Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/78062
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CAREY/GETTY IMAGES SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY water world THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM CREATES WAVES HERE AND ACROSS THE GLOBE WITH A RENOVATION OF ITS MAIN TANK AND BREAK- THROUGH RESEARCH. BY JESSICA LANIEWSKI D awn comes earlier than normal for the New England Aquarium's team studying North Atlantic right whales off the coast of Maine. The group of 10 researchers (eight women and two men) board the Nereid (named after an ancient Greek sea nymph) at sunrise to watch the water and hope the surface is broken by a right whale. Two team members stand watch at the bow for the endangered whales, including mother-calf pairs. The researchers rotate positions (standing watch, data entry, steering) every hour throughout the day. Come September, the aquarium's team, led by senior scientist Moira "Moe" Brown, heads to the Bay of Fundy, where the marine mammals feed on high densities of plankton. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered large whale species in the world. Greatly affected by the distribution of their prey, only about 350 North Atlantic right whales were left in the world in 2000 due to the last few centuries of whaling. Thanks to the work of the aquarium, their collaborators, and increased reproduction by right whales, that number has jumped to 450 whales. During their two-month stay, the research team will typically see between 50 and 200 of them in the Bay of Fundy. Though findings are not yet conclusive, there seem to be ties between overall ocean health and the whales, and the team is hard at work on finding out more. This research happens as the aquarium breaks ground on a new $15 million renovation of their Giant Ocean Tank. The renovation is part of a five-year, $42 million Mission Blue Campaign, which began in 2007 to improve the aquarium's exhibits, educational programs, and its research and holding areas. The renovated tank will be expanded to hold 200,000 gallons of salt water, a Caribbean coral reef, and approximately 850 animals of 200 different species, including large sharks and giant sea turtles. The aquarium will remain open during the construction, and the tank is expected to reopen to visitors late next June. continued on page 68 66 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM