Volunteers working to keep orca whale wet after it beached at Papamoa Beach on Bay of Plenty coast.
Several hundred people have turned out to Papamoa Beach on the Bay of Plenty coast where a killer whale has stranded.
The orca is well-known to local conservationists, who have nicknamed him Nobby.
It is not the first time the marine mammal has thrown itself onto the beach. Katrina Knill from the Department of Conservation says despite washing up at 6am, Nobby is in good shape and it is hoped there will be a good outcome. Volunteers are helping to keep the whale wet and comfortable.
A second attempt to herd Nobby back to sea will be made on high tide around 5:30 this evening.
vrijdag 26 september 2008
vrijdag 19 september 2008
Declining salmon runs blamed for wilderness tourism slump
Few people in British Columbia know how to find killer whales better than Bill MacKay, who tracks them in a high-speed, super-quiet boat from Port McNeill, on northern Vancouver Island.
But Mr. MacKay, who with his wife, Donna, runs MacKay Whale Watching, has had an increasingly difficult time finding large numbers of killer whales to show his customers this year.
All along the B.C. Coast, wilderness tourism operators who run bear-viewing, whale-watching and sport-fishing resorts are reporting tough times because of declining salmon runs.
But the biggest impact may be occurring in the Broughton Archipelago, where Mr. MacKay operates, and where pink salmon runs have all but vanished, sending a shock wave through the region's ecosystem.
"Some of the northern pods are just not here," Mr. MacKay said yesterday. "And we've had three occasions [this summer] when we did not see any orcas at all. That's pretty weird."
He said northern killer whales visit the area during the summer months, collecting in big social gatherings where breeding takes place.
"When they get together like that it's called Super Pod Day, and we will see over 100 dorsal fins out there at a time," Mr. MacKay said. "That didn't happen this year, for the first time since we've been collecting data, which is almost 30 years."
Mr. MacKay said it's not coincidental that the whales have vanished along with the salmon.
"It's pretty simple. ...What do you think these orcas eat?" he said.
Surveys by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans indicate pink salmon stocks have fallen to extremely low levels in the Broughton Archipelago. In Glendale Creek, a key indicator stream, there have been only 19,000 spawners counted this year, compared with 264,000 last year.
Pink salmon, which usually spawn in prodigious numbers, are a keystone species on the West Coast. Chinook salmon, the mainstay of the orca diet, feed on young pinks, while grizzly and black bears depend on spawning adult pink salmon to bulk up for hibernation.
Howard Pattinson, owner of Tide Rip Tours, a grizzly-bear viewing business based in Telegraph Cove, said the pink collapse has forced bears to rely on late berry crops and sedge grasses for nutrition.
"We're used to seeing bears eat 15 to 20 fish an hour. Now once a day we might see a bear catch one fish," Mr. Pattinson said. "We are seeing big male bears killing [yearling] cubs and eating them. ...It's pretty shocking for the tourists when they see raw nature like that."
Mr. Pattinson said he's worried about the future of his business.
"The bears are now eating berries and sedges. It's enough to get through the winter, but not enough for pregnant females. They'll either reabsorb their embryos or abort this winter. ...Next spring, I don't think there'll be any cubs," he said.
Brian Gunn, president of the Wilderness Tourism Association, said the collapse of salmon stocks is threatening the survival of ecotourism businesses.
"The bear-viewing businesses, the whale-watching operations, they built up a lot of equity showing people these wild animals. Now the fish aren't there and they are seeing their equity drain away. ...If the salmon go, so does the wildlife, and so does the business."
Mr. Gunn blamed the fish-farming business, saying a heavy concentration of net pens in the Broughton Archipelago has created sea-lice epidemics which kill young salmon.
But Mr. MacKay, who with his wife, Donna, runs MacKay Whale Watching, has had an increasingly difficult time finding large numbers of killer whales to show his customers this year.
All along the B.C. Coast, wilderness tourism operators who run bear-viewing, whale-watching and sport-fishing resorts are reporting tough times because of declining salmon runs.
But the biggest impact may be occurring in the Broughton Archipelago, where Mr. MacKay operates, and where pink salmon runs have all but vanished, sending a shock wave through the region's ecosystem.
"Some of the northern pods are just not here," Mr. MacKay said yesterday. "And we've had three occasions [this summer] when we did not see any orcas at all. That's pretty weird."
He said northern killer whales visit the area during the summer months, collecting in big social gatherings where breeding takes place.
"When they get together like that it's called Super Pod Day, and we will see over 100 dorsal fins out there at a time," Mr. MacKay said. "That didn't happen this year, for the first time since we've been collecting data, which is almost 30 years."
Mr. MacKay said it's not coincidental that the whales have vanished along with the salmon.
"It's pretty simple. ...What do you think these orcas eat?" he said.
Surveys by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans indicate pink salmon stocks have fallen to extremely low levels in the Broughton Archipelago. In Glendale Creek, a key indicator stream, there have been only 19,000 spawners counted this year, compared with 264,000 last year.
Pink salmon, which usually spawn in prodigious numbers, are a keystone species on the West Coast. Chinook salmon, the mainstay of the orca diet, feed on young pinks, while grizzly and black bears depend on spawning adult pink salmon to bulk up for hibernation.
Howard Pattinson, owner of Tide Rip Tours, a grizzly-bear viewing business based in Telegraph Cove, said the pink collapse has forced bears to rely on late berry crops and sedge grasses for nutrition.
"We're used to seeing bears eat 15 to 20 fish an hour. Now once a day we might see a bear catch one fish," Mr. Pattinson said. "We are seeing big male bears killing [yearling] cubs and eating them. ...It's pretty shocking for the tourists when they see raw nature like that."
Mr. Pattinson said he's worried about the future of his business.
"The bears are now eating berries and sedges. It's enough to get through the winter, but not enough for pregnant females. They'll either reabsorb their embryos or abort this winter. ...Next spring, I don't think there'll be any cubs," he said.
Brian Gunn, president of the Wilderness Tourism Association, said the collapse of salmon stocks is threatening the survival of ecotourism businesses.
"The bear-viewing businesses, the whale-watching operations, they built up a lot of equity showing people these wild animals. Now the fish aren't there and they are seeing their equity drain away. ...If the salmon go, so does the wildlife, and so does the business."
Mr. Gunn blamed the fish-farming business, saying a heavy concentration of net pens in the Broughton Archipelago has created sea-lice epidemics which kill young salmon.
vrijdag 12 september 2008
Orca shares the waves with local surfer
Gisborne's Wainui Beach is well known for its waves, and the competition among surfers for Gisborne's waves became unusually fierce this week.
At one stage a surfer feared for his life and opted to give up his wave to a rival with a far bigger fin - an orca.
"The fin was there, and it popped under, and it's other fin came up the side," surfer Michael Smith says. "It went underneath me, I was just like, 'I'm going to die.'"
However Karl McLeod from the Department of Conservation says the surfer was safer than he thought. There has never been a single fatal orca attack on a human in the wild.
"Orcas are very curious, highly intelligent and really social animals," Mr McLeod says. "So it's unsurprising that we have a number of encounters around the country, divers fishermen and stuff like that. Having said that, catching a wave with an orca right beside you, that's pretty exceptional."
Orca have been around since prehistoric times. They are sometimes known as the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in packs. However, if you happen to find yourself in the water with them, the best advice is tobut if you do happen to find yourself in the water with them, the best advice is to leave the area quietly, but not too hastily.
At one stage a surfer feared for his life and opted to give up his wave to a rival with a far bigger fin - an orca.
"The fin was there, and it popped under, and it's other fin came up the side," surfer Michael Smith says. "It went underneath me, I was just like, 'I'm going to die.'"
However Karl McLeod from the Department of Conservation says the surfer was safer than he thought. There has never been a single fatal orca attack on a human in the wild.
"Orcas are very curious, highly intelligent and really social animals," Mr McLeod says. "So it's unsurprising that we have a number of encounters around the country, divers fishermen and stuff like that. Having said that, catching a wave with an orca right beside you, that's pretty exceptional."
Orca have been around since prehistoric times. They are sometimes known as the wolves of the sea, because they hunt in packs. However, if you happen to find yourself in the water with them, the best advice is tobut if you do happen to find yourself in the water with them, the best advice is to leave the area quietly, but not too hastily.
donderdag 11 september 2008
Orcas make rare visit to Port Angeles Harbor
PORT ANGELES — A pod of three orcas made a rare trip Tuesday afternoon into Port Angeles Harbor, trailed by about a dozen boats of whale watchers.
The marine mammals arrived at about 2 p.m. and were headed back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca two hours later.
Observers on land called the Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles and the Port Angeles Police Department, concerned that the boats had driven the orcas into shallow waters or had trapped them there.
But Coast Guard Operations Specialist 1st Class Ian Banks said the crew of a helicopter that was detoured over the area saw no boats within the 100-yard no-encroach zone set by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
A Coast Guard patrol boat also was sent to the area off the Rayonier pier to enforce both the no-encroach zone and a 400-yard no-wake zone that requires boats to reduce speed.
Hunting fish or seals
Most, if not all, the boats were operated by professional whale tour operators from Canada, Banks said.
Rich Osborne, former director of the Whale Museum of Friday Harbor, now a Clallam County employee, said the orcas could have been hunting fish or seals.
"In either case, they were probably exploring," he said.
Osborne said orcas observed on the Strait side of Ediz Hook probably are hunting fish.
Closer to shore, they may hunt weaner harbor seals, animals newly independent of their mothers and easy prey for orcas, also called killer whales.
Orcas are either fish eaters or marine mammal eaters, according to Howard Garrett of Whidbey Island, co-founder of Orca Network.
Garrett said a pod of orcas had been spotted near Port Angeles on Saturday and near Dungeness Spit on Thursday.
Banks said that, besides staying 100 yards from an orca, observers should approach them only from the side, not from in front of them or behind them.
He said this warning, and more cautions about observing orcas and other marine mammals, can be found in the pamphlet, "Be Whale Wise."
It and other information about orcas can be found at the Orca Network Web site, www.orcanetwork.org.
The site includes both a link to report orca sightings and accounts of recent sightings, plus links to photos, books and other marine mammal organizations.
The marine mammals arrived at about 2 p.m. and were headed back into the Strait of Juan de Fuca two hours later.
Observers on land called the Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles and the Port Angeles Police Department, concerned that the boats had driven the orcas into shallow waters or had trapped them there.
But Coast Guard Operations Specialist 1st Class Ian Banks said the crew of a helicopter that was detoured over the area saw no boats within the 100-yard no-encroach zone set by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
A Coast Guard patrol boat also was sent to the area off the Rayonier pier to enforce both the no-encroach zone and a 400-yard no-wake zone that requires boats to reduce speed.
Hunting fish or seals
Most, if not all, the boats were operated by professional whale tour operators from Canada, Banks said.
Rich Osborne, former director of the Whale Museum of Friday Harbor, now a Clallam County employee, said the orcas could have been hunting fish or seals.
"In either case, they were probably exploring," he said.
Osborne said orcas observed on the Strait side of Ediz Hook probably are hunting fish.
Closer to shore, they may hunt weaner harbor seals, animals newly independent of their mothers and easy prey for orcas, also called killer whales.
Orcas are either fish eaters or marine mammal eaters, according to Howard Garrett of Whidbey Island, co-founder of Orca Network.
Garrett said a pod of orcas had been spotted near Port Angeles on Saturday and near Dungeness Spit on Thursday.
Banks said that, besides staying 100 yards from an orca, observers should approach them only from the side, not from in front of them or behind them.
He said this warning, and more cautions about observing orcas and other marine mammals, can be found in the pamphlet, "Be Whale Wise."
It and other information about orcas can be found at the Orca Network Web site, www.orcanetwork.org.
The site includes both a link to report orca sightings and accounts of recent sightings, plus links to photos, books and other marine mammal organizations.
woensdag 3 september 2008
Killer whales reported in Bay of Fundy
There is a report of unusual visitors to the Bay of Fundy—killer whales.
Gordon Wilson, deputy clerk with the Municipality of Digby, N.S. was watching a large group of dolphins heading up the bay on Sept. 2 past his waterfront home at Culloden when a large black fin emerged from the water.
“All of a sudden there was a big black fin. I said that looks like a killer whale and sure enough he came up again.”
Wilson grabbed for his binoculars but the next sighting showed the whales about 300 to 400 yards offshore.
He notified marine animal researchers in Halifax and found there were sightings earlier this year of killer whales off the Eastern Shore and the crew of an East Pubnico boat fishing for halibut on the Scotian Shelf in March reported a solitary whale eating halibut off their fishing lines.
Andrew Hebda, curator of zoology for the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, told Carla Allen of the Yarmouth Vanguard, that the predatory mammals eat fish, marine birds and a large array of marine mammals, from seals and sea lions to dolphins and whales.
“We hear of the occasional sighting, but haven't heard of any in the last couple of years. There have been sporadic reports throughout the North Atlantic including northern Europe,” said Hebda.
The museum has a tooth from an orca stranded on Sable Island in 1972, and a report of another stranded in the Minas Basin in 1950.
Wilson also notified a Digby-based whale-watching firm that raced out to the Bay, but was unable to find the killer whales.
Gordon Wilson, deputy clerk with the Municipality of Digby, N.S. was watching a large group of dolphins heading up the bay on Sept. 2 past his waterfront home at Culloden when a large black fin emerged from the water.
“All of a sudden there was a big black fin. I said that looks like a killer whale and sure enough he came up again.”
Wilson grabbed for his binoculars but the next sighting showed the whales about 300 to 400 yards offshore.
He notified marine animal researchers in Halifax and found there were sightings earlier this year of killer whales off the Eastern Shore and the crew of an East Pubnico boat fishing for halibut on the Scotian Shelf in March reported a solitary whale eating halibut off their fishing lines.
Andrew Hebda, curator of zoology for the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, told Carla Allen of the Yarmouth Vanguard, that the predatory mammals eat fish, marine birds and a large array of marine mammals, from seals and sea lions to dolphins and whales.
“We hear of the occasional sighting, but haven't heard of any in the last couple of years. There have been sporadic reports throughout the North Atlantic including northern Europe,” said Hebda.
The museum has a tooth from an orca stranded on Sable Island in 1972, and a report of another stranded in the Minas Basin in 1950.
Wilson also notified a Digby-based whale-watching firm that raced out to the Bay, but was unable to find the killer whales.
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