Before joining Song of the Whale, I had heard about this amazing research vessel during a marine mammal class in Istanbul University when I was a student of Faculty of Fisheries. I listened to many great stories about SOTW from some of my teachers who have been on board and have never forgotten this boat until I got an opportunity to be on SOTW this summer.
I joined SOTW for the Northern Aegean survey to find a porpoise population in this area, the first survey on this subject. After this gorgeous survey I returned home to Turkey with very good memories and a really strong wish to return to SOTW. Then 2 weeks later one of my teachers, who was on the boat, called and asked me to return for 15 days more for another survey in the Southern Aegean and Mediterranean Seas for Sperm Whales. I did not even think for a second to response. Now I am on the boat again.
We completed the southern Aegean research cruise surveying from Rhodes to Athens including working in Sigacik Bay, Turkey, where we detected and tracked Sperm Whale clicks. We tracked them for around 2 hours, but they were so shy, and the sea state was poor so unfortunately we were not able to see them.
We are in Eastern Mediterranean Sea at the moment, heading to Cyprus along a series of transect lines and while I am typing this diary I have heard that we are recording Sperm Whale clicks. I have a very strong belief that we are going to see them today – fingers crossed.
Since I returned to the boat, the weather conditions have been very mixed. At times, we have had very strong winds with giant waves and spray and quite cold temperatures for the Mediterranean and sometimes no wind and very high temperatures. Observations have continued in these exhausting conditions. But the SOTW team is still full of energy, excited to find the whales and waiting for right moment with all their patience.
Ege
Macit Ege Ercan graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Fisheries in June 2012 and is carrying out his Marine Mammals master program in Marine Biology Department of Istanbul University. He is also volunteer of Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV).
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