Government support for these whale protection programs and other conservation efforts are due to the interest and support of students and teachers like all of you, as well as other interested segments of the nation's citizenry. This is Anne Smrcina, education coordinator of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary , signing off for this year's Journey North program. Looking at weather maps can teach us many things about the world around us. Whale watching in late-April was difficult in the Cape Cod area due to rough seas and stormy weather. Looking at the weather maps we provided for April 19 and 23 we see there was a large low pressure system just off shore at that time.
Pressure systems cause the winds that make the sea rough.
In general air moves from high pressure to low pressure. Strong winds resulted from the low pressure centers off the coast making it difficult for the research vessels out at sea. But to date, there have been no confirmed sightings of any mother-calf pairs. Scientists believe that the mother-calf pairs will stay in the calving grounds as late as possible to give the calves the best chance of gaining strength before making the long commute north. The adult females who are not pregnant go to the breeding grounds searching for a mate.