NOAA scientists taught the students how to identify up to 10 different whale behaviors, along with the individual markings on a whale's fluke. When a student would see an adult whale perform a pec flap (when the whale flaps a fin on the water), he or she would press a "P" button on the device. That data was then sent wirelessly to a central computer.
All of the data collected that day went to help NOAA's program to track the health and population of humpbacks, and will be included in its 2007 Whale Survey. Their field trip will be also the subject of an upcoming documentary on Animal Planet hosted by Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau, the grandchildren of ecologist Jacques Cousteau.
Pictured here is Maria Watai (front) and Llian Lelenoa.
Photo by Robyn Peck
