SEI WHALE
Sharon Nieukirk
Latin name: Balaenoptera borealis
The sei (pronounced ‘say’) whale is a baleen whale that prefers temperate to subpolar continental edge and slope waters worldwide. Commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries decimated many populations and thus this species is listed as endangered in U.S. waters. The sei whale’s deep water habitat and cryptic behavior make it difficult to study. Sharon Nieukirk is collaborating with the National Marine Fisheries Service to review passive acoustic data collected along the mid-Atlantic Ridge, off Nova Scotia and in the Artic to identify the calls produced by sei whales. These data will help managers to infer seasonal movements of this species throughout Atlantic waters.