IncidentNews Home  >>  Incident  >>  Entry

Press Release -- Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Following is the press release issued by the Joint Information Center on Wednesday, May 
30, 2007:

*****************************************************

After 3-week Inland Journey Wandering Whales Return to the Sea

After almost three weeks meandering through the Sacramento River Delta, the wayward 
mother humpback whale and her calf that have been the subject of intense concern and a 
dedicated rescue effort, have apparently passed safely under the Golden Gate Bridge and 
back out to the Pacific Ocean. 

"A number of firsts were made during this operation," said Dr. Frances Gulland, Director 
of Veterinary Science at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, who was the lead 
veterinarian for the rescue team.  "This was the first time antibiotics have been 
administered to free swimming whales in the wild, and was made possible by generous 
donations from Pfizer, Bayer and Grandpa's Compounding Pharmacy, and the development of 
a new custom made remote delivery device by PAXARMS to successfully administer the 
medicine.  The antibiotics will help the animals fight infections and enhance their 
recovery from the wounds they sustained from a vessel collision."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries 
Service, The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California 
Department of Fish and Game (DFG), and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES) 
established a unified command to monitor and assist the whales, coordinate rescue 
operations, and ensure their safety and of the public and rescue team members.

"We are extremely grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support that we received 
from our partners and the local communities from San Francisco to Sacramento who helped 
these whales," said Dr. Teri Rowles, Director of NOAA's Marine Mammal Health and 
Stranding Response Program.  "A number of veterinarians and marine mammal biologist were 
on scene to provide their expertise and assistance, and we consulted with numerous 
experts around the world on this case.  The strong partnerships between the federal, 
state and local authorities and non-profit organizations allowed us to not only assist 
these whales, but to also collect scientific information that will help support the 
conservation and recovery of marine mammals in California and elsewhere."    

Rescue operations included utilizing DFG, Solano County Sheriff's Department, NOAA's 
Southwest Regional Office, and USCG boats to maintain a 500-yard perimeter around the 
whales to minimize disturbance of the whales and potential collisions with the whales.  
In addition, a 1,000-foot temporary flight restriction was established to further 
prevent disturbance of the whales.  Ferry, tug, and other vessel operators were provided 
up-to-date information on the whales' position throughout this event so that operators 
could travel safely through areas.
 

Timeline

May 13 -- Whales were first observed near Benicia.

May 14 - Whales were spotted further inland in the Sacramento River Delta near Rio 
Vista. 

May 15 -- 19 -- Whales made their way up the shipping channel to the Port of Sacramento 
turning basin and circled in the area for several days. Scientists made efforts to lure 
the whales out toward the Pacific Ocean using underwater broadcasts of humpback whale 
feeding and socialization sounds.

May 20 - Starting at 2:30 p.m. and extending for more than 6 hours, the whales traveled 
approximately 25 miles down the Sacramento Channel to the Rio Vista area.  The whales 
started their trek down the river after two tugs moved down the channel to assist a 
commercial vessel.  

May 21 - 26 - The whales remained north of the Rio Vista Bridge for 5 days.  Efforts 
were made to herd the whales using pipe-banging (Oikami) and other sounds.  Scientists 
took a skin sample of the female whale.  Because the animals were in fresh water for a 
long time, biologists became increasingly concerned about the health of the whales 
especially after observing deterioration of their skin condition and wounds.  For these 
reasons, on Saturday, May 26, the animal care team administered antibiotics to both the 
mother whale and her calf.  This was the first time antibiotics were administered to 
free-swimming large whales in the wild. 

May 27 - One week after the initial movement south, the whales passed under the Rio 
Vista bridge around 1:30 pm and traveled approximately 25 miles toward the ocean, 
stopping upstream of the Benicia Bridge. 

May 28 - 29 - During the 28th the whales lingered at the Benicia Bridge, and the 
scientists on the team collected skin swabs from both whales and noted that the whales' 
skin condition and wounds were improving.  During the night the whales passed under the 
Benicia Bridge and traveled down river towards the Carquinez Bridge.  In the afternoon 
of May 29, the whales again moved toward the sea passing under the Richmond/San Rafael 
Bridge. A biopsy was taken from the calf while the animals were in Paradise Cay area on 
Tuesday afternoon. They were last seen the evening of the 29th near Paradise Cove 
continuing to move slowly west along the shoreline.

May 30 - There were no whale sightings during the day. Scientists believe the whales 
silently crossed under the Golden Gate Bridge and returned to the Pacific Ocean under 
the cover of night.