Local collaborators and data contributors
CCS conducts research annually across the feeding range of humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine, from Nantucket to Nova Scotia. Our work also depends on collaborations with other NGOs and whale watch companies that collect data across local segments of the population. Learn more here about how some of these collaborations began back in the 1970s and the important role that they have played in population research, resource management, conservation and education.
Our research in the Gulf of Maine benefits from data sharing and collaborations with agencies and other NGOs, including:
Allied Whale /North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog
Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network
Bay of Fundy Whale Research and Conservation Society
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation
Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island
Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station
Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Network
NEAq /Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life
New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance
NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Whale and Dolphin Conservation North America
the former Whale Center of New England
We also thank the following Gulf of Maine whale watching companies for taking the initiative to collect and share data with us directly or hosting NGOs onboard for data collection (as noted):
7 Seas Whale Watch
Bar Harbor Whale Watch (with Allied Whale)
Boston Harbor City Cruises
Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises
Cap’n Fish’s Cruises
Cape Ann Whale Watch
Dolphin Fleet
Granite State Whale Watch (with Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation)
Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises
Newburyport Whale Watch
Quoddy Link Marine
Shearwater Excursions (with Whale and Dolphin Conservation NA)
Many members of the public also share their sightings with us. Do you have images of humpback whales from a whale watch off New England or in the Bay of Fundy? Would you like to know who those whales were and where they are now? You will be excited to learn that answers are just a few steps away and that those steps can support research and conservation! We welcome members of the public to share their images with the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalog and the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog through Happywhale. Humpback whale submissions to Happywhale from the Gulf of Maine are matched to our catalog and handled by our staff. Your submissions there will contribute our long-term work, thanks to a partnership with Happywhale. You are also still welcome to share data with us directly using this link.
Finally, we are grateful to Aquatic Adventures for the many ways that they support humpback whale research through their excursions on the breeding ground.