EWS Update #12
03/18/97 - 03/31/97

It seems appropriate that we are wrapping up our final day of the season with 
winds of over 20 knots.  I know March is the windy month, but ....

The last week and a half of surveys have not resulted in any additional 
sightings.  The count of calves for the 1996/1997 season remains at seventeen.
Our last sighting, on 03/18, was the mother and calf pair that was tracked 
from off of Amelia Island down to Daytona and back to north of Brunswick.  She 
apparently decided to take one last look at the Florida coast before heading
north.  We know that at least two, maybe three, of our moms with their calves 
from this winter season have already made a successful journey up the eastern 
seaboard.  Marilyn Marx, from the Center for Coastal Studies, has reported 
seeing them in Cape Cod Bay.

Thanks to our great pilots, a superb crew of observers and some good fortune,
we've had a very successful survey season.  It takes a great deal of 
dedication and flexibility to create the cohesive group that is necessary
for these surveys.  We would like to thank all of the observers throughout 
the season, Liz Pomfret, Rebecca Clarke, Laura Morse, Jennifer Beaudin, 
Carolyn Miller, Jennifer Gatzke, and Peter Duley for a never ending dedication 
to a job well done.  Without them Chris and I would have an impossible task.

The Early Warning System of communication that evolved this year reached an
exciting new level.  The incredible efforts from the folks at FACSFACJAX, 
FL-DEP, GA-DNR, NAVTEX and the harbor pilots teamed up with all the aerial 
surveys, resulted in more sighting information received and dispersed than 
ever before.  Sightings came from not only the aerial survey teams, but from 
the navy and coast guard fleets as well as commercial fishing vessels, 
recreational boaters, beach walkers, people sitting on condo porches, and 
private aircraft.  The conservation effort here in the calving grounds has 
never been so extensive.  I hope this effort will continue until we have a 
system that will eliminate human impacts to the rarest whale in the world.  
Many, many thanks to all of you for your help and concern throughout this 
season.

Until next year,			Lisa Conger
					Chris Slav