Monterey Bay Whale Watch Map of Marine Mammal
Sightings in the Monterey Bay Region
March 1 - March 31, 2000
compiled by Richard Ternullo
Note: Gray Whales are not plotted on the chart. Numerous California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, and Southern Sea Otters are seen on all trips, and also are not plotted.
March usually brings the transition to the Upwelling Season as spring winds increase in intensity and deep, cold, nutrient-rich waters are transported to the surface and exposed to the added insolation due to increased day length. This, in turn, will provide the nutrients phytoplankton will need to produce the standing crop of forage for the resulting cascade of zooplankton, and its most notable intermediary, krill.
Gray Whales will remain the most numerous large cetacean until about the second week of April. Look for mother/calf pairs of Gray Whales from lookouts along Hwy 1, particularly Hurricane Pt. and Pt. Lobos. Humpback Whales will then arrive in numbers and become the most frequently sighted whale by the end of the month.
All dolphin species may decline (with the exception of Killer Whales) as they disperse into smaller groups in a more forage-rich environment.
The sightings plotted above were compiled by Richard Ternullo for the period 3/1/00 to 3/31/00.
Sightings reported by J. Aliotti, N. Lemon, T Lorenze, Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Pacific Cetacean Group, R/V John Martin, National Geographic, J. Wetle, J. Williamson, W Williamson.
