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Whale and Marine Life Video Archives

We have created the world's largest video-based archive of whale and other marine life behaviors.

A total of 8,800 hours of unique and irreplaceable footage.

Help us preserve the entire archive and donate it to an organization that will make it available free of charge to all educators, researchers and conservation groups.

Statements of Support

“The thing that gives his tapes most value is that for the most part, they represent information on known individual whales.  Thus, they constitute data on the behavior of hundreds of individually identified humpback whales, and make it possible to see with what other humpback whale individuals they associate as well with what other marine species.  The tapes offer particularly valuable information about social interactions between females and their off-spring as well as on variations in feeding behaviors.”

“Some of these whales may be alive for decades into the future, and a record of their earlier behavior and how they subsequently adapt to the major changes we can expect from climate change, pollutants, prey availability, etc, would be of value in measuring the effects on this species as it adapts or succumbs to new stresses.”

Dr. Roger Payne, Founder, Whale Conservation Institute and Ocean Alliance

“The video records which you have made of North Atlantic whales and other cetaceans observed from New England whalewatching boats since 1988 are of inestimable research value.  I know of no other comparable body of raw data on living whales anyplace in the world.  In particular, your documentation of several generations of clearly identifiable humpback mothers and calves offers the basis for studies of cetacean social structure and interaction which can contribute immeasurably to the science of natural history.  They are a research resource of the highest merit.”

Dr. Robbins Barstow, Director Emeritus, Cetacean Society International

“What an amazing record of whale behavior you have assembled.  It really is extraordinary.  Since nothing like this collection exists anywhere to my knowledge, it seems to me that one would need to have a telling reason why it should not be maintained in its entirety.  The material you have assembled is unique and scientifically valuable.

Dr. Steven Katona, President, College of Atlantic

Help "Save The Whale" Archives by purchasing any DVD on our site.

Expanded Description (click here)

Executive Summary (click here)

Beginning in April 1988, we recorded all marine and ocean life encountered during 68,384 hours cruising Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine.  The video archive covers 16 feeding seasons ending October 2003.

Common behaviors as well as once in a lifetime sightings have been stored on analog video, more than 8200 master tapes preserve 8800 hours of unique video.

While the primary focus was large baleen whales; dolphins, pinnipeds, pelagic birds and all other forms of marine life are represented.

Approximately 500 known individual humpback whales are identified in the archives, including 100 plus grandmothers and their descendants.

The equivalent of 15 years of annotation (documentation) has been completed.  Searching footage by species, individual animal and behavior is possible.

An extensive search is taking place to find a home for this unique and irreplaceable archive for education, research, and conservation use decades in the future.

Click here for a more detailed description.

Inquiries:

Dan Knaub, Founder and Owner

The Whale Video Company

225 Indian Creek Dr

Mechanicsburg PA 17050

USA

Phone: 717/763-9507

e-mail:    danknaub@comcast.net

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