Fishermen in the San Juan Islands are being asked to make
sacrifices this summer to help Puget Sound’s fish-eating killer
whales. Whether the voluntary actions will make much difference is
open to speculation.
A voluntary “no-go zone” for boats cruising the western
shoreline of San Juan Island has been announced by the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife. Boaters are asked to stay
one-quarter mile offshore for most of the island’s west side. A
half-mile protective zone around Lime Kiln Lighthouse is part of
the voluntary no-go zone. (See map.)
“This voluntary no-go zone is a good step in helping to reduce
human impacts in an important foraging area for Southern Resident
killer whales,” Penny Becker, WDFW’s policy lead on killer whales,
said in a news
release.
Years ago, the western shoreline of San Juan Island was a
primary hangout for whales, which eat mostly chinook salmon during
the summer months. In recent years, however, declines in chinook
runs have reduced the time spent by the whales in any one location,
so the effects of the voluntary closure are likely to be muted.
Classical composer Alex Shapiro, who lives on San Juan Island,
has a nice way of connecting music with her passion for the local
waters in Puget Sound.
“When I’m not crawling around the shoreline and shooting photos
of wildlife, I’m working on becoming a more adept note alignment
specialist,” she writes in her blog “Notes from the
Kelp.” “I compose music, mostly for chamber ensembles and
symphonic wind bands who kindly offer my notes to the air and
anyone within earshot.”
“Notes from the Kelp” is a nice play on words, since it is both
the name of a blog
and an album of
music, two ways of communicating with people about what Alex
calls a “heartbreakingly beautiful part of the planet.”
The first video on this page is Alex’s composition “Deep”
from “Notes from the Kelp.” When I close my eyes and listen to
this piece, I think about scuba diving along the bottom of Puget
Sound in very cold waters. In my vision, I first encounter all
sorts of bottom-dwelling organisms, such as sea pens and sea
urchins, but the music also inspires a feeling of doom, which I
associate with low-oxygen dead zones where nothing can live.
Here’s what Alex writes about “Deep”: “Sometimes I make the
mistake of believing that I’m not being unless I’m
doing and moving. This piece was my challenge to
myself to be still and present. And in doing so, I’ve never
been as much before. Like the sea, my truth lies below,
and I am happiest when I am immersed.”
The second video shows clarinetist Jeff Gallagher performing
Alex’s “Water
Crossing” during a concert in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 2016. Alex
writes about what she was thinking during the composition process
in the “Recordings”
section of her website. She describes a mythical voyage in a canoe
that turns into a sailboat. Dolphins dance ahead of the boat before
it returns to the safety of shore.
I have spent some time lately perusing this “Recordings”
page for a smorgasbord of music and observations on life. It’s
here you can find a list of Alex’s musical contributions, listen to
recordings and read about her music.
I first learned about Alex and her work from the third video on
this page. It was created as a promotion for the University of
Washington, yet Alex finds a way to talk about the importance of
science and how her music is like scientific exploration. The San
Juan Islands, where she lives, has always been an important place
to study sea life and shoreline dynamics — and it’s not just
because the islands are home to the UW’s Friday Harbor
Laboratories.
Alex has been traveling a lot lately and working on various
projects, as she freely describes on her Facebook page. Also, as
it turns out, she is moving from the home on San Juan Island that
she has written so passionately about. But she’s not going far,
since her new home is another waterfront location on San Juan
Island. I look forward to further notes from the kelp.
A European green crab, one of the most dreaded invasive species
in the world, has finally arrived in Puget Sound.
Caught in a crab trap on San
Juan Island were these fish, along with the first European green
crab ever found in Puget Sound.
Photo: Craig Staude, courtesy of Washington Sea
Grant
A single adult green crab was caught in a trap deployed on San
Juan Island by a team of volunteers involved in a regionwide effort
to locate the invasive crabs before they become an established
population.
Until now, green crabs have never been found in Puget Sound,
although they have managed to establish breeding populations along
the West Coast — including Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor in
Washington and the western side of Vancouver Island in British
Columbia.
Here’s what I wrote: “Puget Sound has so far avoided an
invasion of European green crabs — at least none have been found —
but the threat could be just around the corner….
“Green crabs are but one of the invasive species threatening
Washington state, but they are getting special attention because of
fears they could seriously affect the economy and ecosystem of
Puget Sound. Besides devouring young native crabs and shellfish,
they compete for food with a variety of species, including fish and
birds.”
Along the beach, careful
observers may find weathered crab molts of all sizes. The green
crab, upper left, can be distinguished by the five points on each
side of the carapace. (Click to enlarge.)
Photo: Jeff Adams, Washington Sea Grant
In Canada, one breeding population has been identified in Sooke
Inlet near the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. That’s about
40 miles away from Westcott Bay, where Puget Sound’s first green
crab was found on Tuesday.
It is likely that the crab traveled to San Juan Island in its
early free-swimming larval form by drifting with the currents, said
Jeff Adams, a marine ecologist for Washington Sea Grant who manages
the Crab Team of volunteers. This crab likely settled down in
suitable habitat and located enough food to grow into an adult.
Based on the crab’s size, it probably arrived last year, Jeff told
me.
European green crab //
Photo: Gregory Jensen, UW
Finding a green crab in Puget Sound is alarming, Jeff said, but
it is a good sign that the first crab was found by the volunteer
monitors. That suggests that the trapping program is working. If
this first crab turns out to be a single individual without a mate,
then the threat would die out, at least for now.
The concern is that if one crab can survive in Puget Sound, then
others may also be lurking around, increasing the chance of
male-female pairing. The next step is to conduct a more extensive
trapping effort in the area where the first green crab was found,
then branch out to other suitable habitats in the San Juan Islands,
Jeff said. The expanded effort is planned for the week of Sept. 11
and will include a search for molts — the shells left behind when
crabs outgrow their exoskeletons and enter a new stage of
growth.
Green crab
Researchers and others who work with invasive species quickly
recovered from their initial surprise at finding a green crab in
Puget Sound, then got down to business in planning how to survey
for crabs and manage their potential impacts.
Allen Pleus, coordinator of the Aquatic Invasive Species Program
at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, told me several
weeks ago that if green crabs show up in Puget Sound, one idea
would be to conduct an extensive trapping program to eradicate or
at least reduce their population. First, however, the extent of the
infestation must be identified. I expect that more extensive
trapping will be planned next spring and summer to look for
offspring from any successful mating in the San Juan Islands.
This video shows a green crab found in Willapa Bay on the
Washington Coast.
Typically, green crabs are found in marshy areas, which are
habitats extensively used by our native hairy shore crab. But Jeff
tells me that some populations of green crabs seem to be expanding
their habitat into more exposed rocky areas.
With roughly 400 suitable sites for the crabs in Puget Sound,
invasive species experts are calling for everyone who visits a
beach to look for green crabs and their molts. One can learn to
identify green crabs from the
Washington Sea Grant website. The volunteer trapping program is
funded by the Environmental Protection Agency with a grant to Fish
and Wildlife.
A public discussion about green crabs and how people can help
protect Puget Sound from an invasion is scheduled for Sept. 13 at
Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island. See Crab
Team Public Presentation.
“We went out yesterday with the mission of checking up on J39
who was seen earlier this week with a fishing lure hanging out of
his mouth. As of yesterday we were able to determine that his new
found accessory was no longer attached. Whether he swallowed it or
it fell out on it’s own, we may never know. He appeared fine
yesterday, and was behaving normally.”
—–
Killer whale experts will be closely watching J-39, a
12-year-old male orca named Mako, to see how he manages to get
along with fishing gear caught in his mouth. So far, he does not
appear to be injured.
Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research said it is likely
that the young orca swallowed a fish on the end of the fishing line
and may have swallowed the hook as well. It appears a white flasher
— a type of lure — is still attached to the line just outside the
whale’s mouth.
A 12-year-old orca named Mako
seems to be caught with fishing gear in his mouth in this photo
taken Saturday along the west side of San Juan Island. The whale
does not appear to be injured.
Photo: Barbara Bender/All Aboard Sailing via
AP
Ken said killer whales often swim in and around fishing gear,
though he has never seen a whale with a fishing lure dangling from
its mouth.
“I don’t think it is a major issue to their survival,” he said.
“They are pretty tough.”
Assuming the fisherman who lost the gear was fishing legally, it
would be a barbless hook, which might allow it and the flasher to
come loose. Ken said it might be helpful for the fisherman to come
forward to describe the setup on his line.
Ken said a male orca designated L-8 was found to have a large
mass of fishing gear in his stomach when he was examined after
death in 1978. The fishing gear was not what killed him, however,
Ken said. The whale was caught in a gillnet and drowned. (Today,
the articulated skeleton of that whale, named Moclips, is on
display at The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor.)
NOAA Fisheries, which has responsibility for managing marine
mammals, has hired the Center for Whale Research to locate and
observe J-39 to see whether he is free of the fishing gear or has
trouble getting enough food. Experts will look for a depression
behind the blowhole to see if the whale is losing significant
weight. The condition is called “peanut head” because of how the
depression appears.
“We need to see what the whale’s condition is and if it gets
peanut head,” Ken told me.
Howard Garret of Orca Network said he has not heard of any
recent sightings J-39 or J pod, one of the three groups of killer
whales listed as endangered. A photo taken Saturday near False Bay
(west side of San Juan Island) was provided to Orca Network by
Barbara Bender of All Aboard Sailing. Orca Network forwarded the
information to NOAA Fisheries.
Lynne Barre, chief of the Protected Resources Branch in NOAA
Fisheries’ Seattle office, said the following in a news release
issued this afternoon:
“We’re obviously very concerned about the lure and how it might
affect J-39’s feeding and behavior. We appreciate the reports from
whale watchers who first noticed this and we will work with our
partners on the water to watch J-39 carefully.”
It appears too early to decide whether a direct intervention
would be helpful or advisable, but I wouldn’t rule it out as a last
resort. NOAA Fisheries officials are hoping the fishing line will
come loose on its own, but they will use any new observations and
photographs by the Center for Whale Research to consider options
for helping the animal.
—–
Meanwhile, in other orca news, Saturday will be Orca Network’s
annual commemoration of the killer whale captures 45 years ago,
when more than 100 orcas were herded into Whidbey Island’s Penn
Cove.
The younger orcas were sent to marine parks throughout the
world. By 1987, all but one had died in captiivity, but the one
survivor — Lolita — still inspires an effort to bring her back to
her native waters.
Saturday’s commemoration will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Penn
Cove and Coupeville Recreation Hall. Speakers include John
Hargrove, author of “Beneath the Surface,” David Neiwart, author of
“Of Orcas and Men,” and Sandra Pollard, author of “Puget Sound
Whales for Sale.” Music includes the Derik Nelson Band.
The day’s events will be followed by an evening ceremony
involving the Sammish Tribe. For details and ticket info, visit
Orca Network’s
webpage.
In talking to Jon Stern of the Northeast Pacific Minke
Whale project, I learned that the pictured minke calf does not
appear to be a newborn after all. The young animal probably was
born in January, the normal birthing time for minkes, and it is
likely to be weened and learning from its mother how to hunt for
food.
As far as I can tell, the other information below is
accurate.
“The larger whale is a whale we’ve seen since 2005,” Jon told
me. “We named the whale ‘Joan’ for Joni Mitchell.”
The first time the research team spotted this whale, it was
swimming in circles, Jon explained. Jon started singing Mitchell’s
“The Circle Game” (“And the seasons they go round and round …”).
And the name “Joan” stuck.
The female has been seen with other calves, which are normally
about 9 feet long when born and about 14 feet when weened at four
or five months.
Seeing the whale with another young calf is a good sign that new
individuals are being added to the Puget Sound population, which
may now total more than 20 animals, Jon said.
Minke whales are faster than other whales and still the most
mysterious whales seen in Puget Sound, he confirmed, adding, “The
coolest whales are the minke whales.”
—–
A once-in-a-lifetime sighting of a newborn minke whale,
accompanied by its mother, was reported last weekend near San Juan
Island.
Shane Aggergaard of Island Adventures Whale Watching had this to
say about it:
A newborn minke whale swims
with its mother near Heins Bank in the San Juan Islands on
Saturday. (Click to enlarge.)
Photo courtesy of Brooke McKinley, Island Adventures Whale
Watching
“I’ve been working these waters for over three decades now, and
I talked to Ron Bates of Five Star Whale Watching and other
researchers and skippers who have been here just as long or longer,
and we’ve never seen anything like this. We do see minkes a lot,
especially this time of year, and we’ve seen juveniles traveling
with their mothers, but never a newborn.”
Shane made his comments in a news release issued by Michael
Harris of Pacific Whale Watch
Association, who noted that minkes are common residents of
Puget Sound — but the sighting a newborn in local waters may be
unprecedented.
“We’ve been keeping tabs on whales for almost 40 years and we’ve
never seen a minke this young out there,” Ken Balcomb of the Center
for Whale Research was quoted as saying. “It’s an extremely
interesting sighting. Let’s hope it means that the population is
growing.”
Island Adventures Captain and Naturalist Brooke McKinley
captured the photos on this page and others from the boat Island
Adventurer 4. She has shared the pictures with whale researchers in
our region. The mom and calf were spotted Saturday afternoon near
Hein Bank, about five miles southwest of San Juan Island.
Photo: Brooke McKinley,
Island Adventures
Michael added his own perspective:
“Thanks to people like Ken Balcomb we know more about our
resident killer whales here than any marine mammal population in
the world. And yet we know very little about a species that also
makes its home out here, the minke.
“It’s probably our most mysterious whale, and now we’ve just
been given a rare glimpse of a newborn. The scientists we gave
these photos to are kids in a candy store. This is a very special
occurrence, and having these amazing images to review may provide a
lot of clues to researchers.
“The more we learn about these minke whales, the better equipped
we are to protect every creature out there.”
Here’s a description of the minke provided by Harris:
“The minke is a member of the rorqual family of whales (whales
with baleen, a dorsal fin, and throat pleats) and spends very
little time at the surface. It’s one of the fastest whales in the
ocean, capable of speeds up to about 25 miles per hour. its blows
are rarely visible and it disappears quickly after exhaling, making
it difficult to spot – and to study.
“The minke is one of the smallest of baleen whales, with adults
reaching a maximum of just about 33 feet and 10 tons. However, a
good look at the minke underwater shows it to be one of the most
beautiful of all cetacea, with a slender and streamlined body, dark
on top and light-colored at the bottom, with two areas of lighter
gray on each side, some with a light-colored chevron mark on their
back and a white band on each flipper.
“They are often solitary animals, particularly in the Salish
Sea, feeding primarily on krill and small schooling fish like
herring.”
Minke whales are among the marine mammals I featured in the
ongoing series “Taking
the pulse of Puget Sound,” where I reported that at least a
half-dozen minkes are believed to inhabit Puget Sound. The number is now believed to be more
than 20. For management purposes the local minkes are
grouped with a California/Oregon/Washington stock numbering between
500 and 1,000 animals. Nobody knows if the population is growing or
declining.
I’m happy to inform you that reports of a killer whale being
struck off the west side of San Juan Island this morning apparently
were false.
Erin Heydenreich, Ken Balcomb and others with the Center for
Whale Research spent about two hours on the water this afternoon
checking out L-90, a 19-year-old female known as “Ballena.” She was
the orca reported to have been struck by a boat going too fast near
the whales.
“We got a very good look at her,” Erin noted. “There were no
signs of injury or indications that she had been struck.”
She noted that the orca was acting “strange,” including logging
at the surface for unusually long times, moving slowly and making
brief dives. That may have been one reason that observers believed
she had been struck by a boat.
But another explanation for her unusual behavior is that Ballena
is pregnant and about to have a calf, she said. That type of
behavior has been seen in the past among expectant orca moms.
“She is at that age where she should be having a calf (her
first),” she said. “She could be having a difficult pregnancy or
something may be wrong with her not related to this vessel
thing.”
Erin said officers with the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife questioned individuals involved with the incident and
reported that it was unlikely that any whale was hit.
She said the researchers also checked out J-32, a 15-year-old
female that was initially reported in the area. That whale, named
“Rhapsody,” also showed no signs of injury.
The Center for Whale Research plans to watch L-90 especially
closely the next few days to see if she has a new calf or otherwise
changes her behavior.
Craig Bartlett of WDFW confirmed that officers had talked to the
occupants of a large pleasure boat that had been moving slowly
through the area. They were surprised that anyone believed
something was seriously wrong, he said.
