Amelia Island Whale Ambassadors gathered at Story and Song Bookstore and Bistro on September 7, 2024 to celebrate Fernandina’s upcoming Bicentennial. A historical presentation about right whales in our area dating back 200 years was a reason to gather together to celebrate our city’s history and the history of the North Atlantic right whale.
When you think of the history of whaling, you might think of the Northeast, where New Bedford was a central hub for the whaling industry. The New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts is home to a wealth of knowledge about the history of whaling. But did you know that there was whaling activity right here, off Fernandina Beach? Did you know we still have whales in our area?
Barb Zoodsma, who retired from NOAA after being their Southeast Right Whale Recovery Coordinator for over 20 years gave a captivating presentation taking us through the history of whaling, the species decline, and how the efforts in place to help them recover evolved into what they are today.
Whaling near Fernandina?
Barb brought us back in time, as she talked about the culture of whaling… what the whales were used for, how the people viewed the whales (what did people know about these giant creatures without cute TikToks showing gentle whales near people on their kayaks?), the process of going out to hunt a whale, and what life was like aboard those ships. The extensive research Barb has done to find such amazing descriptions of the crew and ships really gave an insight as to what life was like in the early days of whaling!
Ships from New Bedford traveled all over the world, and they were very good at what they did. They also kept very careful logs of where they were, what they saw, and which whales were killed. With an actual image of a ship’s log, Barb pointed out the details to show us that they had logged the location off of Fernandina, and they were successful in killing a right whale.
Events in this area
One notable event that occurred around this part of the country was the Charleston Whale, a whale killed when it swam into the Charleston harbor. The circumstances in which it was killed were tragic, but from tragedy did come a learning opportunity. The curator of the Charleston Museum was able to acquire the skeleton of the whale, and you can still see it there on display today!
The last right whale intentionally killed happened in 1935 off Pompano Beach. The migration pattern for the North Atlantic right whale to travel to the waters off of Florida to have their young had not been rediscovered yet. The story about how the larger (mother) whale seemed to be rallying the smaller (calf) whale to fight against the attackers was both inspiring and heartbreaking to hear.
A right whale had washed ashore right here on Amelia Island. Using local resources (logging equipment!), the whale was transported off the beach and to the Fort Clinch area.
These were just a few of the many captivating stories from the presentation.
Rediscovering the calving grounds
The carefully kept logs of the whaling ships from the 1700’s showed in great detail what types of whales were spotted and where. Those crews likely had a good idea of where they’d be able to find whales and when. However, it wasn’t until the 1980’s that researchers were able to confirm the identity of the same North Atlantic right whale in the waters in the northeast and also off the coast of Georgia, establishing that the whales were traveling south to have their calves every year.
Taking action to help this endangered species
Barb told some fascinating stories about the efforts of NOAA and other agencies working together to try to help the North Atlantic right whale during times of entanglement and also injury. With videos showing efforts that are incredibly dangerous to attempt, the crowd was given an insider look at the efforts you might not otherwise get a chance to see.
How can you help?
Choosing seafood that is less likely to cause harm to the North Atlantic right whale and reducing the speed of vessels that are in areas where right whales are known to be present are a couple of efforts that can make a difference in this species’ recovery. To see more about how you can help, please click here.
200 year history
As a part of the historical presentation, a timeline showing the last 200 years of the North Atlantic right whale’s history was on display. A big thank you to everyone who worked on the timeline! It turned out beautifully! You can see it again on display in more places soon!
Our Amazing Volunteers
A huge thank you to our volunteers who make events like this such a success! Prepping before the event, setting up, cleaning up, greeting guests, making sure equipment works, speaking, and oh so many other things… it takes a village to come together to work towards change and we are so grateful for all of you!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our event! We had to keep adding in more chairs as more people showed up! It was standing room only by the time the presentation started. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! A huge thank you to Story and Song Bookstore and Bistro for providing an amazing space for us to gather, and for setting up a lovely wine bar for the event!