JUNE 29, 2009 50 WAYS TO SAVE THE OCEAN #1 : Go to the Beach

“When children explore tide pools, pick up and examine seashells along a golden shore, or build sand castles, they often discover a spark of wander that may inspire their life directions, bringing them to science, architecture, engineering, or a range of other callings” (50 Ways to Save the Ocean)

Edmonton, Alberta (Photo source)

I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, a city in the prairies and far from the ocean. I was 6 years old the first time I went to a beach on the ocean. My mother took my brothers and I on a trip to Victoria, British Columbia because, unbeknownst to us, she was thinking about moving us there. We instantly fell in love with this beautiful place, especially the ocean. I remember clearly, when during our visit, my mom took my brothers and me to a wishing well at the Olde England Inn, where we were staying, and we wished so hard we could move to Victoria. The wishing well worked for us because shortly after our visit my mom started planning our move to the west coast. In the fall of 1986 we found ourselves taking in the smells of the Pacific and the flowers of Victoria, our new home, as we crossed the tarmac at the Victoria airport!

My mom was very brave when she moved us to Victoria; she was a single mom in a new place with a new job and three kids. She used most of her pennies to fulfill her dream to move us here and so we didn’t have a lot. During that first year I never noticed we didn’t have much money. Life was fun…one big adventure. On most days, when school was finished, we explored the new city by foot and played at the beach just a half block from our house. We spent countless hours flipping rocks to look at crabs, exploring tide pools and chasing each other with slimy kelp fronds.

Willows Beach, Victoria

To live in a waterfront home was always a dream of my mother’s and soon after our big move to the west coast she met our step-dad and they fulfilled the dream when we moved into a house on Willows Beach in Oak Bay. How lucky we were! We absolutely LOVED living on the beach! The beach became our backyard…I ran on the sandy beach to prepare for future Olympics, constructed log rafts to travel to the South Pacific, enjoyed the accompaniment of gulls and seals, and we hit the ‘high seas’ in our stepdad’s 17’ boat to explore the nearby islands of Chatham and Discovery, fish for salmon and set crab and shrimp pots. We were very lucky because both my mom and step-dad made a point of teaching us to respect the environment and the animals living in it. If it were not for these beach adventures during my childhood I may not have the passion for the ocean I have today.

The beach makes you happy!

Now, even as an adult, I try to go to the beach to observe and explore as often as possible. In this age of information technology it is easy spend hours staring at a screen. I will never get the same inspiration about life from a computer screen; it is the wonderment of the living world that inspires me and my dreams to spend my entire life learning about and caring for the Ocean and it’s inhabitants.

JUNE 27, 2009 50 WAYS TO SAVE THE OCEAN...things we can start doing today to help whales and other ocean inhabitants!

This summer I am working for Five Star Charters, a whale watching company, out of Victoria on the south end of Vancouver Island, BC. I feel blessed to do such work, to be outside on the water everyday seeing these magnificent animals and the habitat they live in.

Mount Olympus as seen from Race Rocks Marine Protected Area

This is not my first season doing this kind of work. In fact, it’s my 8th season doing marine ecotourism and I’ve also done 4 years of research locally and around the world. When guests on the whale watching boat find out I’ve been doing this as long as I have they often ask if I ever get bored of it or of seeing the animals. My answer is always ‘No, never!” because it only gets more interesting the more you are out there. They don’t realize that the one time or for the lucky ones, the 2 or 3 times, they go whale watching they only see a small fraction of what is happening out there. These whales are rarely in the same place doing the same thing but are always on the move…as I tell our guests the killer whales (Orcinus orca) can travel over 100 miles in 24 hours!

Members of K pod in the Endangered Southern Resident Killer whale community: K13 (far right) with her offspring from left to right: K20, K25 and K34

During our tours not only do the passengers enjoy watching the whales but we also tell them about their status and the environment we live in. The thing I like about our approach at Five Star Charters is that we like to talk about the entire ecosystem the animals live in. We explain why the whales are here, what oceanographic processes bring the food in that they eat which in turn brings them in to feed, socialize and breed.

Of course, it is very difficult to discuss the environment without also mentioning what has changed in the environment and what it is that has resulted in the reduced population size of many species of whale that we have today. In the Salish Sea this is especially true for the Southern Resident killer whale population which has been officially listed as Endangered in both the Canada and the US (see US listing info here, Canada designation).

This post is about what we can do as individuals, wherever we live on this great planet, to help the Southern Resident Killer Whales and other whales and inhabitants of the ocean; this includes ourselves who depend very much on a healthy ocean!

Recently I bought a great book called 50 Ways To Save The Ocean and I started to think I want to create blog posts, with full credit to the author (David Helgard of Blue Frontier) about these 50 great ideas. Whenever possible I’d like to add my own personal story of how I have incorporated these things in my life and how that has been for me. It would also be great to hear other people’s stories about taking these simple actions to help ‘save the oceans!”

So keep posted to see how I have and am increasing how I incorporate these 50 ways to save the ocean into my life!

POST #1 GO TO THE BEACH - Enjoy the sand and the water and leave it as clean as or cleaner than you found it... Go to WNU June 29, 2009 blog post

HELP SAVE THE WILD PACIFIC SALMON...sign Alexandra Morton's petition to save BCs wild salmon

On March 30th this year we went to Port Townsend to the first Salish Sea Marine Naturalist Association meeting. This meeting allowed Canadian and American whale watching naturalists and scientists working in the Salish Sea, important habitat for the Endangered Southern Resident killer whale community (Endangered Species Act USA, Species At Risk Act Canada), to meet and discuss our work in this wonderful place. We were fortunate enough to learn the most recent findings from scientists studying the Southern Resident killer whale community and what these findings indicated we need to do to help this population to avoid further decline.

Members of the Endangered Southern Resident killer whale pod, J pod

The most emphasized issue in these discussions was the need to save the wild salmon stocks; the Southern Resident killer whales' main source of food. One of the presenters, a veterinarian, put it nicely...just as with your pet dog or cat, if they are well fed they should be able to deal with any other stress. If the Southern Residents have salmon they will better withstand stresses such as acoustic disturbances and toxins.



So what do we need to do? We need to seriously consider what we are doing about the salmon stocks of the Pacific coast in, not just BC, but all of North America. Just like the killer whales salmon see no boundaries so we need to work together, just as we came together at the Transboundary Workshop in March, to help the salmon.

Chinook salmon...the most important food of the Southern Resident killer whales

One of the most pressing issues related to saving the wild salmon stocks is the impact the commercial salmon farms have on wild fish. Check out and sign this petition from Alexandra Morton to make the BC government act more responsibly in their role to protect this Endangered (under SARA) whale's food...the wild Pacific Salmon!


Newspaper article in the Island Courier
Alexandra Morton's website Adopt-A-Fry

SIGN the petition !

Bike to Work Week 2009: MAY 11 - 17

Day 3 of Bike to Work Week 2009. Biking benefits not only a reduction of CO2 emissions into the environment but also cycling for a half hour a day can increase your life expentancy by up to 4 years according to How to Reduce your Carbon Footprint: 365 Simple Ways to Save Energy, Resources, and Money. If you don't own a bike or are unable to participate due to other physical limitations, look into other ways to commute to work such as walking, public transit or carpooling to do your benefit for the environment. A healthier environment equals a healthier you.

Celebration of Mothers….

And the role of mother’s in the types of marine mammals in the Salish Sea.

Mother’s day is celebrated around the world by various countries to celebrate and honour motherhood. General information of mother’s day from Wikipedia (the online encyclopaedia) indicates that it is celebrated on various days world wide; however two primary dates exist for “mother’s day”:

• The second Sunday of May, which is the larger of the two primary dates but is the more modern celebration of mother’s day. It started in the 20th century in the United States by Anna Jarvis, with many countries following suite including Canada.
• The smaller date is the fourth Sunday in Lent, which comes from the United Kingdom’s “Mothering Sunday” celebration. This tradition dates back to the 16th century.

The observance of Mother’s Day around the world is relative recent occurrence as it has evolved from North America and Europe. However, some festivals and celebrations of honouring mothers have existed prior to pre-colonization (i.e. Africa). Mother’s day gives us an opportunity to provide our mother with a little extra love and attention. The hectic-ness of life usually reduces our opportunities to spend quality time as a family and to appreciate all the things our mom (and dad) does to make our life easier. Therefore, getting together on mother’s day as a family to celebrate all that our mom has done for us i.e. driving us to practices, shopping, etc. is special and helps to improve our family relationship.

We all know the role that our mother’s have played in our lives, but what are the roles of mother’s in the types of marine mammals in the Salish Sea?

The Pinnipeds (Seals and Sea lions)

The Salish Sea is utilized by primarily four species of pinnipeds or the wing-footed mammals. Two species from the family Otaridae (eared or fur seals and sea lions) and two from the family Phocidae (true seals). The male California (Zalophus californianus) and Steller (Eumetopias jubatus) sea lions utilize the Salish Sea as winter haul out and foraging grounds. In May, the majority of the male Steller sea lions have staked out and defend key breeding territories on remote rookies in Northern British Columbia and Alaska. The females arrive later giving birth to their pups that they carried for 11 ½ months, and then proceed to lactate for up to 3 years. The majority of the pups are weaned after a year, which allows the female to start nursing the next pup which was conceived 11 to 14 days after the birth of the other pup. The male California sea lions proceeds south in the spring to breeding colonies off of California and Mexico. The females give birth to their pups from late May through July, which they’ve carried for 9 months, and remain ashore with their pups for up to ten days. The females then return to sea on foraging forays that may last up to 3 days; however the females will return to the shore for a day to nurse their pup. The pups sometimes join their mothers on foraging events, but majority remain on shore in large social groups. After six months, pups are abruptly weaned and abandoned (goodbye mom and thanks for life). The female California sea lion will be ready to mate twenty to thirty days after the birth of their pup, but has the ability to delay the implantation of the fertilized egg by three months. As a result, the female sea lion is not pregnant for only one month out of the year. Could you imagine being pregnant for the majority of your life span?

The phocids or true seals in the Salish Sea utilize the area either year round or for the majority of the year. Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are found in the Salish Sea year round. The Harbour seals are quite territorial of haul out sites from sandy and pebbly beaches to intertidal rocks and ledges, which they tend to, forage and feed off of. The female Harbour seals haul out to give birth to their pups in the summer months June through August. The pups are able to swim and dive immediately, but usually hitch a ride on mom’s back using their fore flippers. The pups are nursed for three to four weeks, then abruptly weaned and abandoned by their mother. The females then mate shortly after the weaning process. Mommy! The three week nursing period is similar for the Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), except the female remains ashore on the sandy beach, fasting and defending her pup from other females and pups. After the three weeks is up, the pup is weaned by desertion. However, the female mates with the dominant bull elephant seal whose territory she’s given birth in just prior to the weaning of her current pup. Although, the majority of the northern elephant seals are breeding off the coast of California and Mexico, utilizing the Salish Sea for the majority of the year as foraging sites and molting sites. The first witnessed birth of a Northern elephant seal occurred at Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Although, three weeks seems incredibly short, the phocids lactation period ranges from 4 to 50 days within the various species. The pups may not receive long periods of motherly love but thankfully the milk is richer than any other marine mammals from 45 – 60% fat.

The Mysticetes (Baleen Whales)

Although the Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the most common and widely distributed of baleen whales, very little is known about the Minke whales reproduction and breeding. Hein bank in the Salish Sea is an incredibly productive summer feeding ground for the Minke whales, however, no mother-calf pair sightings have occurred at this feeding site. This indicates that weaning might occur prior to arrival at summer feeding grounds. The locations of Minke whale calving grounds for the Minke whales that forage in the Salish Sea are still a mystery for the whale referred to as the commoner. Unlike the Minke whale, the other baleen whales that utilize the Salish Sea as summer feeding grounds arrive with their offspring.

The Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) calves are independent of their mothers just prior to the fall migration back to the warm, breeding lagoons off the coast of Baja California. However, the migration to the northern feeding grounds of the Salish Sea is filled with perils for the Gray whale cow-calf pairings, with attacks from Southeast Alaskan transient killer whales. Gray whales defend their calves from these attacks, indicating a strong cow-calf connection, although not every mother is successful (BBC Blue Planet Disc 1 – Ocean World footage).

In recent years (late-1990s), cow-calf pairings of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are being seen in the Salish Sea, which means the Humpbacks are recognizing and teaching their calves that this is part of their summer feeding grounds. Humpback whales were hunted and removed from British Columbian waters, with the last whaling station in Coal Harbor closing their doors in 1968. Therefore, new humpback calves are learning to utilize this area prior to the return to the warm tropical breeding waters off of Mexico, Hawaii and even as far away as Japan. The return to these breeding grounds is the end of the cow-calf pairing, for the mothers have now taught them the official migration route from the breeding grounds to feeding grounds and back again. The majority of baleen whales experience a birthing interval of two to three years, with a twelve month pregnancy. However, the Minke whale might be an exception giving birth annually.

The Odontocetes (Toothed Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises)

The Salish Sea is incredibly unique that it is part of the home range of the largest oceanic dolphin, the killer whale (Orcinus orca) . It’s utilized by two different ecotypes of killer whales, transients (mammal-hunting) and residents (fish-hunting). The Northeast Pacific killer whales are some of the longest studied marine mammals since the early 1970s, with the Centre for Whale Research being set up to study the Southern resident community of killer whales. The research of Northeast Pacific killer whales has revealed a complex social structure in these animals. The social structures of killer whales are incredibly unique because it has reviled that killer whales are cultural based mammals. These culture traditions such as hunting techniques and language are taught by the females, for killer whales are a matriarchal society. The base social level of killer whales is the matriline, which is made up of a female and her offspring (both juvenile and adult male and females). A killer whale pod consists of several related matrilines that contain a common maternal ancestor. The clan is the next level in the social structure of killer whales, which indicates the relatedness of pods through the vocal dialects that they speak. Similar dialects of clan members reflect the common matrilineal heritage of the pods. The community is the last level of the social structure, and is made up of pods that associate with one another quite regularly. Therefore, killer whales demonstrate one of the most significant maternal connections in marine mammals. What’s an empty nest? Killer whales also experience the longest gestation of any marine mammal ranging between 15 to 18 months, and calves may not be weaned until two years of age.

Two of the six porpoise species, forage and reproduce in the Salish Sea. The Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is highly elusive around vessels but huge foraging associations are witnessed in highly productive areas in the Salish Sea. The breeding season for the harbour porpoise appears to be late summer in the Salish Sea. The male harbour porpoise breeds with multiple females due to their weighty advantage of largest testes-to-body size ratio. Sexually mature females are able to give birth annually; therefore the females are under nutritional stress for most of their adult lives, due to overlapping periods of lactation and pregnancy. Due to the elusive nature of the harbour porpoise, mother-calf pairings are a rare sight. Unfortunately, my first sighting of a mother-calf pairing of a harbour porpoise ended with the calf being utilized/consumed as a teaching tool for T100D a young transient killer whale by his or her mother T100. It was AWESOME! During the productive summer months in the Salish Sea, the male Dall’s porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) escort and breed with a single female since they aren’t as “ballsy” as the harbour porpoises. The following summer months, after nearly a year gestation period, a new calf is born. However, the new calf surprisingly might not be only a Dall’s porpoise but a hybrid between a Dall’s and a Harbour porpoise. Those harbour porpoises are definitely “ballsy” mating with one of the fastest cetacean species. Similar to the Harbours the Dall’s females in their prime probably give birth annually, but might not be a stressed due to a shorter lactation period of two months to eight months.

National Audubon Society: "Guide to Marine Mammals of the World" 2002 Chanticleer Press, Inc.

Enrol Earth Day 365

Prerequisite: Human Being

Up, down, slight tilt to the port and then a roll to the starboard with an aroma of “fish”, this is how I spent Earth Day 2009 working as an observer onboard a fishing vessel to promote sustainable fishing practices. Earth day is unique in that it is a global celebration that transcends national borders and promotes unity of the world’s population to respect the planet that we all call home. As human beings, we are as every bit dependent as other species for nature to supply us with clean air, water, soil and energy. Therefore, it is our responsibility to treat our home with reverence, so that it continues to supply us with all that we need.

The celebration of earth day is just the first step in respecting our planet’s resources. Therefore, it is more important for us to implement earth day 365 days for the rest of our lives and teach this to the next generation. The unique thing I learnt on my last observer rotation is that you don’t have to believe in climate change to believe that we as a species are wasteful and should be doing something to be less wasteful, i.e. turn off the lights. Simple changes to be less wasteful in your own personal life will result in a “healthier” environment. Therefore, turn off the lights when you leave a room, utilize cloth bags for purchases, clean with nature friendly products, and practice the three R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle). If everyone enrols in Earth Day 365, it will help to ensure that nature will be able to keep supplying us and other wildlife (i.e. whales) with clean air, water, soil and energy.

Supplemental Readings for Earth Day 365:
A guide book to green living (i.e. How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: 365 Simple Ways to Save Energy, Resources and Money by Joanna Yarrow or The Green Guide by David Suzuki) – http://www.amazon.ca/
Earth Day Network – http://www.earthday.net/
The David Suzuki Foundation – http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
Method: Home Care and Personal Products – http://www.methodhome.com/

What do marine mammals of the Salish Sea do for Easter?

So this weekend many of us celebrated Easter but what of the whales and other creatures in the sea? What is the significance of this time of the year for marine mammals in the Salish Sea?

Well, first let's have a brief look at how Easter is significant to us. According to a synopsis in the UK's online paper, The Independent, some general facts about Easter and why we celebrate it include:

• Easter is oldest and most important Christian festival marking the death (Good Friday) and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Today! Easter Sunday)
  
• Many customs associated with this time of the year are derived from combination of Jewish lore, pre-Christian and pagan practices
  
• Named after Eostre, the goddess of fertility and birth, and worshipped by first-century pagans...they believed she blessed both their families and crops
  
• Falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon that occurs on or after the spring Equinox (March 21)
  
• Some symbols of Easter...the Lamb, Rabbits and Eggs
  
• The lamb is associated because Christ became known as the "lamb of God". As well the older idea of the "sacrificial lamb" came from the fact that doors of Israelites were marked with the blood of a lamb to prevent the Angel of Death from "passing over" and killing their first born
  
• Eggs are associated with Easter because they are ancient symbols of fertility and have also been associated with the rebirth or resurrection of Christ
  
• And where did the Easter bunny come from? The hare which is another ancient, pre-Christian symbol of fertility associated with spring. AND in Anglo-Saxon mythology Eostara changed her pet bird into a rabbit to entertain a group of children and the it retained the ability to lay brightly coloured eggs for the children!

So what about marine mammals of the Salish Sea and Easter? The Pagan goddess Eostre, the goddess of fertility and birth, appears to have a role to play in the lives of many marine mammals at this time.

Here's what the marine mammals inhabiting the Salish Sea are up to as the goddess of fertility and the Easter bunny visit us:

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)

At this is the time of year the Southern Resident 'fish eating' Killer Whales begin spending more time foraging in the waters of the Salish Sea. In spring the main prey of these whales, the Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), start returning to their natal streams (Fisheries and Oceans Canada Chinook) in preparation for spawning. By May or June all three pods are in these waters foraging and socializing...and socializing means breeding! Killer whales travel in extensive matriarchal families so don't breed when one pod is together but once pods join together this activity happens. So Easter is the start of increased killer whale social and breeding activity!

Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

The goddess of fertility visits the gray whales a little earlier than other species of marine mammals. In the spring Gray whales are just arriving to their northern feeding grounds after spending the winter months, from late December to late March, mating and calving in the warmer waters of the lagoons of Baja California Sur, Mexico. After a winter of fasting they must return to the productive waters of Washington and British Columbia up to Alaska to bottom feed on amphipods and tube worms or mysid shrimp in the water column.

Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

There is not a lot of evidence to show that minke whales have the same strong north-south migration that other baleen whale have but they still tend to be found in southern latitudes in the winter and northern latitudes in the summer. Easter for the minke whale is likely to be a time of movement into increasingly productive northern feeding areas. In the Salish sea sightings of minke whales start to increase during the spring (or are we just looking more?). This is especially true in the shallow bank areas where there is upwelling and good productivity. In known feeding areas of the Salish Sea, such as Hein Bank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, congregations of more than 5 foraging minke whales can be seen!

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

As with the Gray whale, Easter is a time when the humpback whales are returning to the rich northern feeding areas from Vancouver Island to Alaska. Until only a few years ago the humpback whales were a fairly rare sight in the inland waters of the Salish Sea. In the recent years sightings of this species has been increasing...initially sightings were increasing during the fall and now they are starting as soon as spring!

Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)

During Easters Dall's porpoise are not yet breeding which occurs during the summer months. Groups of Dall`s seen this time of year are feeding on a variety of prey in deeper waters of the Salish Sea including squid, other small schooling fish (herring and capelin), and the fish inhabiting the deep channel waters of the area (hake and smelt). These guys eat up to 28 - 30 pounds of food per day and do most of their foraging at night. The males would also be checking out the females; they find a single female to escort and breed with during the summer. The following summer, after a year long gestation period, a new Dall's porpoise calf is born!

Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

The harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean in the NE Pacific (5 - 6 ft, ~2 m) and, like their cousins the Dall's porpoise, increased productivity of the waters of the Salish Sea around Easter provides food. This little species feeds on non-spiny fishes such as herring, cod, whiting, squid and pollock. Breeding in this species tends to occur in late summer. Male harbour porpoise are different from the Dall's porpoise males...they have the largest testes-to-body-size ratio which relates to their strategy of mating with as many females as possible rather than choosing to escort a single female!

Stellar sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)

Although Stellar sea lions can be seen in the Salish Sea around Easter the majority of the males that congregate here in the winter have started their migration to the breeding rookeries of northern BC to Alaska. By May, mature males stake out and defend territories in these rookeries for up to 60 days. Females arrive later than the males, give birth to their pups which they will nurse for 1-3 years, and mating will occur in June and July.

California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

Like the Stellar sea lion, California sea lion males spend the winter hauled out in areas of the Salish Sea, such as Race Rocks Marine Protected Area. Unlike the Stellar sea lions, who travel north to breed, these sea lions travel south to the breeding colonies off California and Mexico. These sea lions will ferociously defend harems of up to 40 females. All sea lions have the ability to delay implantation meaning the female won't actually get pregnant until up to three months after breeding and the gestation period is 9 months.

Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris)

Starting in December, northern elephant seals breed in the south in waters off California and Mexico. The pups are born just prior to breeding and then a female is ready to mate 24 days after the pup is born! By mid-March most adults have left the breeding colonies with the pups being weaned quite abruptly by desertion. By Easter the pups have been weaned, have started to swim and head to sea going northwest to feed in areas, such as the Salish Sea, off the coast of northern Washington and Vancouver Island. These young animals don`t usually appear on land again until September...they live off the fat reserves they packed on during the short nursing 4 week nursing period!

Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina)

Harbour seals are non-migratory displaying only some local feeding and breeding movments. During early spring and Easter harbour seals are likely spending most of their time foraging because they tend to breed and have their pups during the summer months of July and August. Studies have indicated that harbour seals feed on a variety of small fish around rocky reefs including sculpins, small flatfishes and rockfishes, greenlings, smelts and perches. Happy Easter dining harbour seals!!