This amazing photo of a humpback whale chasing a massive school
of herring was taken in Prince William Sound by Rich Brenner of the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
A lone humpback whale swims
into a huge school of herring, but the fish keep moving
away.
Photo by Rich Brenner, Alaska Department of Fish and
Game
Rich took the picture in April during an aerial survey of
herring. He says he has observed many humpbacks feeding on herring
during the spring survey, but this whale was not having much luck,
probably because the water was so clear. As the whale approached,
the herring kept moving away, creating odd patterns in the
water.
“As I was watching the scene, I couldn’t help but think that the
whale was expending a lot of energy and not receiving much in
return,” Rich wrote me in an email. “But the shallow depth and
clear water probably did not favor it.”
In the weeks prior to the flight, a large algae bloom covered
this area near the village of Tatitlek. If the bloom had continued,
the whale and much of the herring might have been difficult to see,
he said.
“Thus, we were very pleased to get such a clear view of the
situation and observe the movement of the herring along with the
whale. The herring school undulated away from the whale, and they
were able to keep a gap between them. Only once did we observe the
whale lunging forward and getting under the school.”
The second photo, below, shows the whale lunging upward and
possibly getting a mouthful of herring. The platform in the top
photo is part of a frame for a net pen used to hold hatchery salmon
before their release.
The spring herring survey measures the extent of the spawn along
the shoreline, which is used to estimate the overall biomass in
Prince William Sound.
Rich said he estimated that herring in this massive school would
amount to several hundred tons. GIS experts will map the school to
help construct a formal estimate of the biomass.
The state has not approved a commercial herring fishery in
Prince William Sound since 1999. During the 1980s and early 90s,
large numbers of herring were caught commercially, Rich said.
Sometime around 1993, the population crashed and has never fully
recovered.
“The reason for the depleted biomass, relative to the years when
we had a commercial fishery, is a subject that has been hotly
debated by scientists and others for the past 20 years,” he
said.
“Preliminary spawn estimates (from 2013) are 20.7 mile-days
(south of Knowles Head) and 5.5 mile-days (north of Knowles Head),
and 3.2 mile-days (Montague Island) for a total of 29.3 mile-days
of spawn. This is fewer mile-days of spawn in PWS than in any year
in which commercial fishing occurred since 1973.”
A multi-million-dollar tidal energy project in Admiralty Inlet,
north of the Kitsap Peninsula, has been approved by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission.
Tidal turbines for
Admiralty Inlet are to be provided by OpenHydro.
Graphic courtesy of OpenHydro
The Snohomish County Public Utility District, which was granted
a license for the double-tidal-turbine pilot project, says it will
be the first “grid-connected array of large-scale tidal energy
turbines in the world.” The twin turbines are designed to produce
600 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power several hundred
homes.
“Anyone who has spent time on the waters of Puget Sound
understands the power inherent in the tides,” PUD General Manager
Steve Klein said in a news
release. “In granting this license, the FERC acknowledges the
vigilant efforts of the PUD and its partners to test the viability
of a new reliable source of clean energy while at the same time
ensuring the protection of the environment and existing uses.”
The federal commission acknowledged concerns for fish and
wildlife brought forth by area tribes, whale-watch operators and
environmental groups. But the pilot project has precautionary
measures built in, according to the commission’s
order (PDF 503 kb) issued yesterday:
“For these new technologies, where the environmental effects are
not well understood, the risks of adverse environmental impacts can
be minimized through monitoring and safeguard plans that ensure the
protection of the public and the environment.
“The goal of the pilot project approach is to allow developers
to test new hydrokinetic technologies, determine appropriate sites
for these technologies, and study a technology’s environmental and
other effects without compromising the commission’s oversight of a
project or limiting agency and stakeholder input…
“A pilot project should be: (1) small; (2) short term; (3)
located in non-sensitive areas based on the commission’s review of
the record; (4) removable and able to be shut down on short notice;
(5) removed, with the site restored, before the end of the license
term (unless a new license is granted); and (6) initiated by a
draft application in a form sufficient to support environmental
analysis.”
Among tribes that fish in the area, the Suquamish Tribe raised
concerns about the likelihood of underwater turbines violating
tribal treaty rights to fish. The turbines have the potential for
killing or injuring fish, according to the tribes, and they could
become a point of entanglement for fishing nets and anchor
lines.
Tidal turbine location in
Admiralty Inlet
“Though we respect the tribes’ perspective and concerns, we
disagree that licensing this project will adversely affect their
treaty rights,” the commission stated in its order. The license
contains no restrictions on fishing, and it requires measures to
protect the fish.
Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman said tribal officials
have not had time to review the license conditions in detail but
will do so over the coming days. He said he would consult with
legal and technical advisers before laying out possible actions for
consideration by the tribal council.
Michael Harris, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch
Association and a board member for Orca Conservancy, said he was
disappointed that more people have not recognized the problems that
can be created by these turbines — especially in Admiralty Inlet, a
primary route for killer whales and many other species.
The turbines will create unusually loud and potentially painful
underwater noise, Harris said. This installation is being developed
at a time when researchers are coming to understand that noise can
disrupt the behavior of killer whales and other marine mammals.
The turbines themselves have open blades that can injure any
curious animal getting too close, he noted. And if the turbines
become a serious threat, someone must swim down and mechanically
stop the blades from turning, something that could take four
days.
“I’m not against green energy,” Harris said when I talked to him
this morning. “But let’s not put blinders on. I would like to see
these turbines located in another spot. Why not Deception
Pass?”
Harris said it is critical for people to pay close attention to
the pilot project if it goes forward. Everyone should be prepared
to stop the experiment if it proves costly to sea life.
The order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission maintains
that conditions of approval will protect killer whales and other
marine mammals:
“The Near Turbine Monitoring and Mitigation Plan requires
detection of fish and should provide observation of nearby killer
whales. Those observations combined with the hydrophone monitoring
required under the Marine Mammal Protection and Mitigation Plan
will allow detection and observation of killer whales if they come
near the turbines.
“The adaptive management provisions of the Marine Mammal
Protection and Mitigation Plan will also allow adjustments to
project operation if potential harm to killer whales is detected
or, in the very unlikely event, a whale is injured….
“This license also contains noise-related requirements that will
ensure the project does not have detrimental effects on killer
whale behavior. The Acoustic Monitoring and Mitigation Plan of this
license requires that if the sound level from turbine operation
exceeds 120 dB at a distance greater than 750 meters from the
turbine … the licensee shall engage the turbine brake until
modifications to turbine operations or configuration can be made to
reduce the sound level.”
According to several Internet sources, 120 dB is what someone
might hear standing near a chainsaw or jack hammer. That level is
considered close to the human threshold for pain.
In the Admiralty Inlet area, at least 13 local species are
listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species
Act.
One plant: golden paintbrush, threatened
One bird: marbled murrelet, threatened
Two marine mammals: Southern Resident killer whales,
endangered, and North Pacific humpback whale, endangered
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries
Service have concluded that none of the species would be in
jeopardy of extinction because of the pilot project.
Experts have concluded that marine mammals, including killer
whales, could be subjected to Level B harassment (behavioral
shifts) as a result of noise from the turbines. That would be in
violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act without incidental
take authorization. That means the Snohomish PUD must undergo
consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service and
possibly change its plans before moving forward.
The PUD chose Admiralty Inlet for its swift currents, easy
access and rocky seabed with little sediment or vegetation. A
cable-control building for connecting to the power grid will be
located on Whidbey Island near Fort Casey State Park. The turbines
will be located in about 150 feet of water about a half-mile from
shore.
The turbines are manufactured by OpenHydro of Dublin, Ireland.
Each turbine measures about 18 feet in diameter, with a 414-ton
total weight.
According to the PUD, these turbines have been used in
ecologically sensitive areas in other parts of the world. One
location is Scotland’s Orkney Islands, which features a diverse and
productive ecosystem that is home to numerous species of fish,
dolphins, seals, porpoises, whales and migrating turtles.
The pilot project has been supported with about $13 million in
grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and Bonneville Power
Administration along with federal appropriations.
Partners in various aspects of the project include the
University of Washington, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,
Sound & Sea Technology and the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory.
I always look forward to the annual photo gallery created by
Capt. Jim Maya from his favorite photos of the year. Jim owns the
whale-watching company, Maya’s Westside Whale
Watch Charters, which operates out of Snug Harbor on San Juan
Island, so he gets to see a lot of things.
Here’s Jim’s message for the year:
“Each year about this time I go through my images from the year
and try to pick out favorites. Sometimes it had to do with the
emotion of day and the memory or the company on the boat. Other
times, special lighting, composition, and other elements. I still
haven’t gotten the shot of a breaching Orca with a salmon in its
mouth, with an eagle after the salmon, in front of a lighthouse and
a mountain and a rainbow. No, I don’t even own Photoshop!”
I’ve selected eight of my favorites from the 18 that Capt. Jim
sent me. For a full gallery of photos, go to Maya’s Photo
Gallery.
Transient orcas travel
along the north side of Stuart Island. Look for a deer in the upper
right corner.A transient from the group
passing by Stuart Island.Transients pass in front of
San Juan Island and Mount Baker.Transients feed on a sea
lion in Haro Strait, San Juan Islands.
>
Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San
Juan Island.Southern Resident orcas,
San Juan Islands.A humpback stayed with
Maya’s boat for an hour. The group named the whale
“Wendy.”Humpback whale fluke seen
in the sunset, Haro Strait.
A humpback whale, first
seen in Hood Canal three weeks ago, was spotted again
today.
Photo by Connie Gallant, Greenfleet Monitoring
Expeditions
History repeated itself today on Dabob Bay, where Connie and JD
Gallant were conducting research when a humpback whale surfaced
nearby — just as events unfolded three weeks ago when the couple
first reported the animal. See
Water Ways, Jan. 31, for the initial report and some background
on humpbacks.
Connie called me early this afternoon from her boat on Hood
Canal’s Dabob Bay, then she sent a photo and e-mail with this
description:
“We spotted it close to 12:20 p.m., and it put on a nice little
show for about 10 minutes, then disappeared — same pattern as on
1/27. It was playing in same area, between Taylor Shellfish Labs
and Broadspit.
“I was again on the computer inputting data as we headed north
on Dabob Bay when JD yelled the same, ‘Whale off the port bow!’
This time, I did not hesitate flying out of the cockpit, grabbing
camera on the way.”
Connie has a hunch that the whale likes her boat, the Sea
Turtle:
“If you take a peek at the contour of the bottom of the Sea
Turtle (see Greenfleet website), you
will see that it has 2 keels and a skag on the stern. We think that
this shape must be of interest to the whale, and it is saying
‘hello’ to the Turtle!
“And, just as the last time, it was totally awesome to watch it
frolic. I absolutely cannot believe our fortune.”
The humpback whale in Hood Canal may still be around. I received
an e-mail from Barbara Clark, who spotted the whale yesterday
(Friday) about 1:50 p.m. Both she and her husband Jim saw it this
time, in the very same spot that Jim noticed it on Jan. 30 —
specifically, just north of the Great Bend of Hood Canal toward the
eastern shore.
Susan Berta of Orca Network told me that someone else saw the
whale in southern Hood Canal about the same time.
These latest sightings only reinforce the mystery of the
humpback whale that must still be swimming around Hood Canal but
not making itself very obvious.
—–
A humpback whale made a rare appearance in Hood Canal’s Dabob
Bay at the end of last week, then mysteriously disappeared from
sight.
A humpback whale was
sighted Friday in Dabob Bay by researchers Connie and JD
Gallant.
Photo by Connie Gallant
As far as I can tell, Connie and JD Gallant, who were doing
research on the bay Friday afternoon, were among the very few to
see the humpback, or possibly two of them.
It makes you wonder how often large whales, such as humpbacks,
come into Hood Canal without anyone seeing them, or at least
reporting them.
“I was so thrilled,” Connie told me this morning as she
described the encounter.
JD was motoring their 40-foot research vessel, the Sea Turtle,
near Broadspit in the northern part of the estuary when he spotted
one or more whales surfacing. JD stopped the boat, pulled up the
water-testing meter, and yelled, “Whales off the port bow!”
Connie, who was below deck inputting data into a computer, ran
up and began shooting photos. JD told Connie he believed there were
two whales, but Connie only saw one.
Personally, I can’t remember anyone reporting humpbacks in Hood
Canal. I phoned several folks I know who live on the canal, and
nobody seems to recall ever seeing humpbacks. It is quite a
different situation when one talks about visits to Hood Canal by
gray whales or killer whales, which I’ve reported through the
years.
My most memorable experience was in 2005, when a group of six
transient killer whales spent more than five months swimming up and
down the shorelines of Hood Canal, feasting on seals and sea lions
whenever they got a chance. Those orcas stayed so long I thought
they might make the canal their permanent home.
John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research told me that he has a
general recollection of a humpback showing up in Hood Canal years
ago, but he could not locate any written reports of the sightings.
If someone was able to snap a picture of the underside of the fluke
(tail) of a humpback, John said he might be able to identify the
whale from a photographic catalog of humpbacks on the West
Coast.
John tells me that a January sighting of a humpback whale is
unusual, because most of the population is now on the breeding
grounds near the Hawaiian Islands or else off the coast of Mexico.
A few humpbacks are always around, he said, but it is worrisome
when any animal shows up in a place where it is not expected.
Historically, one population of humpbacks spent the winters in
the inland waters of northern Washington and southern British
Columbia, but they were largely wiped out by commercial whalers, he
said.
The West Coast population of humpbacks has been growing at about
7.5 percent a year since the early 1990s, according to
Calambokidis. The general population now stands at about 2,000
animals, compared to about 500 more than 20 years ago.
As for the recent humpback sighting, I would like to get a
report from anyone who may have seen this whale (or two) in Hood
Canal or from anyone who may have seen one in the past.
Connie said the whale or whales that she observed Friday
appeared to be “frolicking” — that is leaping out of the water,
twisting and turning. She said they seemed to be about the size or
her boat, about 40 feet long. That would make it a fairly young
humpback.
The encounter lasted about 15 minutes, then the whales seemed to
disappear, she said.
“We hung around for about an hour,” she said, “but they didn’t
surface again.”
Connie and JD, who operate Greenfleet Monitoring
Expeditions, have been collecting water-quality data —
including information on dissolved oxygen — from Quilcene and Dabob
bays.
The humpback whale spotted
in Dabob Bay disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived.
Photo by Connie Gallant
In a most unlikely accident, a 30-foot humpback whale breached
out of the water during a sailboat race in the Pacific Ocean
Thursday, snapping off the mast of L’Orca, one of boats in the
race.
A breaching humpback whale
crashed into this sailboat, L'Orca, breaking off the mast and
leaving other damage.
Associated Press photo
Then the whale was gone, leaving behind only bits of scraped-off
skin and blubber, a broken mast and some messed up rigging. The
boat could not continue in the Oregon International Offshore
Race.
The accident occurred about 30 minutes into the race, which
began at 9 a.m. at Buoy 2 near Astoria, Ore., with a destination of
Victoria, B.C.
Ryan Barnes, son of boat owner Jerry Barnes of Sandy, Ore.,
provided this account to U.S. Coast Guard officials in a video
posted by the Daily Astorian:
“Our boat speed was about 9 knots over the water. All of a
sudden, a few inches or a foot maybe off the starboard side, a
whale came breaching out of the water … hit the mast about halfway
to three-quarters of the way up and proceeded to fall forward off
the starboard side of the boat.
“The mast came down as well as the forestay and all the rigging,
and our toe rail and all our lifelines on the starboard side of the
boat were demolished as well. No crew was injured. The crew was all
in the cockpit at the time.”
After the whale was gone, the crew came out on deck and cleared
the lines and other hazards. Other boats in the race came to assist
before the Coast Guard arrived to provide assistance to Astoria.
The Coast Guard video
also shows the damage to the boat and bits of blubber left
behind.
The incident sounds similar to a whale-boat encounter last
summer off South Africa, when a southern right whale crashed into a
sailboat. In a video by CBS
News, technicians were able to slightly enhance the original
video taken from another boat. Here’s an interview
on The Today Show with the boat’s occupants.
Boaters and shoreside observers along the Washington and British
Columbia coasts are being asked to watch for a humpback whale
dragging lines with buoys attached.
When the Cascadia team
first encountered the humpback whale, it had multiple lines wrapped
around it. The line around its head was one of those later cut off.
(Click to enlarge)
Photo courtesy of Cascadia Research
John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research in Olympia called me last
night to report that his crew had failed to find the whale
yesterday after helping to free the animal of several tangled lines
attached to multiple crab pots the day before.
Work on Thursday off La Push involved cutting lines to free the
head, back and tail of the humpback. Short video
segments, which can be downloaded from Cascadia’s website,
reveal how difficult this work was for the crew, consisting of
Calambokidis, Jeff Foster and Annie Douglas.
As the crew struggled to free the lines Thursday, the wind and
seas became rough and hard to deal with, so team returned to shore
to get additional tools they would need to free the whale, John
said in a
report on Cascadia’s website. “They had also sustained
self-inflicted damage to their boat during the effort (a puncture
of one of the pontoons) that was repaired on the 13th (Thursday),”
he wrote.
Even though the whale was not found yesterday, John said he was
“cautiously optimistic” that the animal is OK, though it probably
still has some lines attached.
He said the whale may have become more mobile as a result of the
crew’s success in freeing some of the lines. A fisherman Thursday
night apparently saw the animal about a mile from where it had
become entangled.
Friday’s search by boat failed to spot the whale or pickup a
signal from a VHF transmitter that had been attached to one of the
buoys. The transmitter has a range of about 10 miles but does not
transmit under water, so either the whale moved a good distance
from where it was or else the buoy had somehow become
submerged.
The Coast Guard has been transmitting a message up and down the
coast asking mariners to watch for the whale.
The Cascadia Team as well as Makah tribal boats are on standby
this weekend to rescue the whale if it is sighted. Anybody who
spots the animal is asked to report the location but not approach
the animal or cut any lines, since the VHF transmitter is probably
still attached.
The national Marine Mammal Hotline to call with reports is
1-800-853-1964.
