Greeting Ceremony

A greeting ceremony is a unique social behaviour unique to the southern resident killer whale community. Upon meeting, after separation of a day or two, they will often group up in front of each other and stop at the surface. After less than a minute the groups dive and create astounding underwater bioacoustics while milling around in tight groups. This behaviour has been exhibited by the northern residents but is much more common among the southern residents as is breaches and aerial displays.



An assembly of whales grouped up tight along the shoreline making loud surface whistles moving very slowly north. Another group turned toward them and lined up in front. The two groups then slowly traveled towards each other in long lines. Upon meeting they dove and made intense underwater vocalizations. The whales regrouped, one heading north while the other went south. (Lime Kiln, San Juan Island - October 4 / 2005, 17:00)

South Korea's worst oil spill

Dead birds washing ashore after South Korea's worst oil spill - Link
Mallipo Beach (S. Korea) (AP): Dead birds coated in oil from South Korea's largest-ever spill are starting to wash up on the coast, activists said on Monday, warning that environmental effects from the disaster could linger for years. Cleanup efforts off the western coast have intensified every day since Friday's spill, which sent 66,000 barrels of crude oil gushing into the ocean after a tanker was struck by a wayward barge. About 8,800 people - including volunteers, local residents, civil servants, police and military personnel - were working on the region's shores today to clean up the oil. Coast Guard personnel, sailors and fishermen worked aboard 138 ships and five helicopters offshore, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Crude oil from the spill started washing ashore Saturday onto the region's picturesque beaches, about 150 km southwest of Seoul. Residents used shovels and buckets to clean up the muck. Officials said today they were considering declaring the site a "special disaster area," which would open the way for direct aid to the battered region that regularly drew millions of tourists to its natural beauty. The spill itself has already been declared a "disaster", enabling regional governments to more easily mobilise personnel, equipment and material. At Shinduri Beach, several mallard ducks could be seen hovering over the oil-coated waters neither diving for fish nor finding anywhere to land.

S Korea’s worst oil spill nears preserve -
Link
South Korean workers using skimmers and containment fences battled on Saturday to clean up the worst oil spill in the country’s history, as part of the slick hit shore near a nature preserve on the west coast. A Hong Kong-registered tanker began leaking an estimated 10,500 metric tons of crude oil on Friday after a barge carrying a crane slammed into it while the tanker was anchored off Daesan port about 110 km (70 miles) southwest of Seoul. “A part of the slick reached the shores of Taean and onto the beaches. There are about 1,200 residents helping in the clean-up,” said Cheon Myeong-cheol, a Taean coast guard official. The region is popular for its beaches and home to a national park. It is also an important rest stop for migratory birds. There has been no major impact yet on marine life where the first oil reached shore, according to the coast guard but that batch was only a small part of the entire spill. “We’re installing oil-containment fences to prevent further inflow,” said Song Myeong-dal, head of the maritime ministry’s Information and Policy Monitoring team. Heavy winds and high waves hurt oil containment efforts on Friday but seas were calmer on Saturday. The leak is about a third of the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill of crude oil onto Alaskan shores, which was the costliest on record. That clean-up alone from that disaster cost around $2.5 billion while the total costs, including fines and settlement of claims, were an estimated $9.5 billion. reuters

Volunteers struggle against S Korean oil spill -
Link
Thousands of South Korean soldiers, police and volunteers are still battling to clean the stretch of coastline affected by the biggest oil spill in the country's history. Maritime Minister Kang Moo-Hyun says the clean-up operation could last at least two months while concern grows that South Korea's maritime economy and fragile ecology is being threatened. Reports from Mallipo beach say thick black oil is still coming in, with each tide giving off an overpowering smell. Using buckets, shovels and even dustpans, the volunteers battled to save one of the country's most pristine beaches. "I felt like crying. This was such a good place for my kids," said Kim Mi-Sook, a Salvation Army volunteer from nearby Seosan county, as she scooped up oil with a dustpan. "The sand was so good, with flowers blooming here and there," she said. "The sludge was initially 50 centimetres high on the beach in some places. The waves could not get over it." About 10,500 tons of crude oil leaked into the Yellow Sea when a drifting barge holed an oil tanker on Friday. The Coast Guard said the slick has already hit 50 kilometres of coastline and more was expected to come ashore.

Save the Streams - Presentation

click - Save the Streams Presentation

Anemone

A sea anemone is a small sac, attached to the bottom by an adhesive foot, with a column shaped body ending in an oral disc. The mouth is in the middle of the oral disc, surrounded by tentacles armed with many cnidocytes, which are cells that function as a defense and as a means to capture prey. Cnidocytes contain cnidae, capsule-like organelles capable of everting, giving phylum Cnidaria its name. The cnidae that sting are called nematocysts. Each nematocyst contains a small vesicle filled with toxins—actinoporins—an inner filament and an external sensory hair. When the hair is touched, it mechanically triggers the cell explosion, a harpoon-like structure which attaches to organisms that trigger it, and injects a dose of poison in the flesh of the aggressor or prey. This gives the anemone its characteristic sticky feeling.

Killing Humpback Whales

Gales, N.J., Clapham, P.J. and Baker, C.S. A case for killing humpback whales?

Abstract: During the austral summer of 2007/08, hunting of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales will recommence after almost half a century of protection. The stated rationale for this hunt, by the Government of Japan, is to gather important scientific information for use in management. If the scientific need was defensible, and the proponents had accommodated reasonable conservation concerns, then criticisms of the hunt would be limited to philosophical issues. This is not the case. The program’s research objectives are unlikely to be achieved by lethal methods and do not address the principal research needs for SH humpback whales identified by the International Whaling Commission.

The complete pdf document can be downloaded free at the wesbite.

Save Wild BC Salmon

salmon fry

The rich waters of the British Columbia coast are home to recently returned humpback whales and vast shoals of sardines. Wild salmon feed bears, whales, eagles and forests that draw wilderness tourism into BC. Wild salmon also support commercial and tidal recreational fishing, which combined with, wilderness tourism, means wild salmon annually lure over $1.6 billion to BC, as compared with $600 million earned by farm fish. Why isn’t your government listening to the businesses that depend on wild salmon?

Sign and Send petition to Premier Gordon Campbell and the Honourable Ministers Pat Bell and Loyola to give wld salmon relief from sea lice by moving crucial fish farms:
Save BC Salmon

New J pod Calf - J43

J43 baby photo from NOAA Fisheries (by Brad Hanson and Candi Emmons taken Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007)

J43 was born this month to Samish/J14 (b.1974). This is the fifth calf for Samish one of the southern resident endangered killer whales. Samish's first born only survived four years which is common because built up environmental toxins are offloaded while nursing and new mothers can have some difficulty relative to older experienced female matriarchs. J43's siblings are big brother Riptide/J30 b.1995, Hy'shqa/J37 b.2001, and Suttels/J40 b.2004.

Robson Bight oil spill update

On October 19th, two months after the August 20th oil spill in Robson Bight, Canada's federal & provincial governments agreed to conduct an underwater investigation of the spill site, and to share the costs involved. This certainly came as good news, though the timing was odd in that the announcement came just hours after NGOs had released details of their plan to the media. Had the NGOs proceeded, the first ("side scan") phase of the investigation would have already been accomplished, and a week hence we could have had the answers we've been seeking. As things now stand, the investigation has been delayed, but given a suitable weather window, it should happen soon. If weather conditions permit, we should know the actual situation on the bottom of Robson Bight within a few weeks.

Here is a link to a more complete story we posted on our OrcaLab web site yesterday: http://www.orcalab.org/news-archive/orcalab_general/07-10-29.html

In case it's useful, we're also attaching our update as a Word file. Please feel free to do anything you wish with it.

As we say at the end of the story, our fingers are crossed!

As ever, this comes with our warmest wishes to you all, and our heartfelt THANKS for caring, and helping.

Paul & Helena

Humpback song & oil spill update

Hello everyone,

As a change of pace, we want to pass along something wonderful for you to listen to. It’s the first true “song” from humpback whales that we’ve heard since they started returning to the inland waters of northern Vancouver Island 25 years ago, after having being totally wiped out by the last gasp of North America’s whaling industry in 1967. Year by year, especially over the past decade, the humpbacks have been becoming more & more comfortable in these waters that were home to their ancestors, and now it seems they are bursting into song!

Please enjoy the sounds we were mesmerized by in the early hours of October 11th. Click on the link to the sound clip. Best to download the whole 150mb file first.

Also, to bring you up to date on the aftermath of the August 20th oil spill in Robson Bight, please check out our most recent story and the latest episode of Twyla Roscovich’s video diary.


As you’ll see, oil is still upwelling from the bottom of Robson Bight, Canadian governments are still doing nothing of substance, and NGOs led by Living Oceans and Greenpeace, having raised the funds needed to do the job, will soon conduct an underwater inspection of the spill site. We can only hope that the imagery obtained from Nuytco’s mini sub will compel Canada’s governments into a full cleanup of the contamination, and launch a formal inquiry into the incident and the broader issue of marine safety in British Columbia’s vulnerable coastal waters.

As always, this comes with our very best wishes to you all,

Paul & Helena
orcalab.org

Saving Luna Premiere

Members of the Maquinna family and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation sing and dance at the Saving Luna Vancouver Premiere


Suzanne & Mike talk about winning top award at the prestigious Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival in Wyoming.



Encore screening of SAVING LUNA Tuesday, October 9th at 6 pm, Empire Granville 7 Theatres in Vancouver. Tickets are available online or by phoning 604-685- 8297.

SRKW Call Catalogue

Enter here

Protest Japan's brutal slaughter of over 22,000 dolphins

NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Nancy Morris (206) 533-6155
Howard Garrett/Susan Berta, 1-866-ORCANET

ACTIVISTS GATHER AT JAPANESE CONSULATE TO CALL FOR END TO BRUTAL DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER AND EXPOSING JAPANESE CHILDREN TO TOXIC MERCURY
WHERE: Japanese Consulate, 601 Union Street, Seattle
WHEN: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 12:00PM (NOON)
WHAT: Orca Network joins many local and international organizations in a day of worldwide protests against Japan's brutal slaughter of over 22,000 dolphins and for deliberately not informing their citizens about mercury contaminated meat.
Activists in Japan are asking the world community to speak out; they believe this is the best way to make their government stop the brutal killing of over 22,000 dolphins, including some species that are endangered. Japanese officials force Japanese children to eat mercury contaminated meat. Most of the Japanese people do not know this slaughter happens or that they are exposed to toxic levels of mercury. There is a media blackout in Japan regarding the dolphin slaughter and mercury contamination. The mercury levels exceeded the numbers that caused Minimata Disease in the past, which killed or caused severe birth defects in innocent children. The slaughtered dolphins are also processed and used as pet food or fertilizer still containing toxic levels of mercury.

The dolphin drive hunts destroy defenseless, highly intelligent, self-aware mammals in the most brutal way imaginable. These socially complex mammals witness the screaming slaughter of their close family group in a sea turned red with blood, but won't abandon their pod. Some of the survivors are captured and sold to unscrupulous dolphin traders.
For more information on the dolphin slaughter, mercury contamination, and the dolphin captivity industry, please visit Orca Network's web site at: www.orcanetwork.org/captivity/dolphinslaughter.html .
Demonstrations will be held at Japanese embassies and consulates around the world including numerous cities in the U.S. For a complete list of protest cities and organizations, visit: www.savejapandolphins.org.

Save Robson Bight

Many of you already know about the August 20th oil spill that happened when a barge tipped its load of logging equipment into the waters of the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve in British Columbia, Canada. The Reserve was created in 1982 to protect vital orca habitat. Nearly 60 orcas, fully 25% of the Northern Resident orca community, were exposed to toxic diesel vapours in the aftermath of the accident. Severe health consequences (e.g. lung lesions, pneumonia) are possible, though it may take considerable time for them to appear. Next year, we may know more. In the meantime, the equipment, which carried 19,000L of diesel and other oils, remains on the bottom in an unknown state. It needs to be inspected as a matter of urgency, before winter storms arrive, to assess the remaining danger. Canada's Coastguard, the responsible agency, is dragging its feet on the inspection issue, despite pressure from provincial and local governments, and the public at large. NGOs, led by the Living Oceans Society and Greenpeace, have vowed to undertake the inspection if Canada's federal government refuses. The orcas are simply too important to allow uncertainty.

We are writing this to ask you to do two things that will help:

1. Go to the Living Oceans web site and send a message to Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

2. Contribute what you can to NGO funds being raised for the underwater inspection.

Canada's government needs to hear our voices. NGOs need our support, so they can act if governments refuse.
What we are asking will take just a few minutes of your time, and money you can afford. Please act now.

For the orcas, thank you very much!

Paul & Helena

Background:
OrcaLab
SaveRobsonBight
LivingOceans
SignPetition

Makah Hunt Gray Whale

Five members of the Makah of Washington State harpooned and shot a gray whale off Neah Bay in Juan de Fuca Strait last Saturday. The whale later died and sank form its injuries. The hunt was unauthorized by the band or government officials. The Makah were successful in an authorized gray whale hunt in 1999, with many of the same members now involved in this week's incident. Each man could face up to a $20,000 fine and a year in jail if convicted of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The tribe will continue to seek a permit to resume authorized whaling. Even though the gray whale population is not endangered there are special sub populations of animals that utilize the bays of Washington and British Columbia each year called 'resident' grays. Through genetic analysis of gene variation researchers estimate as many as 118,000 gray whales roamed the Pacific before commercial whaling started in the 1800s. Today there are only about 22,000 Pacific gray whales, including about 100 in the western Pacific. A rise in sea temperatures may have limited gray whale prey availability. The recent increase in gray whale deaths suggests a limited food source in their feeding grounds of the Bering Sea.


http://www.kirotv.com/news/14084695/detail.html
http://www.komotv.com/news/9665342.html

SRKW Calls - S6

S6_1 x 3

S6_2 x 3

New Calf for L pod - L110

Moonlight / L83, a 17 year old female, has given birth to her first calf L110. This brings the southern resident population of killer whales to a total of 87 individuals, with 25 individuals in J pod, 19 animals in K pod, and now 43 whales in L pod.
Center for Whale Research

Johnstone Strait Fuel & Oil Spill

Times Columnist
A tug and barge towing several vehicles has sunk in Johnstone Strait off of Robson Bight where the northern residents go to rub along several beaches. The diesel spill has spread out and is reportedly flowing towards the rubbing beach area. A barge loaded with logging equipment, including a fuel truck carrying diesel fuel, flipped Monday and dropped its load into the water by Robson Bight, the protected area where threatened northern resident killer whales feed and rub their bellies. An oil sheen, about two kilometres long, could be seen on the water shortly after the accident and environmental groups say it is almost inevitable that some of the 60 whales known to be in the area will come in contact with the oil.

Save the Streams

There are five species of Pacific salmon that die
after spawning; Chinook, Chum, Coho, Sockeye,
and Pink. Salmon return to their natal streams and
rivers each year. Salmon travel thousands
of miles and spend one to five years feeding in the
ocean before returning to their birth streams.
Spawning females dig out a gravel nests, called a
redd. The males then fertilizes the eggs and the
female protects the redd for one to two weeks.
Alveins hatch and mature into fry, developing
vertical bars for camouflage, called parr marks.
After a period of feeding fry migrate downstream
towards the ocean and grow into smolts adapting
to their marine environment.

Threats
On top of natural dangers from predators dangers
to salmon from human activities include poor
farming and forest practices, pollution, destruction
of coastal wetlands and estuaries. The territory of
British Columbia salmon has been decimated for
decades by industrial clearcut logging. Roots of
trees anchor steep slopes. Logging increases the
chances of landslides filling vital spawning
grounds with mud, debris, and boulders. Shade
from trees is lost increasing water temperatures.
Other threats include overfishing, urbanization,
hydroelectric dams, and fish farms.

Actions
Salmon play an important role sustaining
forest ecology. Spawners bring vital nutrients
from the ocean into the forest. Carcasses are dispersed
by bears and eagles providing the trees with fertilizer;
nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. Salmon feed the
rivers helping the survival of young salmon. Farmed
salmon does not replicate this vital role and is
detrimental to wild stocks. Dangers from fish farms
include disease, pollution (including contaminating
shellfish), predation on young wild salmon, and
escapement (Atlantic salmon compete for food and
habitat with wild stocks). Conservation actions include
cleaning up salmon streams (ensuring clean and safe
flowing environments), recycling, using biodegradable
and organic products, and choosing wild salmon over
farmed.

Chinook
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Spring, Salmon, King, Blackmouth,
Quinnat, Chub, Tyee (14+kg)
Chinooks have a greenish-blue dark back with
long black spots, a red hue develops around
the fins and belly, male teeth are enlarged and
they have a hooked snout. Tyee reach 1.5 m
and 58 kg, average 90 cm and14 kg. Spawning
peak May to June and August to September.

Chum
O. keta
Dog Salmon
Females are a metallic
blue, males have a
checkerboard colouration,
a dark horizontal stripe, and
canine-like teeth. Average
from 4.5 to 12 kg. Spawning
peak month October.

Coho
O. kisutch
Silver Salmon
Spawning males are red on
their sides, and a bright green
on the back and head areas, with a
darker colouration on the belly, spots
on upper tail fin lobe. They also develop
a hooked jaw with sharp teeth. Females
develop a lesser-hooked snout. Coho
reach 1 m and weigh up to 14 kg, they
average between 3 to kg. Spawning
peak July to August.

Sockeye
O. nerka
Kokanee, Red Salmon,
Blueback Salmon
Varying shades of red resulting
in a brilliant scarlet fish with a
green head. Grow to 83 cm
and weigh up to 7 kg. Spawning
peak month August.

Pink
O. gorbuscha
Humpies
Pale grey, males
develop a hump.
Get up to 76 cm
and to 5.5 kg,
average 1.5 to 2.5 kg.
Spawning peak month
October.

SARA Transient Killer Whale & Sea Otter Recovery Strategies

Transient Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

The ‘West Coast transient’ population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) is acoustically, genetically and culturally distinct from other killer whale populations known to occupy waters off the west coast of British Columbia. This population was designated as ‘threatened’ by COSEWIC in 2001, and currently numbers approximately 250 animals. Transient killer whales are long-lived upper trophic level predators that are considered to be at risk because of their small population size, their very low reproductive rate (one calf every five years) and their extremely high levels of chemical contaminants that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. Their high contaminant burdens, which have resulted from bioaccumulation in their prey, combined with other anthropogenic threats such as physical and acoustic disturbance, warrant their protection under the Species at Risk Act, and they are currently listed as Threatened.

PDF
TEXT
Consultation period: 2007-8-7 to 2007-10-6


Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Sea otters ranged once from Northern Japan to central Baja California, but were hunted almost to extinction during the Maritime fur trade that began in the mid 1700s. As few as 2,000 animals, little more than 1% of the pre-fur trade population, are thought to have remained in 13 remnant populations by 1911. The last verified sea otter in Canada was shot near Kyuquot, British Columbia (BC), in 1929. Between 1969 and 1972, 89 sea otters from Amchitka and Prince William Sound, Alaska, were translocated to Checleset Bay on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Recent population surveys (2001 to 2004) indicate the Canadian sea otter population includes a minimum of 2,700 animals along the west coast of Vancouver Island and 500 animals on the central BC coast. Sea otters are legally listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) but have recently been reassessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as Special Concern as they have re-populated 25-33% of their historic range and the population is growing and expanding. However, the population is still considered small (<3500) and their susceptibility to oil and the proximity to major oil tanker routes make them particularly vulnerable to oil spills (COSEWIC 2007).

PDF
TEXT
Consultation period: 2007-8-7 to 2007-10-6

BC Lakes & Streams

Shawnigan Lake

Small Mouth Bass

John's Creek



Goldstream

Salmon Fry

Thetis Lake

West Coast - Humpback Injured by Killer Whale

Humpback whale missing part of left flipper due to killer whale attack.





photos by Amy Valagao

Save the Streams Update

DFO Resident Killer Whale Recovery Strategies

Two distinct populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca), known as the northern and southern residents, occupy the waters off the west coast of British Columbia. In 2001, COSEWIC designated southern resident killer whales as ‘endangered’, and northern resident killer whales as ‘threatened’. Both populations are listed in Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). These two populations are acoustically, genetically and culturally distinct. Resident killer whale populations in British Columbia are presently considered to be at risk because of their small population size, low reproductive rate, and the existence of a variety of anthropogenic threats that have the potential to prevent recovery or to cause further declines. Principal among these anthropogenic threats are environmental contamination, reductions in the availability or quality of prey, and both physical and acoustic disturbance. Even under the most optimistic scenario (human activities do not increase mortality or decrease reproduction), the species’ low intrinsic growth rate means that the time frame for recovery will be more than one generation (25 years).

Consultation period: 2007-6-21 to 2007-8-20
Files

PDF - Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada (Proposed)

Text -Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada (Proposed)

Comments

San Juan River Log Jam

VICTORIA (CP) - Authorities say a massive log jam on the San Juan River threatens the safety of the town of Port Renfrew on southwestern Vancouver Island.

A log jam 10 years ago washed out the main bridge, cutting the community in two, but this time the bottleneck is much bigger. Port Renfrew fire chief Dan Tennant warns that if the jam were to break free, the entire town could be in danger of being washed away.

He told Victoria's A-Channel News he fears that "when it breaks loose, and I say when not if, it'll come right down" through the town, in addition to washing out the bridge to the Pacheedaht First Nation.

Some people in the community blame logging that's taking place in the hills above Port Renfrew, noting the number of clearcut logs in the jam.

Public Safety Minister John Les says the real danger would come in the autumn when the heavy rains hit, and the lack of an immediate threat gives emergency officials time to prepare.

"This time of year, the flows on the San Juan River aren't unusually high," Les told A-Channel. "But if we had a very significant rainfall event in the fall or the early winter, like we saw last year, if there was going to be a risk, that's when it would occur."

Canadian Press

Delayed Killer Whale Recovery Strategy

After nearly a year of unlawful delays, the latest caused by the Canadian military, environmental groups issued a warning to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) today to release the Recovery Strategy for BC's famous resident killer whales, or face a lawsuit. The Southern Resident Killer Whales are an endangered species under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA). Under SARA a team of marine scientists was tasked with creating a science-based plan that identifies habitat, conservation threats, and recovery recommendations. For the last year, DFO has blocked the release of the Team's Recovery Strategy, which DFO was legally required to release by June 1, 2006. Additionally, according to a Canadian military document, the Department of National Defence (DND) is trying to downplay and re-write scientists' concerns over military sonar threats to killer whales in BC waters. The Canadian military conducts sonar testing in the whales' habitat, often in joint operations with the US Navy. "Even the military acknowledges that sonar threatens whales with harm," said Christianne Wilhelmson of Georgia Strait Alliance. "The military must stop interfering with this science-based Recovery Strategy, and we call on the Canadian government to release it immediately." As an example of DND efforts to weaken the Recovery Strategy, it wants to remove the scientists' recommendation that new laws to reduce injury to killer whales from sonar testing be considered. The military is arguing that Canadian and American naval vessels operating in Canadian waters should not be bound by sonar-specific regulations. "Military objectives have no place in a killer whale recovery strategy," said Gwen Barlee of the Wilderness Committee. "If battleships trump science we won't be able to recover this species. "The Species at Risk Act requires Recovery Strategies to follow strict timelines to protect endangered species, to discourage bureaucrats from talking endlessly while a species faces extirpation," said Lara Tessaro of Sierra Legal. "DFO delays risk not only the Killer Whales, but many endangered marine mammals and fish as well." The environmental groups have sent DFO a letter, threatening to file a lawsuit if DFO does not release the Resident Killer Whale Recovery Strategy by June 4, 2007.

Canadian News Wire

Stop the Whaling

The Japanese, Norwegian and Icelandic governments plan to cull over 900 whales in the next year (including endangered fin whales), and to continue such practices indefinitely. The whaling ban was put into place by the International Whaling Commission to protect these mammals, due to the unsustainable manner in which they were culled in the past. Their reproductive cycle is far too slow to compensate for the losses sustained continuously due to the actions of Norway, Japan and Iceland, amongst others. The scientific research that is planned is non-existent, and whale meat remains unpopular in the commercial food markets of the countries involved. The European Union Commission is a world leader in the field of animal welfare and the responsible use of resources - we urge the prime minister, as our representative, to increase import tax for goods originating from the nations involved in commercial whaling, until the ban is once again adhered to. If commercial whaling goes ahead, a matter of time separates us from the untempered ravaging of oceans by a few select nations.

Sign the Petition

Canadian Shipping Act Cruise Ship Regulations

Victoria , B.C. - Travel Just, a B.C.-based environmental group tracking cruise ship pollution for years are declaring the long-awaited reforms to the Canadian Shipping Act (new Regulations for Prevention of Pollution from Shipping and Dangerous Chemicals) announced in Hull, P.Q today by Federal Ministers Lawrence Cannon and John Baird a "Greenwash of Oceanic Magnitude." " These newly announced regulations repeal 8 sets of shipping regulations, replacing them with the weaker contaminant standards of earlier voluntary guidelines co-crafted by the cruise industry. Transport Canada now provide the cruise industry with a regulatory loophole large enough to permit the human waste plume from the wake of the cruise ship fleet with over a million passengers aboard -- to drift without penalty," says Howard Breen, Marine Campaign Coordinator of Travel Just. Cruise ships are floating cities, carrying 5,000 or more people that on a one-week voyage can generate more than:

--1.5 million gallons of "graywater" (wastewater from sinks, showers,
galleys, and laundry facilities)

--200,000 gallons of sewage, and

--35,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water

The cruise industry has a legacy of polluting the seas. >From 1993 to 2003,
cruise ships committed more than 300 acts of dumping oil, garbage,
hazardous waste, sewage and graywater, violating air pollution laws,
inflicting damage to coral reefs, and falsifying environmental records,
paying more than $80 million (U.S.) in fines and restitution within U.S.
coastal waters.

Environmental Fines compiled by cruise ship expert Dr. Ross Klein, (Professor at Memorial University and author of several books about the industry). Loopholes in the new regulations found by Travel Just include (not
exhaustive list):

* There are no overall principles, objectives or goals of the new
regulation that refer to protecting public health or the environment only
to meeting minimum requirements;
* A table of penalities and fines for enforceability and deterrence of
violations is not referenced in the regulations;
* There is no provision for effluent or incinerator ash monitoring,
sampling and testing;
* Where and when concentrated sewage sludge can be discharged is not
specifically addressed;
* Greywater (from sinks, showers, pools, kitchens, etc.) is not regulated;
* All vessels with so-called advanced wastewater treatment systems will be
able to discharge anywhere -- even in port;
* There is no provision to end cruise ship tertiary treatment effluent or
sludge discharging in Canadian marine protected areas;
* The discharge of garbage under the new regulations are less stringent
than 2004 Guidelines (reduced from 4 to 3 miles);
* Incinerator ash disposal containing heavy metals from thousands of
tonnes of burned garbage aboard ships is not prohibited ;
* Waste streams from cruise ships not previously addressed in regulation
continue to remain unaddressed;
* Vessel disclosure, inspection and reporting mechanisms for all waste
streams from previous regulations have been simplified, reduced, or
eliminated;
* No requirement for the use of low sulphur fuels;
* No new funding mechanism to recoup costs for existing or future increased
inspection regime by by Transport Canada;
* No whistleblower protection or compensation is cited;
* Shipboard incineration of polyvinyl chlorides is not prohibited on all
vessels;
* There is no provision for shellfish or viral pathogen studies;
* There is no public appeal or dispute mechanism cited for other
stakeholders deleteriously impacted by ship discharges;
* No provision for installation of new waste compliance monitoring
(transponders) or independent observers to inspect vessels;
* New regulations are not expected to be gazetted for another year and some
provisions not enacted for another 2-4 years;
* New regulations have not been "harmonized" with stricter regulations in
other U.S. jurisdictions.

" Instead of today's widely-reported crackdown on maritime pollution, through a clever sleight of hand the Conservative government of Stephen Harper has given unprecedented regulatory relief to an industry notorious for environmental felony crimes and fines that are among the highest in U.S. pollution enforcement history," says an equally astonished and concerned Breen. " While it may be somewhat comically appropriate to give the ministers a "Big Poopie" award for this latest Conservative greenwash there is nothing comical whatsoever about the impact of their actions on environmentally sensitive B.C. marine ecosystems and the some 20 endangered coastal species that may become deleteriously affected by ongoing cruise ship pollution," cautioned Breen. "The option of doing nothing in respect to unfettered cruise ship pollution has long passed."

Where Are The New Transport Regulations?

The Government has still not made the latest version of the regulations
publicly-accessible on the Transport Canada website nor provided a link in
today's Ministerial news release.

Contact your Member of Parliament and request a copy.
Ministerial News Release

For further information, please contact: Howard Breen, Marine Campaign Coordinator, Travel Just(250) 247-8813

Further reading on the cruise ship industry

New Baby Girl for J pod

Photographs taken May 6, 2007, off Freshwater Bay (west of Port Angeles, WA) lead staff at the Center for Whale Research to believe that J42 is a female based on the distinctive markings on the underside of the belly of this young calf (seen May 2, 2007, J42 joins pod, traveling alongside mother J16).

Willy Sighting!

OrcaNetwork - April 27
Jeff Dodd of Langley called to report what he was pretty sure was a False Killer whale, observed 3 miles north of Protection Island (near Port Townsend). The whale surfaced several times near the boat, & seemed very curious about the boat, then left.
There is a lone False Killer whale in the Salish Sea area that shows up periodically, & seems to like to approach boats - this could be a possible sighting - I have seen it in this area in the past - susan berta

Click - Orca Network Link

Click - Willy Link

Ecuador say NO to whaling and VOTE!

More here...

Orca Sound Project

These real-time hydrophone streams are brought to you by:

Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School

Colorado College Physics and Environmental Science Departments

The Whale Museum of Friday Harbor

With generous support from NOAA.

A growing coalition of scientists, educators, and citizens are working together to expand a regional hydrophone network in the Salish Sea. This site presents the status of the network and is an experiment in sharing real-time underwater sound from different "nodes" of the network via the Internet.

click - Orca Sound

Save the Streams - All

November 26, 2007



click - Save the Streams Presentation

August 17, 2007



There are five species of Pacific salmon that die
after spawning; Chinook, Chum, Coho, Sockeye,
and Pink. Salmon return to their natal streams and
rivers each year. Salmon travel thousands
of miles and spend one to five years feeding in the
ocean before returning to their birth streams.
Spawning females dig out a gravel nests, called a
redd. The males then fertilizes the eggs and the
female protects the redd for one to two weeks.
Alveins hatch and mature into fry, developing
vertical bars for camouflage, called parr marks.
After a period of feeding fry migrate downstream
towards the ocean and grow into smolts adapting
to their marine environment.

Threats
On top of natural dangers from predators dangers
to salmon from human activities include poor
farming and forest practices, pollution, destruction
of coastal wetlands and estuaries. The territory of
British Columbia salmon has been decimated for
decades by industrial clearcut logging. Roots of
trees anchor steep slopes. Logging increases the
chances of landslides filling vital spawning
grounds with mud, debris, and boulders. Shade
from trees is lost increasing water temperatures.
Other threats include overfishing, urbanization,
hydroelectric dams, and fish farms.

Actions
Salmon play an important role sustaining
forest ecology. Spawners bring vital nutrients
from the ocean into the forest. Carcasses are dispersed
by bears and eagles providing the trees with fertilizer;
nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon. Salmon feed the
rivers helping the survival of young salmon. Farmed
salmon does not replicate this vital role and is
detrimental to wild stocks. Dangers from fish farms
include disease, pollution (including contaminating
shellfish), predation on young wild salmon, and
escapement (Atlantic salmon compete for food and
habitat with wild stocks). Conservation actions include
cleaning up salmon streams (ensuring clean and safe
flowing environments), recycling, using biodegradable
and organic products, and choosing wild salmon over
farmed.

Chinook
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Spring, Salmon, King, Blackmouth,
Quinnat, Chub, Tyee (14+kg)
Chinooks have a greenish-blue dark back with
long black spots, a red hue develops around
the fins and belly, male teeth are enlarged and
they have a hooked snout. Tyee reach 1.5 m
and 58 kg, average 90 cm and14 kg. Spawning
peak May to June and August to September.

Chum
O. keta
Dog Salmon
Females are a metallic
blue, males have a
checkerboard colouration,
a dark horizontal stripe, and
canine-like teeth. Average
from 4.5 to 12 kg. Spawning
peak month October.

Coho
O. kisutch
Silver Salmon
Spawning males are red on
their sides, and a bright green
on the back and head areas, with a
darker colouration on the belly, spots
on upper tail fin lobe. They also develop
a hooked jaw with sharp teeth. Females
develop a lesser-hooked snout. Coho
reach 1 m and weigh up to 14 kg, they
average between 3 to kg. Spawning
peak July to August.

Sockeye
O. nerka
Kokanee, Red Salmon,
Blueback Salmon
Varying shades of red resulting
in a brilliant scarlet fish with a
green head. Grow to 83 cm
and weigh up to 7 kg. Spawning
peak month August.

Pink
O. gorbuscha
Humpies
Pale grey, males
develop a hump.
Get up to 76 cm
and to 5.5 kg,
average 1.5 to 2.5 kg.
Spawning peak month
October.



August 7, 2007

Shawnigan Lake

Small Mouth Bass

John's Creek



Goldstream

Salmon Fry

Thetis Lake





July 2, 2007





March 29, 2007


Southern Vancouver Island Salmon Streams

1 SAN JUAN RIVER- Chinook, Chum, Coho
2 MOSQUITO CREEK / DAVIS CREEK- Coho
3 FALLS CREEK / FALL CREEK / FALLER CREEK - Coho
4 SOMBRIO RIVER - Chum, Coho
5 MCVICAR CREEK - Atlantic
6 UGLOW CREEK - Coho
7 UGLOW CREEK - Coho
8 JORDAN RIVER - Chum, Coho
9 KIRBY CREEK / COAL CREEK - Chinook, Chum, Coho
10 MUIR CREEK - Chinook, Chum, Coho
11 TUGWELL CREEK - Chinook, Chum, Coho
12 DE MAMIEL CREEK - Chinook, Chum, Coho
13 SOOKE RIVER - Chinook, Chum, Coho
14 AYUM CREEK / STONEY CREEK - Chum, Coho
15 WILDWOOD CREEK / MATHESON CREEK - Coho
16 METCHOSIN - Chum
17 COLWOOD CREEK / GLEN LAKE CREEK - Coho
18 MILL STREAM / HAZLITT CREEK - Coho
19 CRAIGFLOWER CREEK / DEADMAN'S CREEK - Coho
20 COLQUITZ RIVER / COLQUITZ CREEK - Chum, Coho
21 SWAN LAKE CREEK / BLENKINSOP LAKE CREEK - Chum, Coho
22 SANDHILL CREEK / SHADY CREEK - Chum, Coho
23 HAGAN CREEK / GRAHAM CREEK - Coho
24 TOD CREEK - Coho
25 DURRANCE CREEK - Coho
26 GOLDSTREAM RIVER - Chinook, Chum, Coho
27 JOHNS CREEK - Chum, Coho
28 SHAWNIGAN CREEK / MILL BAY CREEK - Chum, Coho
29 KOKSILAH RIVER - Atlantic, Chum, Coho
30 COWICHAN RIVER - Atlantic, Chinook, Chum, Coho