There has been only one confirmed sighting of a right whale in the Gulf of Alaska since 1980, so discovering them is not only surprising, it is fairly significant. We picked up the sounds of one whale off Kodiak Island, and several others in deep water, which is also something of a surprise, since most right whale sightings have been near-shore.

David K. Mellinger

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We'll look at water temperature, salinity and even chlorophyll growth. Ultimately, what we hope is to be able to identify a certain water mass and know that it will lead to chlorophyll growth and an abundance of plankton, and that the whales will soon appear.

— David K. Mellinger

GrowthHopeWater

There are a handful of records of people spotting sperm whales in the region -- and they're all in the summer. Likewise, all of the historic whaling records are from the summer. The Gulf of Alaska is not a place you want to be in the winter. But apparently, sperm whales don't mind.

— David K. Mellinger

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It was a great game, right to the end, ... She's unbelievable.

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— David Bohrman