War of the Whales: A True Story
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deep sound channel of, 47–49, 51, 52–53, 139, 285
evidence gathered in, 11–12, 24–25, 29–32, 56–57, 64–65, 98, 115, 183, 190, 220, 231, 256, 270, 290
flight over, 25
investigation meetings, 261–64
media stories on whale beachings, 130–31, 132–33, 149–51, 152, 222, 283–85
moving whale heads to Boston from, 184–88, 284
Navy exercises in, 115–16, 130–31, 138, 140, 141, 152, 230–31, 244, 285
separation from mainland, 26
tourist activities in, 3–4, 21, 22
whales beached in (2000), 3–13, 15, 18–19, 20, 22–23, 73, 100–101, 111–12, 130–31, 136, 151, 152, 153, 182–83, 220, 222, 230–31, 245, 252, 283, 285–90, 298
Bahamas Journal of Science, 270, 364
Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation, 313
Bahamas Marine Mammal Survey, 63–64, 187, 262, 284
Bahamian Ministry of Fisheries, 189
Bahrain, dolphins clearing mines in, 242
Baird’s beaked whales, 63, 101
(Berardius bairdii), 170
studies of, 16, 29–32, 40, 60
Balcomb, Anne (first wife), 38–39, 41
Balcomb, Barbara (mother), 35–36
Balcomb, “Blue” (father), 34–35, 37–38, 290–92
Balcomb, Camille (third wife), 59–60, 193, 211, 217–19
Balcomb, Julie Byrd (second wife), 43, 55
Balcomb, Kelley (son), 39, 41, 219
Balcomb, Ken:
beaked whale research of, 6, 7–8, 30–31, 63–64, 77, 123, 187, 262, 289
bird-banding assignment of, 42
cancer diagnosis of, 313, 352, 353
and chain-of-custody forms, 129, 185, 188, 192, 231
childhood and teen years of, 34–38
desire to be included in ongoing investigation, 129, 261, 264
and Diane, see Claridge, Diane
and Earthwatch, 3–5, 130
evidence gathered by, 11–12, 19, 24–25, 29–32, 56–57, 98, 131, 183, 189–90, 220, 222, 229, 231, 244–46, 256, 257, 261, 262, 268, 289–90, 310, 353–54
and Gentry, 133–34, 192, 247, 256–57, 263–64
and Gisiner, 14, 15–16, 18–19, 57–58, 77, 133, 192, 256–57
and his father, 34–35, 37–38, 290–92
and initial reports of strandings, 5–6, 18, 130–31
and interim report, 272–73, 290
and Ketten, 100–101, 103–4, 107, 126–27, 129, 134, 274
and lawsuit against Navy, 289–92, 296–97, 299–300
MARMAM posting by, 66–67, 81, 98, 111
“A Mass Stranding of Cetaceans Caused by Naval Sonar in the Bahamas” (with Claridge), 270
Navy assignments of, 43–44, 45, 48, 50–55, 131–32, 289
and Navy mine-warfare range, 350
and Navy oath of secrecy, 33, 111, 132, 230
Navy undercover work of, 33, 59, 60, 132, 153
orca census of, 4, 16, 60, 210–11, 217–20, 257, 308–12, 347
and Orca Network, 347
photographing whales, 41, 217–19, 229, 262
and press conference, 56, 222, 228–31, 246–50, 256–57, 274
reputation of, 257, 273–74
rescue attempts by, 6–13, 289–90
and Reynolds, 352–55
search for stranded whales, 25, 28–29, 280
and 60 Minutes, 229, 231, 244–46, 270
and Supreme Court case, 347
tagging whales, 40–41
and UC Santa Cruz, 15–16, 133, 202, 240, 257
and whale necropsies, 126–27, 129, 256
baleen whales:
communication of, 164, 178
ear bones of, 103
evolution of, 26
killed by whalers, 375n1
migration of, xi, 69, 178
noise pollution threat to, 367n10
Barnum, P. T., 214
Bat Bomb Project, 200
Bater, Alan:
as captive-dolphin doctor, 108
and Cuvier’s head storage, 107–9
and mass strandings, 21, 22, 101
Bateson, Gregory, 207
bats:
echolocation of, 27, 46, 199–200, 201, 224
evolution of, 27
in military experiments, 200, 376n3
navigation by, 199
Spallanzani’s bat problem, 199
Baucom, Larry, 75, 77, 130–31
beaked whales:
brains of, 31
communications of, 31
diving depths of, xi, 27–28, 293, 312
evolution of, 30, 31, 103
excluded from Navy studies, 296, 300
of Great Bahama Canyon, 4, 6, 26, 27, 31, 135, 220, 274
hearing of, 103–4, 353
MARMAM postings about, 67, 253
necropsies of, 126–29, 274, 293
photo-identification survey of, 4, 7–8, 223, 229
populations of, 6n, 350
reproductive health of, 350, 383n1
rescues of, 6–13
rostrum of, 31, 32
scarring patterns of, 7
skulls of, 31, 274
sonar sensitivity of, 142, 162, 262, 299, 314, 350, 372n13
squid as food source of, 27
stranded in Bahamas (2000), see Bahamas
stranded on Corfu (2011), 351
strandings in Canary Islands (1985–89), 71, 72, 293; (2002), 293–94, 298, 299, 301; (2004), 308, 314
strandings in Greece (1996), 18, 71–72, 77, 111, 142, 147, 178, 253, 296
strandings in Gulf of Alaska (2004), 308
strandings in Madeira (2000), 254, 256
as toothed whales, 27
and war games, 278–80
see also individual species
Beatles, 225
Bell Laboratories, 49, 51
beluga whales:
(Delphinapterus leucas), 197, 281
Navy collection of, 242
wild capture of, 214
“bends, the” (decompression sickness), 28, 364n4
Bernard, Chuck, 248
Bernard, Mitch, 342, 343
Bernstein, Carl, 83
Bethlehem Steel Corporation, 82
Bigg, Michael, 217, 218–19, 220
bin Laden, Osama, 271
biomimetics, 200
bionics, use of term, 200
biosonar, see echolocation
birds, as “avian vectors of disease,” 364–65n2
blackfish, see pilot whales
Blackfish (documentary film), 352
Black Right Whale (Balaena biscayensis), 3
Blainville’s beaked whales:
anatomy of, 32
CT scan of, 191
decapitation of, 29–32
of Great Bahama Canyon, 4, 6, 101
local sightings of, 62–63
moving the head to Boston, 184–92, 284
necropsy of, 127
rescued at Castaway Cay, 20–21
stranded in Bahamas (2000), 10–12, 18, 28–29, 59, 66, 231, 280
surveys of, 4, 64, 383n1
see also beaked whales
blue whales:
(Balaenoptera musculus), 34
communications of, 54, 164, 363n1
harvesting, 198, 375n1
migration of, 69
Navy threats to, 116, 165, 172
as orca prey, 213
sonar sensitivity of, 176, 178, 296, 372n13, 374n1
Bork, Robert, 86
bottlenose dolphins, 204
bowhead whales:
communication of, 164, 373n15
migration of, 373n15
Boxer, Barbara, 165–66
brain studies, 203–4
brain weight, and intelligence, 204
Brekhovskikh, Leonid, 365n3
Breyer, Stephen, 332, 339–40
Briscoe, Mel, 372n12
British Air Ministry, Pigeon Section, 200
&nb
sp; Brosnan, Pierce, 96, 306
Bryde’s Rorqual (Balaenoptera brydei), 56
Burnette, D. Graham, 376, 378, 388, 397
Bush, George W.:
and Navy exemption from compliance with federal laws, 326, 347
and Supreme Court, 339, 345
and war on terror, 285
Caesar, Julius, 369–70n3
California Coastal Commission, 321–22, 340
California Endangered Species Act, 117
California gnatcatcher, 117
California gray whale:
nursery of, 89–91, 92
populations of, 92
Canada:
commercial seal hunting in, 96
and orca protection, 350
orcas hunted in, 213–14, 218
Canadian Fisheries, orca survey funded by, 218–19
Canary Islands:
four whales stranded in (2004), 308, 314
mass strandings in (1985–89), 71, 72, 293
mass strandings in (2002), 293–94, 298, 299, 301
Cancun, Mexico, porpoise hunt in, 222
Cannon, Berry, 235
canyons, formation of, 26
Capitol Hill, see Congress, US
carbon dioxide, and climate change, 157, 160
Cartlidge, Doug, 379n5
Castaway Cay:
Blainville’s whale rescued at, 20–21
and Disney, 15, 20
Castro, Fidel, 240
CBS Evening News, 228
Center for Law in the Public Interest, 84, 335
Center for Whale Research, 219, 312, 313
cetaceans:
deep-diving, 28
and mass strandings, 270
as orca prey, 213
see also specific cetaceans
Cetacean Society International, 382n2
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, 321
Chapple, Steve, 378
China, as US naval rival in the Pacific, 306
Church Senate Committee hearings, 239–40
CIA:
Congressional hearings on, 239–40
Project Artichoke, 207
and Soviet dolphin research, 235
Claridge, Diane:
article co-authored by, 270
background of, 61
and Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation, 313
and beached dolphin, 20, 21, 22–23
and beached whales, 5, 8–9, 11–13, 24–25, 28–29
and dolphin research, 22
and Earthwatch, 3, 5
end of marriage to, 257–61, 270
marriage of Ken and, 63–64, 110–11, 244
“A Mass Stranding of Cetaceans Caused by Naval Sonar in the Bahamas” (with Balcomb), 270
and media stories, 110, 244, 245, 284
moving the evidence to Boston, 184–92
on Regina Maris, 61–62, 220
and whale surveys, 6, 7–8, 62, 262, 313, 350, 383n1
as witness to whale necropsies, 29, 30, 32, 127, 129
Clark, Chris, 297
and “acoustic smog” (noise pollution) in oceans, 179
and Acoustic Thermometry, 164–65, 175
and LFA sonar, 176, 288, 289, 300, 373n15
and Magellan II, 173–75
and ONR, 175, 312, 373n15
and SOSUS, 173–74, 367n10, 373–74n15
whale communication research of, 164, 363n1
whale migration research of, 367n10, 373–74n15
and Whales ’93, 367n10
and whale tagging, 312–13
Clark, Vern, 137
Clean Air Act, 82, 307
Clean Water Act, 82, 307, 350
climate change:
acoustic modeling of, 160–61
and antisubmarine warfare tactics, 160
and carbon emissions, 157, 160, 371n10
measuring, 158–59, 167
media stories about, 162
Clinton, Bill, 115, 125, 271, 347
Coastal Zone Management Act, 352n
Cold War:
dolphin research in, 235
end of, 114, 125, 144, 147, 153, 160, 164, 242
espionage in, 154
and the Jasons, 156–57
ocean research in, 17, 155–56, 156, 365n3
space race in, 205, 234
submarines in, 17, 46–47, 52, 57, 143, 153–54, 267, 364n5
College of the Atlantic, 61
Columbia University, 49
Commerce Department, US, and White House strategy meeting, 325
Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis), see dolphins
Conference on Biological Sonar and Diving Mammals (1964), 208
Congress, US:
and environmental legislation, 82, 122, 287, 302
letters to, 269
and marine mammal protection, 162, 242, 248, 354
Navy exemptions from laws of, 75, 307, 315, 319–20, 322, 347
and Navy funding, 76, 147, 160, 235
Navy’s political clout in, 74, 307, 315
and Patriot Act, 285
Cook, Captain James, 344
cookie-cutter sharks, 7
Cook Strait, whale survey in, 344
Cooper, Florence-Marie:
and midfrequency sonar case, 316, 318, 319–21, 322, 324, 343
and Supreme Court, 327, 338, 342
White House exemption rejected by, 326–27
Corfu, beaked whales stranded or dead on (2011), 351
Cornwall, England, dolphins stranded along the coast of (2008), 351
Cory Chouest:
and Heard Island, 160, 161–62, 163, 171
and LFA sonar, 160, 171, 174, 176, 177, 304, 373n15, 374n1
Cosmos Club, 157–58, 161
Costa, Dan, 372n12
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), 325–26
Cousteau, Jacques-Yves, 79, 96, 382n2
The Silent World, 52
Cousteau, Jean-Michel, 96, 306, 315, 318
Cranford, Ted, 368n2
Cravath, Swaine & Moore, 87
Cray supercomputers, 160
Cronkite, Walter, 228
crowd-sourced intelligence, 241
CT (computerized tomography) scanners:
acoustic tomography in oceanography, 156–57, 158, 161
and porpoise strandings (2003), 310–11
in whale studies, 104–5, 188, 190–92, 245
at Woods Hole lab, 268
Cuban Missile Crisis, 50
Cuvier’s beaked whales:
(Ziphius cavirostris), 184
CT scan of, 190–91
deep dives of, 28
dissections of, 29, 30–31, 64–65, 71–72, 126–29
effects of Navy war games on, 270–71
of Great Bahama Canyon, 4, 6, 101
moving the head to Boston, 184–92, 284
rescue attempts, 7–13
skull of, 55
storage of heads, 107–9
stranded in Bahamas (2000), 6, 9–10, 15, 18, 64–65, 231
stranded in Greece (1996), 71–72
stranded off Spanish coast (2006), 308
stranded on Corfu (2011), 351
survey of, 4, 64
Zc-34, 8
see also beaked whales
Daly, Peter, 317–18, 323–24, 325, 337
Danzig, Richard, 125
and Bahamas strandings, 115–16, 136, 138, 142, 347
conference call of, 146–49
and media stories, 149–50
as Navy Secretary, 115–16, 136–37, 138, 305
The David Frost Show, 226
The Day of the Dolphin (movie), 239
D-day landings, 155
DDT, 312
Deep Ocean Engineering, 374n17
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 370n6
Defense Department, US, 206, 307, 326, 339
Defense Secrets Act, 173
Del Monte Fishing Company, 39–40
Diablo Canyon, 84–87, 181, 290
, 368n1
Dickin Medal (Britain), 200
dinosaurs:
and evolution, 6
mass extinction of, xvii
Discovery, 40–41
Discovery Investigations, 200
Disney Cruise Line, at Castaway Cay, 15, 20
Dolphin Experience, tourist attraction, 21
dolphins:
(Delphinus delphis), xi, 295
and animal rights movement, 223
Atlantic spotted, 21, 22–23, 187
bionic drones to replace, 240–42, 243
black market in, 22
bottlenose, 204
brains of, 204, 205–6
in captive vs. wild settings, 227
communication of, 170, 201, 202, 204, 205–6, 240
CT scan of, 191
data management by, 240, 241
diving capabilities of, 237
drive hunt, 193
dying in captivity, 22, 234, 376n5
and echolocation, 201–2, 241
as entertainers, 21, 22, 104, 198, 200–202, 207, 215
evolution of, xvii
family Delphinidae, 213
as herd animals, 241
human cohabitation with, 208
humans swimming with, 22
hunting behavior of, 241
hydrodynamic properties of, 233
and interspecies communication, 205–6
kamikaze (rumors), 239–40
“liberation” of, 377n10
at Marineland, 200–202
media stories about, 206, 207, 239
military use of, 209, 232–33, 237–40, 242–43, 286
Navy threats to, 116, 121–22
Navy work with, 16, 232–43, 286
populations of, 213
as prone to stranding, 68, 69
research with, 22, 201–2, 204–5, 235
ship collisions with, 71
signal processing by, 240
sleep patterns of, 241
Soviet research on, 235
stranded (2000), 20, 21, 22–23, 72; (2008), 351
as toothed whales, 27
transfer to Harvard, 187
wild capture banned, 22
wild capture by Navy, 242–43
The Dolphins That Joined the Navy (movie), 235
drumming, by sonic muscles, 54
Dunn, Charlotte, 313
ear bone (tympano-periotic bulla), 103, 128, 191
Earle, Sylvia, 374n17
and Acoustic Thermometry, 166, 167–69
and dolphin research, 202
and Heard Island, 372n13
and Scripps-NRDC meeting, 168–69
Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans, 168
Earthjustice, 312, 352n
Earthwatch Institute:
and beached whale rescues, 8–12, 20
“Earthlings” volunteers of, 3–5, 8, 19, 109, 219
and search for beached whales, 25
surveys funded by, 4, 16
as witnesses to whale necropsies, 29, 32, 59, 126–28
echolocation:
and bats, 27, 46, 199–200, 201, 224
and dolphins, 201–2, 241
in midnight zone, 26
and radar, 365n1