More
Humpback Whale reports from Mexico this time, another
favourite wintering spot for them. We have identified a few that
spend their winters in either Mexico or Hawaii and summers in the
Johnstone Strait area.
Also
in the news is the necropsy of the 3 year old Southern Resident
Orca Whale L112 found dead near Long Beach in Washington State on
Feb. 11. See more information below. It's always sad when a whale
dies and we can only hope that there will be some definitive
information that can be acted upon coming out of the necropsy
results. More links and information below including yet another Sea
Turtle in BC waters.
Susan
MacKay, Whales
and Dolphins BC
Transient
Orca
February
11: (Possibly the same Orca seen February 14 by Powell River –
SM)
Tracey
and Ian Cobane, who were staying at the beach cabin at Bold Buff
today, saw a group of about
9 Orcas swimming
south in Sansum
Narrows (Salt Spring
Islands, BC) about 11
am this morning.
They returned, swimming North about 3
pm. Ian thought
there were 3 big males, and a few babies, splashing and jumping
(feeding? Playing?) Tamar
Griggs, Bold Bluff submitted
by: Susan Berta &
Howard Garrett, Orca
Network,
Whidbey Island, WA
Orca by Texada Island
February 14, 2012
Photo: Susan MacKay
Humpback
Whales
February
14:
We saw
whales breaching at a distance here in Mexico, too. I assume
they were humpbacks. Way too Far out to get pictures but saw 2
blowing and breaching for about 10 minutes
Michael
Southern
Resident Orca
A
3-year old female L pod juvenile, L112, was found dead near
Long Beach, WA on Saturday, February 11. She died of "significant
trauma" and had been dead about three days when found,
according the initial necropsy report.
So far
no cause of death has been determined, but injuries from military
sonars have been suggested, and as readers of the February 8
sightings report saw, Canadian navy exercises practiced using sonars
in Haro Strait around 5 am on February 6, as part of a multi-vessel
training exercise from February 5 to February 18. In addition, NOAA
has permitted US naval training along the Washington coast, involving
explosive munitions in addition to sonar training. A few weeks ago a
group of conservationists and American Indian tribes sued the
National Marine Fisheries Service to curtail the Navy's expanded
training exercises in whale habitat.
Further examination will hopefully find the cause of L112's untimely demise. If sonars or explosive ordnance is found to have killed her, concerns have been raised about her mother L86, her brother L106, and other L pod members who also may have been impacted.
Further examination will hopefully find the cause of L112's untimely demise. If sonars or explosive ordnance is found to have killed her, concerns have been raised about her mother L86, her brother L106, and other L pod members who also may have been impacted.
More
Links in the News
Sea
Turtle, Dolphins, Grey Whales plus more
Here
are some more interesting links submitted by Lisa Spaven of
the Marine Mammal Response Network – remember if you see any
injured, distressed or dead marine mammals please call the incident
reporting hotline at 1-800-465-4336:
A 4th
sea turtle found in Pacific Rim National Park (this one another
green turtle and already dead)
And
sad news from of a killer whale death...L112 found dead on
Long Beach WA Saturday. Preliminary necropsy results (see link
above) suggest unknown source of trauma to head. (These links
are original news reports - SM)
Legal
news: Court compels Ottawa to protect Killer Whale habitat
Dolphin
stranding video: International Fund for Animal Welfare video
compilation of dolphin mass stranding efforts in Cape Cod this past
month
The
coolness and vulnerability of the sperm whale:
True
story of the rescue of 3 ice stranded grey whales (aka Big Miracle
movie)
2012
Charter Cruises
Enjoy a personalized week long
Charter Cruise in the pristine wilderness of the Great Bear
Rainforest. Information can be found on the 2012
Charter Cruises pages of Whales
and Dolphins BC.