Alaska Whale Watching
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary: Whale Watching
Sighting humpback whales can be an awe-inspiring experience whether from the water or the shore. Their impressive acrobatic displays are visible from miles away. Mothers can be seen teaching their calves to breach, and males can be seen competing with one another in fierce head-to-head battles. The underwater vocal stylings of male humpback whales can even be heard by divers, snorkelers and boaters. It is no wonder, then, that the thrill of such encounters has fostered a strong love of humpbacks in the islands and has contributed to the development of a multi-million dollar whale-watching industry in Hawai`i. ... [Read More]
Point Reyes National Seashore Official Extended Home Page
Jutting 10 miles into the Pacific Ocean, the headlands of the Point Reyes Peninsula offer one of the finest spots to view the gray whale. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary provides a 20-mile wide "highway" along which the whales cruise; sometimes they travel in the close lane (nearer to shore), and sometimes they travel in the far lane (farther out to sea). The areas around Chimney Rock and the Lighthouse offer some of the best whale watching spots in the park. ... [Read More]
The Bowhead Whale: Literature Cited
By mid-May Eskimo whalers had taken nine bowhead whalesduring the first season under an International Whaling Commission quota of 12taken or 18 struck. Barrow whalers,allowed only three bowheads under the quota, took four, and an argumentdeveloped with National Marine Fisheries Service officials over whether thewhales were bowheads or what the Eskimo call ingutuq . Other villages that successfully landedwhales included Gambell (1), Savoonga (1), Point Hope (2), and Wainwright(1). Additionally, two whales at Gambelland one at Point Hope were struck and lost. At Wainwright, a 2-foot fetus was discovered in the 53-foot, 6-inchfemale landed there. It was the fourthfetus known to have been taken from a pregnant bowhead. Two years ago Barrow whalers removed a 7-foot[sic] fetus from a whale and in the late 1960s a 5-inch and a 10-inch fetuswere found. A census crew at Barrowreported 500 bowheads sighted by May 7, and during the same period an Eskimocrew reported an additional 200 whale ... [Read More]
NOAA Fisheries Finalizes Approach Regulations to Protect Humpback Whales
"We worked closely with the public and the whale watching industry to balance protection of the whales with public demand for enjoyable whale watching opportunities," said Jim Balsiger, Alaska Regional Administrator for NOAA fisheries. "The regulations are designed to protect the whales and to provide an enforcement tool to respond to situations that may threaten this endangered species." ... The rule limits the minimum approach distance to 100 yards, requires a "slow, safe speed" when near a humpback whale, and prohibits disruption of a whale's normal behavior or prior activity. ... [Read More]
MBNMS: Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises)
Humpback whales are one of the most common large baleen whales seen in the MBNMS, though California estimates are significantly lower than those for blue whales (Barlow et al. 1995; Table 2). Humpback whales were seen three times more frequently than other baleen whales on shipboard surveys conducted July 1994 to February 1995 off Point Sur (Harvey et al. 1995). Humpback whales are seen most frequently off central California during fall (Dohl et al. 1983); feeding, primarily on euphausiid prey, has been well documented around the Farallon Islands (Kieckhefer 1992). Most evidence indicates that the humpback whales feeding off California have moved north from areas used during winter off Mexico (Baker et al. 1986). ... [Read More]
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge
Each April, learn about marine mammals and the ocean while celebrating the annual northbound migration of gray whales as they pass Kodiak Island heading to the Arctic. Special activities for students and teachers, hands-on science, singing, Native dancing, whale watching, talks by marine mammal experts, shark dissection, and nature hikes. ... Whale Fest Kodiak (Kodiak, Alaska) ... [Read More]
NOAA Fisheries Releases New Plan for Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Recovery - NMFS Alaska News Release
Recommendations in the Draft Conservation Plan include guidelines on developments in Cook Inlet; identification and possible protections for important beluga whale habitats, including upper Knik Arm; updating the response plan for stranded whales in the upper Inlet; and restrictions on whale watching activities in sensitive feeding and calving habitat. ... “The partnership between the Alaska Native community and NOAA Fisheries will require constant communication over the coming years, as the results of annual whale census surveys and natural population fluctuations must be factored into harvest limits,” said Balsiger. He said the proposed new regulations, expected mid-summer, will be flexible and will be designed to remain in place indefinitely, until the Cook Inlet stock of beluga whales increases to its optimum sustainable population. Current population estimates stand at 366 beluga whales in Cook Inlet with over 30 thousand beluga whales in Alaskan waters overall. ... [Read More]
Washington's Coast: Sights - Gray Whale
Whale watching peaks during March, April and May as Gray Whales cruise along Washington's coast during migration. Gray Whales make the longest journey of any mammal, traveling 10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip every year -- from feeding grounds to breeding lagoons. ... Because Gray Whales are slow swimmers, they were easy targets for whalers. By 1890, Gray Whales were almost extinct. ... Because Gray Whales migrate close to the coast, they can be seen from shore. Good places to watch whales include: Westport, observation tower; Olympic National Park, Cape Alava, Cape Flattery; and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Fort Canby State Park. ... [Read More]
Marine Mammal Commission: Species List
Commercial whaling severely depleted both populations between the mid-1800s and early 1900s. As a result, gray whales were protected under a ban on commercial hunting adopted by the League of Nations in the mid-1930s. This ban, that also covered right whales, was the first international agreement to protect a whale species from commercial whaling operations. The ban on commercial gray whale catches has been carried forward since the late 1940s by the International Whaling Commission. ... [Read More]
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