bubbles-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-104668\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Permit Number: <abbr>NOAA<\/abbr>  #19703<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He says about 3,000 humpback whales visit Alaska during the summer feeding period, and up to 10,000 are in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> for the winter breeding period. When the whales leave their foraging grounds and migrate 3,000 miles, they stop eating until their return several months later. Females in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> are using large amounts of energy when they give birth, lactate and raise their offspring before migrating back to their foraging grounds.<\/p>\n<p>Other <abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> collaborators include the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacificwhale.org\/pacific-whale-foundation\/\">Pacific Whale Foundation<\/a>, <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute for Marine Biology Researcher <strong>Kristi West<\/strong> and <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo Professor <strong>Adam Pack<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Keep up to date through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmrphawaii.org\/\"><abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> website<\/a> and social media platforms (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mmrp_uh\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mmrp_uh\/\">Instagram<\/a>: <abbr>MMRP_UH<\/abbr>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MMRPUH\/\">Facebook: <abbr>MMRPUH<\/abbr><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCT_REhcxnDdOQVmKOC96BVQ\">Youtube: <abbr>MMRP<\/abbr> <abbr>UH<\/abbr><\/a>) to build awareness. To help achieve its mission, the program is also accepting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mmrphawaii.org\/donate\">donations to fund research initiatives and student scholarships<\/a>. All donations are tax-exempt.<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;By Kelli Trifonovitch<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_94966\"  width=\"620\" height=\"465\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"465\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LeeCqGHFYM4?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Rare video of newborn humpback whale from Â鶹´«Ã½marine mammal research\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The video footage collected helps researchers better track humpback whale behavior, habitat use and changes in food due to climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,12],"tags":[1363,936,14,9,56],"class_list":["post-104621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-video","tag-manoa-research","tag-marine-mammal-research-program","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104621"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124602,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104621\/revisions\/124602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}