This was a very interesting whalewatch season, especially notable because of unusually abundant dolphin sightings leading us to call this "the year of the dolphin", as well as low gray whale calf sightings (for two consecutive seasons). For clarification, let's look at the results of the 1999/2000 Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project. This is the 20th year (17th consecutive season) that the American Cetacean Society's Los Angeles Chapter has sponsored a gray whale census project from the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Data on gray whales and other cetaceans (identifications, counts, and behaviors) is collected by trained volunteers.
Most years we have been at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center patio
(located on a cliff elevation of ~125 feet that drops off abruptly nearshore), a site which is temporarily closed due to new construction and expansion. This led us to move approximately 0.7 mile SE, back to our original Long Point site (formerly Marineland of the Pacific), courtesy of current owners York Long Point Associates.
The census station operated for 1985.5 hours during the 167 days between
1 December 1999 and 15 May 2000 (averaging 12 hours/day). 83 volunteers contributed 8966.5 effort hours.

Anchors donating over half of our effort hours (and their numbers of volunteered days): Joan Venette (164), Jud Goodspeed (119), Libby Helms (116), Stephanie Bryan (98), Joyce Daniels (94), Clyde Lambert (85), Bob Daniels (74), Jean DeGraff (71), and Rose Hess (66). Forty-four volunteers donated over 40 hours each; thirteen of these donated over 200 hours each.

The official project binoculars are Fujinon 7x50 with built-in reticle and
compass. All participants use binoculars, and several use spotting scopes to confirm and detail sightings.
Weather data, including visibility and sea conditions, is recorded at least
hourly.
Census observers spotted 500 southbound and 1040 northbound gray whales,
compared to 682 southbound and 1383 northbound gray whales last season. Over 16 previous seasons, the southbound count has varied from 301-1291; 13 seasons had higher counts, while 3 had lower ones. The northbound counts ranged from 792-3412; 10 seasons had higher counts, while 6 had lower ones.

Southbound counts steadily decreased from peaks in 1986-87 to lows in 1990-91, generally increased after that, then dropped the past two seasons.

Northbound counts steadily decreased from 1984 to 1991-92, fluctuated in the lower range, were substantially higher for two seasons, then also dropped the past two seasons.
Although most of the world's estimated 26,000 gray whales migrate past California, census personnel spot only a small proportion. Gray whales off Palos Verdes generally travel further offshore, especially southbound, so we count more northbound than southbound grays each year. Migratory corridor shifts and variable weather result in substantially increased or decreased shore-based counts; therefore, our data should not be interpreted as indicating a sudden gray whale population increase or decline.
Our official turnaround date (daily northbound whales exceeding southbound whales) was 14 February, with 43 northbound whales spotted during the "southbound" and 54 southbound whales spotted during the "northbound" migration periods. We saw an even more prolonged "gap period" than last season, with generally few gray whales passing our station in either direction from 4 February – 23 February. During some seasons these migrations overlap. We counted just 22 gray whales on our peak
southbound day (2 February), with previous peak counts ranging from 15-98. The peak northbound count was 55 gray whales (6 March), with previous peak counts ranging from 31-152. We spotted 94 gray whales during our peak southbound week (about
16 January-22 January); last season's southbound peak week included 148 gray
whales.

The peak northbound week included 249 gray whales (6 March-12 March); last season we tallied 278 gray whales during our northbound peak week.
Since gray whales were taken off the endangered species list in 1994, calf counts have attracted more attention: they can help indicate if the population is increasing,
decreasing, or stabilizing. Both southbound and northbound calf counts have fallen the last two seasons. This season we spotted 18 southbound newborn gray whales (3.6% of southbound migrants) from 5 January-2 February, with no more than 4 calves/day (on the two peak days, 16 and 17 January). Both this and last season (15
calves, 2.2% of southbound whales) contrast sharply with the previous season (a record 106 southbound calves, 8.6% of southbound migrants), which far surpassed the record count from the season before that (44 calves, 4.2% of southbound migrants).
Previous season calf counts had ranged from 3-43 (0.5%-5.9% of southbound migrants).

Experienced observers are critical for spotting southbound calves, because cows often adopt a low profile (little visible blow, rare fluking), and 12-16 foot newborn calves show even less. This season we counted just 19 northbound calves (1.8%
of northbound migrants) from 4 April-9 May, with no day bringing more than 2
calves , except for 24 April (3). (We could not confirm 1 additional sighting of a possible northbound calf). The northbound calf migration did not peak: there were never more than four consecutive calf days. Both this season and last season (34 calves, 2.5% of northbound migrants) are substantially lower than the previous two
seasons (174 northbound calves, 10.4% of northbound migrants; a record 222 calves, 13.8% of northbound migrants). Before that the northbound calf counts ranged from 11-196 (0.9%-11.6% of northbound migrants). Only during two other seasons has the
northbound calf percentage been lower than the southbound (about 10 years ago).

Although annual calf counts vary markedly, the last two seasons have clearly been on the low side. What could account for our greatly decreased calf counts, especially
noticeable after a few years of record high counts? Reduced calf production could be due to many female gray whales experiencing an "off" year in their reproductive cycles, gray whales nearing the environmental carrying capacity, or El Niņo reducing food availability.

The answer may be due to a combination of all of these,
although experts are especially intrigued with the El Niņo connection. Two seasons ago an extended El Niņo warmed our local waters considerably, while La Niņa cooled the waters both last year and this year. Shifts in water temperature, currents, and nutrient availability have dramatically affected the distribution and abundance of
many animals, including gray whale prey (shrimp-like mud-dwelling amphipods), from Alaska to Mexico. Familiar species are often reduced in number, while other species have flourished.

Like last season, near record numbers of gray whales stranded between
Washington and Mexico; interestingly, nearly all of these strandings have involved adults and juveniles, unlike the previous season's large numbers of stranded newborns. The probable drop in available prey for gray whales on their feeding grounds may have resulted in fewer successful pregnancies, and may explain the scattered reports of
noticeably underweight gray whales.

If they had indeed left their feeding grounds last summer with reduced blubber supplies, it would help explain the numerous accounts of individual gray whales pausing in their northward migration to spend up to several weeks bottom-feeding in the mud of areas such as the Los Angeles, Long Beach, and San Francisco Bay Harbors, or surprising whalewatchers by "playing right whale" and uncharacteristically skimming the water's surface (accompanied by lunging blue whales) for krill in the Northern Channel Islands and in Monterey Bay (these two areas had huge krill blooms in April and May both seasons).
Migrating gray whales highlighted our days with behaviors including
breaching, spyhopping, rolling, courtship and nursing. Our site continues to be an important one for resting and socializing, evidenced by whales milling
extensively on more than 35 days. We saw many pods join together and a few
split into smaller groups.

Although we observed considerably fewer cases of harassment this season compared to last, gray whales appeared to alter their travel direction due to both commercial (once) and private (1-2 times) whalewatching boats.

While watching for gray whales, we saw other marine mammals enter our area. Comparing this season (to last season), common dolphin were observed on 123 days (125), Pacific bottlenose dolphin on 111 days (62), Risso's dolphin on 61 days (26),
Pacific white-sided dolphin on 27 days (34), minke whales on 1-3 days (10-14), humpback whales on 2-3 days (3-5), 2 unidentified male killer whales on 9 December (1-2), fin whales on 2 days (2), and Dall's porpoise on 1-3 days (2-3). We also had five days of blue and/or fin whales, and two possible sightings of northern right whale
dolphin.

We saw dolphins traveling in mixed groups at least 30 times, most often involving Pacific bottlenose dolphin and Risso's dolphin. California sea lions were commonly observed. Although we did not record harbor seals last season, this season we saw at least two, with one individual (nicknamed "Haul-out") noted on many occasions.
Observers were delighted to spot an ocean sunfish on three days in April and
May.

In other seasons, sightings have included sperm whale, false killer whale, pilot whale, northern elephant seal, and sea otter.
The big news this season concerns the numerous sightings and record numbers of Pacific bottlenose dolphin. Not only did we see them on almost as many days as common dolphin, we observed probably the largest congregations recorded for this area. On both 20 April and 26 April we spotted over 2000 dolphin feeding along several miles of coastline within 1/4-2 mi offshore. All of the identifiable dolphin were bottlenose, although it is possible that small numbers of other species could have been mixed in with them. (Two separate spotters reported aerial sightings during and shortly after this period that confirmed several huge feeding congregations of
Pacific bottlenose dolphin between Dana Point and Point Conception).

Common dolphins were again outstanding in frequency and abundance: they were observed on 30 days just in January; on many days we had concurrent sightings of several pods; many of our sighting days included pods estimated at over 1000 dolphin! This season Pacific white-sided dolphin sightings were slightly decreased, while the more commonly observed Risso's dolphin (exclusively squid predators) started
off high (21 sightings in December) and dramatically tapered off after mid-February. We continue to see an inversely proportional trend in sighting frequency of Pacific white-sided dolphin and Risso's dolphin.

The former started as the 3rd most commonly sighted cetacean in 1984, decreased to 7th in 1988-89, and has fluctuated between 5th and 3rd the past 9 seasons. In contrast, Risso's dolphin started as the 7th most commonly sighted cetacean in 1984, increased to 2nd in 1988-89, and has fluctuated between 3rd and 5th the past 10 seasons.