We Want Whales!

David McGuire, Director of SeaStewards.org (a non profit shark conservation and documentary film organization) and our newest naturalist, wrote a lively account of last Sunday's SFBay Whale Watching trip and provided us with terrific photos too. David has been a champion steward of the marine life in San Francisco Bay and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. He conducts a shark tagging program in the San Francisco Bay with the California Academy of Sciences. Take it away David:


"Sunday was another great day on the Gulf of the Farallones. The weather gods have been smiling -even if you couldnt see their grin through the morning fog - and the wind and waves again have been laid down flat. The grey skies didn’t dampen spirits aboard the Captain Joey as we steamed past the Golden Gate and up the coast looking for our summering Grey Whale. We didn’t see him but the shy black harbor porpoises and one un-verifed tall black fin near Point Bonita set the stage for another trip to Cetacean central. This week we were again joined by Christian, our 11 year old budding naturalist from Maryland and he maintained a sharp eye on the bow as the boat turned left off Duxbury Reef towards the Islands. Undaunted by the spray it was Christian who observed a tall black fin with a straight back edge. There are only a few animals that have that description and although I didn’t see it, I can say it was probably not an Orca or Grampus. Let your imagination run, or swim, to the tune of dum dum, dum dum…"



"Jaws or not, we threaded our way past the reef full of fishing boats trying to get the season's last salmon (lets hope its not the season’s LAST salmon with all the impacts from poor water flows in breeding habitat, loss of breeding streams and yes, fishing- but that is another blog)."


"We had several International guests aboard: a family from Israel, a gentleman from Columbia and a researcher from the Netherlands all in search of their first whale. “We want whales!” Was the cry aboard as we powered along. The pressure mounted as we piloted past the mid channel mark and the islands loomed high on the horizon without sight of the Blue Whales that have been feeding in the channel. Although foggy, the visibility across the water has been extraordinary with a view of the Golden Gate from over twenty miles out and we kept our eyes out for the tell- tale tall blow of the Blue Whale’s exhale."


"Along the way we spotted Pelagic and Brandt’s Cormorrants, Pigeon Guillemonts, lots of the (un) Common Murres, Flesh Footed Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and other pelagic (open water) species but without a real bird enthusiast aboard it was hard to get the group inspired. They wanted a whale."



"The numerous California Sea Lions dolphined alongside and piled up on the NOAA weather buoy and greeted us at the South East Farallon Island (SEFI) looking every bit like sea dogs, but still no whales. Last week we had already seen four whales by the time we got to the island. The water is green and the temperature has dropped which is a good sign for the krill to remain, and the great whales are’nt here for the tourists: they are here for the krill."



"The volunteers on a sailboat from the Farallones Patrol lay at anchor outside the East Landing, manned by local sailors who bring biologists on and off the island and carry provisions to the research station. The water swarmed with Phallaropes, Marbeled Murrelets and more Murres but my scintiallting tale of the egg wars couldn’t gain any traction. “We want whales!” Seemed to be the mantra today. Tough crowd. Looping past the lee and the marine terrace (no rock hounds aboard either) we putted up towards Middle Rock and spotted several Black Albatross floundering along in the limp breeze. These ocean voyagers fly gracefully in a gale but in a calm they are awkward and have to work hard to alight from the surface. It’s wonderful to see these rare birds- but still no whales a few passengers grumbled."



"Through the corner of my eye I saw breach four miles away near North Island, but when I pointed it out the whale was gone. A mutinous glare cast around the cabin and deck. “Sure,” they seemed to say. “We want whales!” More Alcids fluttered about- our version of penguins, but not a sign of a whale or dolphin."



"The skipper headed south and slightly east on a long tack back and suddenly a Humpback blew in the distance and another! The boat approached slowly and the crowd reveled in the lob tailing and flukes and blows of the two whales as they dived and surfaced. After several minutes we headed south and soon beheld a waving whale, repeatedly splashing its long pectoral fin in the water."


"The mood lightened, the cold piercing stares abated and smiles were on every face as this whale lolled and sidled along, periodically rolling on its side showing flukes and the pale white underside of the fifteen foot appendage. Another half hour and we were on our way home when we experinced the coup de gras for our first time whalers: two Blue Whales swimming langorously north. The sight of the largest animal on earth (or more appropriately ocean as the planet should be called since nearly three quarters of the planet is water.) is breathtaking. Dr. Steven Palumbi of Stanford published a study suggesting that Blue Whales before whaling may have numbered nearly three hundred thousand and that the current population is less than five thousand world wide. This year Japan was nearly able to reach the three quarters of votes to overturn the moratorium on whaling in the International Whaling Commission. Last year, Japan reports taking over 1000 Minke, Sei, Bryde and Fin Whales for “scientific purposes.” Outside reporters consider that number 20% of the true take. This same whale meat has been sampled through genetic analysis by Dr Palumbi in Japan supermarkets."


"At the 2010 meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Morocco, representatives of the 88 member nations discussed whether or not to lift the 24 year ban on commercial whaling and Japan has been buying votes through good will donations to Carribean and African Nations. Japan, Norway and Iceland have urged the organization to lift the ban. More than 200 scientists and experts have opposed the compromise proposal for lifting the ban, and have also opposed allowing whaling in the Southern Ocean, which was declared a whale sanctuary in 1994. It is difficult to understand how nations like Noway, Iceland and Japan can persist in whaling when we observe these graceful giants. My heart takes me into the water with them and I long to hold my breath and dive deep with my Cetacean cousins. Whales are like us, they are mammals, with warm blood and lungs that breathe and they bear their young live, and nurture them with mother’s milk. Perhaps we need to take the International Whaling Commision on a Whale Watch Tour and hope to change their minds and hearts."


"On our return, two bushy blows in the distance demarked more Humpbacks but the afternnon drew late and we pointed east to the Bay where the houses of the outer Sunset glittered in the now sunny skies. “We want whales!”"

Photos by David McGuire (excepting "Sunset" photo by Kathleen Jacques. Narration by David McGuire. Text by Kathleen Jacques.