Close Encounter... Too Close For Comfort!

StarNewsOnline.com: The Voice of Southeastern North Carolina:

"Ellis Miller found himself face-to-face with an orca charging at him in 4 feet of water Saturday in Helm Bay. The animal, estimated to be more than 25 feet long, bumped but did not bite him.

'I looked underwater and there was this huge head right in front of me,' Ellis told the Ketchikan Daily News.

Biologists said whale may have been curious or it may have aborted an attack.

'If it had wanted to take him, it would have,' said Gary Freitag"

Wow, that must have been one bizarre encounter. What a close one too!

Gary

Migrating Around Africa

Humpback whale's movements make history:

"For the first time, a genetic study has followed a humpback whale from one ocean basin to another, adding to the knowledge of whales' migratory patterns.

Researchers reporting in the most recent issue of the Royal Society's Biology Letters, said a male humpback whale first sighted in Madagascar's Antongil Bay in 2000 was found in 2002 swimming off the coast of Loango National Park in Gabon -- on the other side of the African continent."

Chalking one up for whale research. What a breakthrough in knowledge, now if only they could keep track of them in an easy way.

All the more we know about whales, the more we'll be able to help them survive.

Gary

Whales Can't Call 911 For Help - But This Is Close

I got this email from Pawel Achtel, who is planning an amazing project!

However, he needs some funding to cover some of his costs to make this project possible.

Over the last week I've been discussing with Pawel the possibility of raising funds trhough a website from the general public, like you - because right now he is just relying on corporate/business sponsorship.

So coming soon I will be posting a site that you can make donations to this project:

I am in a need of urgent assistance and support. If there was a way to stop Japanese whaling, it could not get any better than this.

Background:

As you may be aware Japan has decided to illegally kill whales despite the outrage of public opinion, international laws and disapproval of IWC. Yoshimasa Hayashi, a member of Japan's House of Councillors, warned that it would break the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling if international regulators failed to establish a whaling management system by the end of June. In addition, Hayashi said Japan will double its annual quota of research whaling from the current more than 700, increasing both the number of species hunted and the hunting area. And for the first time in two decades, Japan will target the endangered humpback and fin species.

And Japan will get away with it because IWC regulations have no enforcement agency to back up the rules and other nations are reluctant to impose economic sanctions on such a powerful nation. Even though Australian government has strongly opposed such senseless killing, it decided not to use enforcement as it did with other violations, such as illegal Indonesian fishing boats.

However, there is one unofficial enforcement agency for international regulations and conventions and that is Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (www.seashepherd.org). Stopping the Japanese whaling fleet is the priority campaign for the Sea Shepherd for this year. Captain Paul Watson and his crew are preparing their flagship the Farley Mowat and they will be crossing the Pacific to Australia for final preparations to head down to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. Sea Shepherd intends to intervene and intends to intercept the Japanese fleet in December 2005 and January 2006.

The Society unsuccessfully hunted the Japanese fleet during the 2002 and 2003 fleet. “It was our first attempt and we learned what we needed to learn to find them. I am confident that we will find them this year and I am confident we will be able to interfere with their cruel intentions,” said Captain Paul Watson. And, they are not novices. During the last twenty-five years, Sea Shepherd has sunk two Icelandic whalers, two Spanish whalers, one pirate whaler in Portugal, three Norwegian whalers, and assisted South Africa in seizing and sinking two additional pirate whalers. Additionally, Sea Shepherd forced the pirate whaler Cape Fisher to drop out of the illegal activity for a total of eleven whaling operations shut down.

I have contacted Captain Paul Watson and I intend to join them to help achieve their goal. I have substantial resources and skills for such operation. I am also intending to produce an IMAX and cinema film about whales and the action in Antarctica this summer. I believe that a giant screen conservation film showing beauty of whales, cruel and illegal action of Japanese whales and their subsequent failure to achieve financial gain are going to send strong message and will put international whaling into history.

I am asking for funding to help finance the filming on this trip only. While the production cost is estimated to be around $3 - $4mln, at this stage it is critical that I acquire extensive footage from this expedition. I have other arrangements in place to secure further funding to finish the film. The time is critical as I have to start necessary preparations right now.

Wow, isn't that great!

If you have done any amount of research on the state of whales, you will know that the whales are in drastic need of protection from whaling nations. If they aren't protected then many of them will be extinct within ten years!

WE NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO PROTECT THE WHALES FROM THE WHALING NATIONS...

Or else they will be gone forever, and that would be a shame!

I will give updates on the progress of this project as I hear them, and will be posting the link to the website soon.

- Gary Schmidt

Ship Zones To Help Whales

RedNova News - Science - Ship Zones Recommended to Help Whales:

"FREDERICTON, New Brunswick -- Scientists are recommending speed zones for ship traffic as one way to help to help the endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

Whale experts studying the right whale in the Bay of Fundy this summer said that while there are more calves than usual, too many of the slow-moving leviathans are being killed in ship collisions."

They can certainly use all the help they can get... as long as it gets tangible results, which this has the potential for.

Gary

An Expensive Dinner

miriyasterling: Having a bad day?!?:

"The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers.

A minute later, in full view,! a killer whale ate them both."

Ain't that great!

Just had to share it with you - a little humor.

Seals Gotta Swim, Whales Gotta Eat!

Gary

Update Dead Calf

Townsville Bulletin: Dead whale recovery 'to take days' [ 03aug05 ]: "MARINE authorities say it could take days to recover the body of a dead baby humpback whale and determine if it was killed by shark nets on Queensland's Gold Coast"

The last post about the task of trying to recover the dead humpback calf had not been completed due to the distressed mother protecting it. They hope that the calf's body will float to the surface within 3 days, and then will be able to recover it and examine it to determine what the cause of death was. Whether the calf died from being caught in the shark nets or any other means.

Gary

Aggressive Protection Of Dead Calf

Mother thwarts dead calf's retrieval: "A MOTHER whale in mourning for her dead calf has thwarted divers' attempts to retrieve the mammal's body in waters off the Gold Coast."

After the young calf (about 4 meters long) died after being caught in a shark net, its mother was aggressive towards the divers that tried to retrieve the calf.

Would give you second thoughts about wanting to really get too close to these creatures (stern warning).

Gary

Tha's What You Get

LiSa'S sPaCe: back from california!!: "we went whale watching...it was ok first the first 2 hours but after that it got boring.....we were on the boat for 5 hours!!"

That's what you get for not preparing yourself or being aware of it. You gotta be prepared. Know what you are going to get out of it... it particularly is good to know how long before you go.

Also, by bringing something to do perhaps you wouldn't be so bored!

Learn from others,

Gary

No Time Left For Right Whales!

RedNova News - Science - Scientist Warns North Atlantic Right Whale Facing Extinction: "The North Atlantic right whale's future looks grim if the current mortality rates continue, according to Florida State University assistant professor of oceanography Douglas Nowacek and a group of fellow scientists from across the nation."

Apparently the North Atlantic Right Whales are the most endangered whales. Even though there are births at an average rate of 23, this is estimated to be inadequate to overcome the levels of mortality they have seen.

They are estimating that the right whales face extinction within the next 100 years, if there aren't any changes in the management of shipping and fisheries!

Such gloomy news...

Gary

Too Many Whale Deaths

Environmental Economics: Whale economics: "More than 8 in 10 deaths of right whales may be going undiscovered"

These undiscovered whale deaths must be resolved. There are only an estimated 350 right whales to be present in the North Atlantic.

They must determine what the reason for the deaths are, and find solutions that properly address the issue.

Iceland and Norway are both nations that are involved in commercial whaling... how much of the unreported deaths might be because of these nations? This article doesn't say. Nor does it say if they even have a part in this, it doesn't give any potential reasons.

Hopefully good solutions that will resolve the problem are made.

Gary Schmidt