The great orca hunt is on.
Jean-Michel Cousteau is, like his late father Jacques-Yves Cousteau, an ocean explorer. He is in New Zealand this month to find and film orcas, or killer whales, using the experience and contacts of whale researcher Dr Ingrid Visser.
Orcas are the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family, and this is the time of year to spot them, said Dr Visser.
"Because it's cold, they come in closer to shore to hunt rays for food."
Dr Visser relies on the public to help spot orcas. "We have an 0800 number, and people just ring and let us know where they are."
Mr Cousteau, his son Fabien and a crew of seven hope to establish a pattern of orca migration worldwide, to discover why the creatures in Papua New Guinea display similar characteristics to those found in New Zealand waters. The similarities include feeding habits and behavioural practices.
Although the creatures are not tagged, there are ways of identifying them that make tracking possible.
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"They are noticeably different to each other. Some have scars and scratches from fighting, and they have ways of behaving that sort out one from another. They are just like humans, really," said Mr Cousteau.
Filming the black and white mammals has taken the team to British Columbia and Alaska, as well as Papua New Guinea. Later in the year they hope to go to Norway.
Although he has not worked with Dr Visser before, he has been to New Zealand many times. While in New Zealand they will be based in Northland and Auckland.
Mr Cousteau runs the Ocean Futures Society, an organisation which promotes the importance of wise environmental policy. His most recent film, Return to the Amazon, records the devastation and damage done to the river in the past 20 years.
He is based in California, from where he works with organisations such as Green Cross International on issues of global water security, protection of sensitive marine areas and the prevention of oil spills.
Cousteau the younger no longer has any involvement with the Cousteau Society, set up by his father in 1973 to raise funds for ocean exploration, research and exploration.
maandag 30 juni 2008
donderdag 26 juni 2008
Killer whales kill humpback off coast of Australia
PERTH, Australia - A humpback whale that appeared to have been fatally attacked by a pod of killer whales washed up on an Australian beach Thursday, a conservation official said.
The whale carcass was found in shallow surf on Tern Island south of the Western Australia state capital Perth with signs that it had been attacked at sea, said Doug Coughran of the state's environment and conservation department.
"The whale has injuries indicative of killer whale activity," Coughran said.
"Killer whales often take out the bottom jaw of whales and eat the tongue, and that is what has happened on this occasion," he said.
He said the humpback's body also had signs that it had been chewed by sharks.
Coughran said the body would be moved so that it did not attract sharks and other predators to the area.
Humpback whales are currently migrating north from the Antarctic Ocean, and are commonly seen near Australia's coast at this time of year.
The whale carcass was found in shallow surf on Tern Island south of the Western Australia state capital Perth with signs that it had been attacked at sea, said Doug Coughran of the state's environment and conservation department.
"The whale has injuries indicative of killer whale activity," Coughran said.
"Killer whales often take out the bottom jaw of whales and eat the tongue, and that is what has happened on this occasion," he said.
He said the humpback's body also had signs that it had been chewed by sharks.
Coughran said the body would be moved so that it did not attract sharks and other predators to the area.
Humpback whales are currently migrating north from the Antarctic Ocean, and are commonly seen near Australia's coast at this time of year.
woensdag 25 juni 2008
Passengers get up close to killer whales
TOURISTS who joined the NorthCoast Explorer for a trip round the uninhabited island of Stroma got an unexpected and spectacular bonus in the shape of a pod of orcas.
No-one was more excited about the sighting than Inverness amateur photographer Jerry Boyle who joined the excursion at the last minute on Sunday.
He had been scanning the island with his binoculars from John O'Groats, and could not believe his eyes when he spotted a group of the killer whales heading west in the inner sound, the latest in a series of wildlife sightings which have become attractions in themselves for Pentland Firth travellers.
Jerry rushed onto the pier, donned the required waterproof gear and life jacket and boarded the RIB which took off to rendezvous with the pod near the beacon at the south-west end of Stroma where the passengers on the John O'Groats to Burwick ferry, Pentland Venture, were already enjoying the amazing spectacle. The Explorer shadowed the pod as it travelled slowly up the west side of Stroma towards the lighthouse, Jerry recording these remarkable pictures on the way.
Spokesman for NorthCoast Marine Adventures David Steele described it as "the best trip" he had experienced in the eight years the RIB has been in operation, and added: "To get so close to these magnificent predators was humbling and I think skipper Alistair Jack and I were as excited as the passengers. This has been a good year so far for cetacean sightings."
Describing the scene, he said: "The RIB followed the whales as they went very close to the rocks in only a few metres of water and we watched as the calves with typical youthful exuberance performed rolls and back flips.
"Near the north of the island, we came across hundreds of seals on the rocks and, at one point, it looked as if the whales might have been contemplating lunch as three split off from the main group and headed for the rocks.
"Many of the seals were obviously agitated, being put in the role of lunch, but a few, either through ignorance or stupidity, stayed in the water.
"The seals got a reprieve, though, as the whales seemed to lose interest and turned away at the last moment."
The pod eventually headed out into the Pentland Firth, one of the group performing a final encore to the remarkable marine display – it leapt almost right out of the water immediately behind the Explorer at the edge of the Swilkie tidal race before disappearing beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, National Whale and Dolphin Week which began on Saturday (June 21) had a reasonable start in Caithness.
Karen Munro made the first "spot", from the Thurso caravan park viewpoint, when she saw a minke whale, and was followed by a Thurso harbour porpoise sighting by Colin Bird, the Sea Watch Foundation group co-ordinator for north-east Scotland.
The porpoise turned out to be one of several sightings during the two-hour watch and included a group of four, accompanied by a small calf.
The next event was at Swiney Hill, Lybster, in much improved weather, when a Risso's dolphin was spotted, and as the watch concluded there came a report of a basking shark feeding at the Wick harbour entrance. Mr Bird raced to the scene in time to see the shark close to the North Bath.
Weather conditions took a turn for the worse on Sunday and two watches had to be cancelled. However, two further events will be held on Saturday (June 28), at Duncansby Head, at 1pm, and at Whaligoe Steps the following day starting at 5pm.
No-one was more excited about the sighting than Inverness amateur photographer Jerry Boyle who joined the excursion at the last minute on Sunday.
He had been scanning the island with his binoculars from John O'Groats, and could not believe his eyes when he spotted a group of the killer whales heading west in the inner sound, the latest in a series of wildlife sightings which have become attractions in themselves for Pentland Firth travellers.
Jerry rushed onto the pier, donned the required waterproof gear and life jacket and boarded the RIB which took off to rendezvous with the pod near the beacon at the south-west end of Stroma where the passengers on the John O'Groats to Burwick ferry, Pentland Venture, were already enjoying the amazing spectacle. The Explorer shadowed the pod as it travelled slowly up the west side of Stroma towards the lighthouse, Jerry recording these remarkable pictures on the way.
Spokesman for NorthCoast Marine Adventures David Steele described it as "the best trip" he had experienced in the eight years the RIB has been in operation, and added: "To get so close to these magnificent predators was humbling and I think skipper Alistair Jack and I were as excited as the passengers. This has been a good year so far for cetacean sightings."
Describing the scene, he said: "The RIB followed the whales as they went very close to the rocks in only a few metres of water and we watched as the calves with typical youthful exuberance performed rolls and back flips.
"Near the north of the island, we came across hundreds of seals on the rocks and, at one point, it looked as if the whales might have been contemplating lunch as three split off from the main group and headed for the rocks.
"Many of the seals were obviously agitated, being put in the role of lunch, but a few, either through ignorance or stupidity, stayed in the water.
"The seals got a reprieve, though, as the whales seemed to lose interest and turned away at the last moment."
The pod eventually headed out into the Pentland Firth, one of the group performing a final encore to the remarkable marine display – it leapt almost right out of the water immediately behind the Explorer at the edge of the Swilkie tidal race before disappearing beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, National Whale and Dolphin Week which began on Saturday (June 21) had a reasonable start in Caithness.
Karen Munro made the first "spot", from the Thurso caravan park viewpoint, when she saw a minke whale, and was followed by a Thurso harbour porpoise sighting by Colin Bird, the Sea Watch Foundation group co-ordinator for north-east Scotland.
The porpoise turned out to be one of several sightings during the two-hour watch and included a group of four, accompanied by a small calf.
The next event was at Swiney Hill, Lybster, in much improved weather, when a Risso's dolphin was spotted, and as the watch concluded there came a report of a basking shark feeding at the Wick harbour entrance. Mr Bird raced to the scene in time to see the shark close to the North Bath.
Weather conditions took a turn for the worse on Sunday and two watches had to be cancelled. However, two further events will be held on Saturday (June 28), at Duncansby Head, at 1pm, and at Whaligoe Steps the following day starting at 5pm.
donderdag 19 juni 2008
Killer whales spotted near Ballycastle
KILLER whales have been spotted near Ballycastle.
The ocean's top predator was spied in the Sea of Moyle between north Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre but despite the name there is no particular threat to humans.
The member of the dolphin family gets its name because of a fearsome ability in tackling other sea species.
Three killer whales, known as orcinus orca, were spotted off the Antrim coast at the end of last month.
David MacAuley saw three of the animals while on a boat between Ballycastle and the Mull of Kintyre.
He was mid-way across when he saw the animals - a pod which apparently heads north in May and south in September.
"They appeared about 100 metres from us the first time but by the time I got my camera out they were about 300 metres away," he said.
With their large dorsal fins the animals are an incredible sight, and while uncommon, sightings in Irish waters are not unknown.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group aims to promote a better understanding of the marine mammals.
Sightings co-ordinator, Pádraig Whooley, said that there has been no increase in the number of sightings of killer whales in Irish waters, but there has been a year-on-year increase in the numbers of whale and dolphin sightings.
"It is more likely that this reflects a large increase in observer effort and greater awareness," he said.
"Sightings of killer whales are typically few and far between each year, which is what you'd expect of an apex predator, anywhere."
He said that so far this year there had been two other confirmed sightings of Orca whales in the waters around Ireland, both within the last two months.
Three were spotted off Mizen Head, Cork, in April and six others were spotted off High Island, Galway, in May.
In 2007 there were 1,281 whale or dolphin sightings off the coasts of Northern Ireland, according to the IWDG website.
In 2006 there were 838 and in 2002, 176.
Male killer whales can range from 6-10 metres long and weigh in excess of six tonnes.
The full article contains 360 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
The ocean's top predator was spied in the Sea of Moyle between north Antrim and the Mull of Kintyre but despite the name there is no particular threat to humans.
The member of the dolphin family gets its name because of a fearsome ability in tackling other sea species.
Three killer whales, known as orcinus orca, were spotted off the Antrim coast at the end of last month.
David MacAuley saw three of the animals while on a boat between Ballycastle and the Mull of Kintyre.
He was mid-way across when he saw the animals - a pod which apparently heads north in May and south in September.
"They appeared about 100 metres from us the first time but by the time I got my camera out they were about 300 metres away," he said.
With their large dorsal fins the animals are an incredible sight, and while uncommon, sightings in Irish waters are not unknown.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group aims to promote a better understanding of the marine mammals.
Sightings co-ordinator, Pádraig Whooley, said that there has been no increase in the number of sightings of killer whales in Irish waters, but there has been a year-on-year increase in the numbers of whale and dolphin sightings.
"It is more likely that this reflects a large increase in observer effort and greater awareness," he said.
"Sightings of killer whales are typically few and far between each year, which is what you'd expect of an apex predator, anywhere."
He said that so far this year there had been two other confirmed sightings of Orca whales in the waters around Ireland, both within the last two months.
Three were spotted off Mizen Head, Cork, in April and six others were spotted off High Island, Galway, in May.
In 2007 there were 1,281 whale or dolphin sightings off the coasts of Northern Ireland, according to the IWDG website.
In 2006 there were 838 and in 2002, 176.
Male killer whales can range from 6-10 metres long and weigh in excess of six tonnes.
The full article contains 360 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
Whales, and maybe disaster, headed for Robson Bight
We'll start with the assumption that no one in government actually hates the whales.
Nobody really wants the sunken fuel truck to rust out and send 12,000 litres of diesel glooping up to the surface of Robson Bight.
It doesn't matter what the intent is, though. If political foot-dragging results in fuel fouling the internationally renowned killer whale preserve, the damage will be the same. Then you'll see some warp-speed butt-covering, people displaying the kind of get-'er-done resolve heretofore unassociated with this file.
It has been 10 months since a barge tipped 11 pieces of logging equipment into the water, 30 kilometres down Johnstone Strait from Port McNeill. The way things are going, it could be another 10 months before the gear is hauled to the surface. That has everyone holding their breath, thinking of that corroding fuel truck.
"What happens if it leaks in August when there are 50 or 100 whales around?" asks Jim Borrowman. He's on the phone from Telegraph Cove, where he runs Stubbs Island Charters, the whale- and wildlife-watching company.
He's usually pretty circumspect, knows the workings of government well enough that he doesn't like to unload on its practitioners, but on this occasion he has a hard time keeping the anxiety out of his voice.
"The window is narrowing literally by the day now," he says. It might, in fact, be closed already. It's hard to predict, but the northern resident killer whales could show up in Robson Bight any day now. Once they arrive, it will be too late to raise the truck for fear the fuel spills during the move.
Alas, so far all that has been raised is the question of why this is taking so long. The barge dumped its load Aug. 20, 2007. (Pause here to wonder what it was doing there in the first place.)
The coast guard, armed with a report that estimated the fuel truck had been crushed on the way down, declined to inspect the wreckage. In fact, it wasn't until December that government, goaded by groups like Greenpeace and the Living Oceans Society, which had begun fishing into their own wallets to hire a submersible, took an underwater look. Surprise, surprise, there was the truck, 350 metres down, upright and uncrushed.
It then took until April for Ottawa and the provincial government to jointly announce they would spend up to $1 million to clean up the mess. It was May when salvagers were invited to bid on the job, which included pulling up all 11 pieces of equipment, including a container holding 1,190 litres of hydraulic fluid in pails. The deadline for those proposals was June 4. Three outfits ended up vying for the work. The Environment Ministry hopes a decision will be announced next week -- just as the whales are due to arrive.
Among the many adjectives used to describe government, "nimble" is not near the top of the list.
The province's request for proposals, recognizing the tight timelines, asked salvagers to devise two plans, one in which the work would be done in June, the other in October. But wait, says Borrowman, the orcas still hang around in the fall. "October is not a good month," he says. "There could very well be heavy activity well into December." By then the weather would be too snotty for the salvagers to work. It might not be safe to do the job until spring of 2009. Gulp.
Up in Sointula, Living Oceans executive director Jennifer Lash says there's no use dwelling on what might have been had officialdom's response been faster. "We can gripe all we want, but we have to keep moving." If the salvage work must wait until fall or later, she wants to see a monitoring program and a response plan in place, just in case the fuel is freed. No use crying over spilt milk, so let's prepare for spilled diesel instead.
If there's good news, it's that the A30 family of orcas have been spotted near Gil Island (which, you might recall, is where the Queen of the North sank). Researchers had been worried about the A30s, as the whales had passed through the fuel slick that fouled the surface after the barge tipped.
Happily, all of the animals have been accounted for. They appear to be heading south, which could put them in Robson Bight in matter of days, seeing as how whales move much faster than government.
Nobody really wants the sunken fuel truck to rust out and send 12,000 litres of diesel glooping up to the surface of Robson Bight.
It doesn't matter what the intent is, though. If political foot-dragging results in fuel fouling the internationally renowned killer whale preserve, the damage will be the same. Then you'll see some warp-speed butt-covering, people displaying the kind of get-'er-done resolve heretofore unassociated with this file.
It has been 10 months since a barge tipped 11 pieces of logging equipment into the water, 30 kilometres down Johnstone Strait from Port McNeill. The way things are going, it could be another 10 months before the gear is hauled to the surface. That has everyone holding their breath, thinking of that corroding fuel truck.
"What happens if it leaks in August when there are 50 or 100 whales around?" asks Jim Borrowman. He's on the phone from Telegraph Cove, where he runs Stubbs Island Charters, the whale- and wildlife-watching company.
He's usually pretty circumspect, knows the workings of government well enough that he doesn't like to unload on its practitioners, but on this occasion he has a hard time keeping the anxiety out of his voice.
"The window is narrowing literally by the day now," he says. It might, in fact, be closed already. It's hard to predict, but the northern resident killer whales could show up in Robson Bight any day now. Once they arrive, it will be too late to raise the truck for fear the fuel spills during the move.
Alas, so far all that has been raised is the question of why this is taking so long. The barge dumped its load Aug. 20, 2007. (Pause here to wonder what it was doing there in the first place.)
The coast guard, armed with a report that estimated the fuel truck had been crushed on the way down, declined to inspect the wreckage. In fact, it wasn't until December that government, goaded by groups like Greenpeace and the Living Oceans Society, which had begun fishing into their own wallets to hire a submersible, took an underwater look. Surprise, surprise, there was the truck, 350 metres down, upright and uncrushed.
It then took until April for Ottawa and the provincial government to jointly announce they would spend up to $1 million to clean up the mess. It was May when salvagers were invited to bid on the job, which included pulling up all 11 pieces of equipment, including a container holding 1,190 litres of hydraulic fluid in pails. The deadline for those proposals was June 4. Three outfits ended up vying for the work. The Environment Ministry hopes a decision will be announced next week -- just as the whales are due to arrive.
Among the many adjectives used to describe government, "nimble" is not near the top of the list.
The province's request for proposals, recognizing the tight timelines, asked salvagers to devise two plans, one in which the work would be done in June, the other in October. But wait, says Borrowman, the orcas still hang around in the fall. "October is not a good month," he says. "There could very well be heavy activity well into December." By then the weather would be too snotty for the salvagers to work. It might not be safe to do the job until spring of 2009. Gulp.
Up in Sointula, Living Oceans executive director Jennifer Lash says there's no use dwelling on what might have been had officialdom's response been faster. "We can gripe all we want, but we have to keep moving." If the salvage work must wait until fall or later, she wants to see a monitoring program and a response plan in place, just in case the fuel is freed. No use crying over spilt milk, so let's prepare for spilled diesel instead.
If there's good news, it's that the A30 family of orcas have been spotted near Gil Island (which, you might recall, is where the Queen of the North sank). Researchers had been worried about the A30s, as the whales had passed through the fuel slick that fouled the surface after the barge tipped.
Happily, all of the animals have been accounted for. They appear to be heading south, which could put them in Robson Bight in matter of days, seeing as how whales move much faster than government.
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