Super-Pod 2020 & Baby Calf

 

The other calf belongs to J31 Tsuchi and her calf born last year is J56 Tofino. It is still small and is among the first calf pics in my blog but it is not as pink as the smaller one. It got the name Tofino because that is where it was first spotted, off Tofino BC. 

 

We also saw a whole slew of other whales including the following but so many more I did not identify. L103 Lapis and calf L123 Lazuli, L72 Racer, L83 Moonlight, J35 Tahlequa, and her calf J57, J31 Tsuchi and her calf J56 Tofino, J26 Mike, J27 Blackberry, J19 Shachi, J22 Oreo and son J38 Cookie, and K34 Cali. 

 

There was lots of foraging for salmon going on and it was nice to see them catching fish. The seagulls were hovering over them after a catch to get any tidbits left behind.

 

There are a few pics of other marine life including Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagles, Steller Sea Lions, and Harbor Seals. I also snapped a shot of our USCG as they flew over in a helicopter.

 

It was both sad and aggravating to see NOAA out there yet again harassing the whales, motoring up over their backs and stabbing them with a 20-foot pike pole to attach a tag on them. I have seen this crew riding the whales wake making them mad where they are slapping their tail flukes showing their displeasure at having a boat over the top of them.

NOAA scientists are the only ones who practice this invasive type of study. At least they are no longer using a crossbow with two four-inch bolts shooting it into the whales. The man in the bow of the boat did just that four years ago now, killing one of our endangered species residents, L95 Nigel, a 20-year-old adult male. 

 

NOAA has been charged with the responsibility to assist in the recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whales, and several species of salmon that are also endangered. They receive millions of dollars each year and they squander it on study after study after study fortifying their careers instead of actually doing something like say put more salmon in the sea so the Southern Resident Killer Whales can survive. They oppose the breaching of the four snake river dams which would also bring back more salmon for their winter food supply but that would mean a loss of millions in the coffers of NOAA and Bonneville Power Administration in maintaining those dams.

 

I have always applauded NOAA’s meteorologists, they do an awesome job at predicting the marine weather and keeping mariners safe on the oceans and even here in the Salish Sea. Even in my early years as a captain, we used to get a weather fax and you would know how good the forecast was by the signature of the man or woman who signed it. You got to know who you could count on for an accurate forecast.  It is a shame these folks are linked to the NOAA fisheries folks who are utterly failing decade after decade with zilch for results in bringing back our endangered species squandering millions of taxpayer dollars every year.