Tuesday, May 17, 2011

All staff,

With a spectacular spring day, the MV Sea Lion and crew (Captain Craig and MikeO) headed north with our special charter of Western States Agency Policy Makers.

Ken Balcomb, of The Center for Whale Research, Kari Koski of The Whale Museums SoundWatch program and me were asked to describe in our view, the process that lead to the new NOAA rules.  We were asked how those new rules would affect the whale watching industry and how they might affect the...

We left Friday Harbor with reports of a Minke Whale in Canadian waters.  Under sunny skies and over glassy water we headed west.  As we approached the area of the last sighting we slowed to a stop and shut down the engines.  The passengers spread out along the rails and kept their eyes on the water.  After fifteen minutes of scanning we saw the small whale surface about a quarter of a mile from the boat.

We watched it surface and saw that it was moving east.  We idled parallel at...

The daily trips may be done, but that does not mean that I do not still get the chance to get out on the water.  Today we had a charter and that is really the way to go if you are a naturalist.  Or even if you are a guest.  The groups tend to be relaxed and fun-loving and ready for anything.  There are usually fewer people on the boat and sometimes the crew even gets snacks.  It also means that the routine gets shaken up.  We leave at different times and sometimes even from a...

Southern Resident Killer Whales. Photo courtesy of NOAA/NMFS

"Until we meet again."

Well, it is sad to say, but today was our last daily trip.  We still have a few Saturdays left, but this is it for the daily grind.  It has been a season like no other, with the orcas being found along the coast of San Juan Island most every day.  They still do not keep any kind of schedule and there is no guarantee of seeing them, but what a fabulous way to spend one's days.  We have racked up...

San Juan Islands and Mount Baker. Photos courtesy of planetware.com

I am envious of those people that can sit down and power out a blog entry everyday and have it be different, interesting and engaging.  I am finding that as the season grows colder, quieter and slower, I am having difficulty finding the necessary inspiration.  Now, I do not want to give the impression that I am bored or that I in some way am not excited to continue to see the orcas every day.  What a gift it is...

When you cover as much water as we do in a week, it is easy to feel proprietary about the islands and creatures found therein.  We all feel like we know and own the orcas, trees and birds.  We even feel a fondness for the slimy spineless creatures, and who wouldn't when they make up most of the biomass (living bulk) of the ocean?  So, the orcas are fabulous and I could not be happier that we have been continuing to see them everyday, but I think that the invertebrates need some...

The naming of an orca calf is a sensitive and involved process.  By the means of soliciting suggestions, sifting through the offerings and choosing the best options, and then serving up the prime choices for heated voting, orcas are endowed with monikers that help elevate them to the most regal of heights within the marine mammal community.  These chiefly labels will help the orcas define and express their personalities, strengths and values.  Because of this, orca calves must...

The orcas and humpbacks were conspiring against us today.  They were all 20 miles or more from Friday Harbor and were heading further west.  Not a good combination for a successful whale watching tour.  Luckily for us the minke whale were cooperating, so we went and spent time with them.  Afterward we had a lovely cruise around Lopez Island, where we visited quiet coves and glassy waterways all chock-a-block full of seabirds.  All of this was just what the cruise director...

At this point, our avid readers know that orcas are the world's largest dolphins, despite the fact that their common name is Killer Whale.  Because the name Killer Whale is such a misnomer we almost exclusively use their scientific title of orca.  Up until this week they were also the only dolphins that we see in the Salish Sea.  There have always been vague reports about Pacific White-sided Dolphins being spotted in these waters, but the reliability of those reports always...

Being on the water six days a week pretty much guarantees that a person is going to see all things imaginable when it comes to these orcas.  That, of course, in no way diminishes my excitement in seeing them each and every time.  They are beautiful and sleek and amazing and unpredictable.  Despite the regulations that govern boating around these animals, sometimes mistakes happen and boats get caught out with an orca too close.  Eventually the odds are going to turn on you, since...