LunaLive Stewardship Program
detects Luna vocalizing with transient orcas

YUQUOT, BC, Canada – Luna, the solitary killer whale of Nootka Sound, entertained some guests last night. At 2:41 AM, Allan Muir, a LunaLive researcher based nearly half-way around the world in Scotland, detected the calls of a pod of transient orca intermixed with those of Luna.

“This is a very rare event. In over 30 years of studying Orca vocalizations, we’ve only ever heard residents and transient vocalizing simultaneously in the same acoustic space three other times,” said Paul Spong, director of OrcaLab on Hanson Island.

“The transient calls were overlapping Luna’s rising call, which is why we were able to say for sure that there was more than one orca vocalizing” explains Muir.

LunaLive is a joint-venture between the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations and a variety of environmental and scientific groups. The project utilizes a satellite uplink to broadcast the sounds of an underwater microphone from Luna’s home in Nootka Sound to researchers located all around the world, in order to study his vocal behavior.

The LunaLive project, underway for nearly one year, has already proven to be very valuable scientifically beyond last night’s discovery. LunaLive researchers have also documented a shift in Luna’s vocal behavior over the past 9 months from one set of calls that includes 2 prominent calls with an occasional use of another shorter one, to his current behavior which consists almost entirely of the one shorter call.

“Orca vocalizations are normally very stable among members of family groups", says Spong.

“Studying Luna’s vocal behavior is very important,” says Keith Wood, LunaLive project administrator. “Orca calls are the primary method they use to identify themselves to other nearby orca, and each pod has a set of calls which are unique to their family group.”

“Luna’s been using the one shorter call almost exclusively for the past 9 months, and it has become very rare for us to hear him making the other 2 calls,” continues Wood. “Last night’s display was very significant because it shows that he’s still comfortable making his 2 other calls. This knowledge has huge implications for ongoing stewardship and reunification plans.”

Many hope that if Luna were to hear his family’s calls when they next swim by Nootka Sound, he would announce his identity using these calls and reunite naturally - ending long-standing concerns that Luna might someday be forced into an aquarium.

“We are very excited about participating in the LunaLive project, and look forward to escalating the project’s scope next year to help keep Luna safe and swimming free”, says Mike Maquinna, Hereditary Chief of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation, whose traditional territory includes Nootka Sound.

The LunaLive project currently covers about 1/3 of Luna’s territory, and efforts are underway to raise funds from private donors in order to expand it’s coverage and to integrate stewardship functions as well. Interested parties can read more about this at the LunaLive website: http://www.LunaLive.net .

Keith Wood is President of www.ANON.org – a not-for-profit whale research & conservation organization. He is also captain of the S/V ANON – the principle vessel engaged in last year’s search for Luna’s family. He can be contacted via info@ANON.org.

Further information:
Keith Wood
404 Lexington Lane • Euless • TX • 76039 • USA • 817.267.9663
www.ANON.org • info@ANON.org

LunaLive Stewardship Program detects Luna vocalizing with transient orcas

LunaLive Stewardship Program
detects Luna vocalizing with transient orcas