The orcas decided to swim out west past Victoria, B.C., so we went hunting for other wildlife. A valiant, although
Steller's Sea Lion. Photo courtesy of NeteBini
flawed, attempt was made by several boats, ours included, to find minke whales at the south end of Lopez Island. They should have been there and Capt. Mike and I both saw one, but they seemed to be going on forever dives and we never saw them come back up. It hardly qualifies as a viable sighting if all of our guests do not get the chance to see the same things that we do. It was surprising actually that there were not more animals around considering the onslaught of seabirds that were covering the area. It was a flapping, squawking blanket of feathered friends. Which would mean that there was tons of bait fish in the area. The seals and sea lions were not even in the mix, even though the sea lions have once again staked out Whale Rocks as their preferred haul-out.
The sea lions that I speak of are Steller's sea lions and they are the largest species of sea lions in the world. They are also an endangered species, which means that on many days our guests get to see one or more species of animals that are on the federal endangered list. The Steller's were hunted for their pelts in earlier centuries and then killed as pests and competition for fishermen in the most recent times. There are still permits in place to shoot "pest" sea lions at the mouths of rivers and fish ladders. Marine mammals continue to be a convenient scape goat for the loss of fish stocks around the world.
As for our Steller's sea lions though, they are here in the islands to feed and rest for the winter. There are no more territorial disputes and a sexy sea lioness would not find any action here. These animals just want to regain their blubber layer which was lost on the Alaskan breeding grounds over the summer and build up the strength that they will need to make the long migration again next year. The Steller's breed and pup over the summer while in Alaska and do not tend to do much eating. The males need to defend their territory and harem of females, so any inattentiveness can mean a great loss. That makes this quiet time in the islands an important part of their preparation to further the species and hopefully increase population numbers to the point that they can be delisted. For us, that means that we have one more charismatic megafauna to showcase to our guests and help them understand as part of the complex ecosystem that envelops the San Juan Islands.
So, from all of us at San Juan Safaris, to all of you flipper friends out there, thank you and we will...
See You In The Islands!
~Tristen, Naturalist