The discovery in 2021 of a new species, the Rice’s whale, which is directly connected to Beaufort’s Bonehenge Whale Center, will be one of the topics covered during the whales and whaling symposium at the North Carolina Maritime Museum scheduled for Friday.
The program is to begin at 10 a.m. in the museum, 315 Front St. in downtown Beaufort. The symposium is being offered at no charge but because seating is limited, reservations are requested. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit ncmaritimemuseumbeaufort.com or call 252-504-7758.
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“The symposium is an opportunity to learn about the whale species off the coast of North Carolina and the history related to the harvesting of whales directly off our shore,” museum Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly said in a statement. “By bringing in guest speakers, the community gets an opportunity to learn about topics we couldn’t typically cover in our regular programming.”
Wunderly is an organizer of the symposium, working with North Carolina Maritime Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster on the day’s lineup of speakers. Rittmaster is director of Bonehenge Whale Center, which is adjacent to the museum’s Gallants Channel property, and has been helping organize the symposium since the first held in 20165.
“This symposium has been very popular,” Rittmaster said in a release. “I think it’s fun too.”
Rittmaster is the first presenter and will discuss “Whales in North Carolina: Diversity, Distribution, Seasonality & Conservation” starting at 10 a.m.
“North Carolina has impressive whale diversity,” Rittmaster said, noting that up to now, 34 species have been documented off the state’s shores. “As far as I know, that’s more than any other state.”
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Russell Fielding of Coastal Carolina University and Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus, University of Washington, will follow at 11 a.m. with “So Wide a Chase: Melvillian Whaling in the Twenty-first Century Caribbean.”
John Ososky of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History will present “From ‘Save the Whales’ to ‘Save the Rice’s Whale’: A History of Modern Smithsonian Whale Conservation” at 1 p.m. After the bones for the new species were treated at Bonehenge Whale Center in 2019, the bones were then taken to Washington, D.C., where it was identified in 2021 as a newly discovered species, the Rice’s whale.
Wunderly will speak at 2 p.m. on the “The Old Whale Fishery of North Carolina.”
After a break for dinner, the symposium will wrap up with a 6 p.m. presentation by the North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Survey Team. Meghan Bradley, Renee LaGarenne, and Rylie Gonzales of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discuss their survey methods and address the need for right whale conservation. They will also highlight some special cases of right whales in North Carolina waters.
In addition to the programs, there will be displays showcasing marine mammal bones, teeth, baleen, oils and skeletons, as well as educational games.
