Pete Thomas Outdoors

Killer whales attack sharks in New Zealand surf zone (video)

New Zealand beachgoers witnessed a raw display of nature earlier this week in the form of killer whales launching a prolonged attack on sharks in the surf zone. On at least one occasion a large shark beached itself in an apparent attempt to escape, only to be greeted by a barking dog (see video).

The incident occurred at Blue Cliffs Beach. Only one orca, a large male, is shown in the video report. But Clinton Duffy of the New Zealand Conservation Marine Institute explained in the report that several orcas, or killer whales, probably were involved in attacks on at least six broadnose sevengil sharks.

Orcas have been known to attack sharks in New Zealand waters, and this certainly is not the first time the cetaceans have been documented attacking sharks.

Perhaps the most notable event was in 1997 off San Francisco, Calif., when an orca killed a 12-foot great white shark in what appeared to have been a one-sided battle. Video footage of that incident, released much later, went viral.

-- PTO Facebook page

Wolf from Oregon is first to roam California in nearly 90 years

The cry of the wolf may now be heard in California for the first time in nearly 90 years, thanks to the presence of young gray wolf that entered state territory on Wednesday from Oregon.

The 2 1/2-year-old male wolf, named OR7 by Oregon wildlife officials, had already gained notoriety for a zig-zagging trek that spanned more than 700 miles from northeast Oregon, across the Cascades, to the southwestern part of the state.

The California Department of Fish and Game announced Thursday that OR7 had entered Siskiyou County, just south of the Oregon border. He becomes the first known wild wolf to have ranged in California since 1924, when the last verified gray wolf was killed by a trapper in Lassen County.

OR7's trek is believed to have been sparked by a desire to find a mate and new territory. It remains unclear whether the wolf, which has a GPS collar unit that sporadically relays his position, found an un-collared mate during his travels.

OR7 has avoided large towns and there have been no verified sightings of the predator since he was collared last February. There are no photographs of the animal, adding to its mysterious allure.

While some might find this news exciting, California ranchers are wary about the possibility of wolf expansion into the state, because of the threat that would pose to livestock, and the California DFG is already formulating a plan to deal with the eventual return of wolves.

"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into California is an historic event and result of much work by the wildlife agencies in the West," said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. "If the gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much more work to do here."

Bag limits for waters that have special regulations for trout?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: What are the bag limits for waters that have special regulations for trout? In some cases, specifically the middle fork of the Stanislaus River, the river is broken down into sections. For example, from the Beardsley Dam down to the Spring Gap Bridge there are certain restrictions and the bag limit is two fish of at least 14 inches. From the same bridge down to New Melones Lake there are no special restrictions and the bag limit is two fish.

If you fish on one side of the bridge following the special restrictions (only artificial lures and barbless hooks) and you keep two fish that are at least 14 inches, can you also be in possession of two fish from the other side of the bridge that allows any type of bait and hook? Meaning you would be in possession of four fish because they were caught essentially under the bag limit of the two different bodies of water based on the regulations. Also, how would you be able to prove to a game warden if they ask about the additional two fish that you caught up river beyond the bridge? (Larry G.)

Answer: You may not exceed the daily bag or possession limit for the location where you are currently fishing, regardless of where you caught the fish. In your example, the daily bag limit is two fish, and you cannot exceed that limit on the same day even if you fish multiple segments of the river.

For an alphabetical list of waters with special fishing regulations, see California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 7.50. In the current California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet, they can be found beginning on page 30.

Q: I was told recently by my gunsmith that it’s illegal to use a double gun -- a rifle/shotgun combo, like the Savage Model 24 -- when hunting birds in California. Do you have any knowledge of this or any idea of who to ask? (Dave and Jim M.)

Sea Shepherd anti-whaling vessel damaged by rogue wave

Somewhere in Antarctic waters,  Japanese whalers are cheering their good fortune as Mother Nature has knocked one of the enemy's three ships out of its fight against the killing of whales.

The Brigitte Bardot, a scout boat for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was struck by a rogue wave in heavy seas as it pursued the whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru.

According to Sea Shepherd, the vessel suffered a cracked hull and damaged pontoon. It will be escorted to Fremantle,  Australia, by Capt. Paul Watson aboard the Steve Irwin. There were no injuries to any of the 10 Brigitte Bardot crew members.

This temporarily leaves only one Sea Shepherd boat, the Bob Barker, to attempt to stay with the whaling fleet as the fleet bounds toward the hunting grounds.

In the accompanying Sky News video report, Watson said the Steve Irwin will return to the Antarctic after the escort mission and rejoin a campaign the group calls "Operation Divine Wind."

"It's not going to stop our attempt, but it is a setback because it takes out one of our boats," Watson told the Associated Press.

Japan annually targets more than 900 whales in what it refers to as scientific missions, thus skirting a long-standing international moratorium on commercial whaling. The wording in the moratorium allows for lethal research.

This is Sea Shepherd's eighth campaign against the effort. Last season the whalers were forced to quit early, far short of their quota, because of Sea Shepherd's harassment efforts. This season one of the Japanese harpoon boats is carrying members of the Japan Coastguard.

These hunts are expensive and Japan has been criticized not only for continuing to hunt whales, but for funding the extra security with money earmarked for relief in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis last March.

Is Mammoth Mountain the world's most popular ski resort?

Skiers and snowboarders love an occasional escape to Mammoth Mountain in California's Eastern Sierra region. But it's the number of "likes" on the ski area's Facebook page that has it ranked as the most popular resort in North America.

That's the criteria used by Skireports.com to determine its rankings for the 2011 calendar year. When the website released its findings on Monday, Mammoth's Facebook page had 99,458 fans. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning it had 100,915, and holds the distinction of becoming first ski/snowboard resort in the world to surpass 100,000.

Rounding out the top five on the list are Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe (93,887 fans), Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia (87,477), Vail in Colorado (79,765), and Breckenridge in Colorado (66,060).

The lone resort from Southern California to make the top 10 is Mountain High in Wrightwood, with 39,742 fans.

—Image showing a snowboarder at Mammoth Mountain is courtesy of Pete Morning

Golden retriever grooves to the strumming of a guitar (video)

Golden retrievers make wonderful companions in the great outdoors, but at least one of the lovable canines enjoys sitting inside being serenaded by a man playing guitar.

Watch as the dog's expression changes when the music stops; the retriever seems to smile and groove when the instrument is being strummed, and to frown and become sad when the guitar goes silent.

There's a reason this YouTube video went viral, but you'd probably have to be a dog lover to agree.

Gray whale sightings soar as Southland viewing season begins

Outstanding weather conditions and what appears to be an early southbound migration of Pacific gray whales has transformed the holiday season into prime time for viewing the beloved leviathans off Southern California.

The ACS-LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project at Point Vicente on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is reporting record sightings for December. Through Monday volunteer spotters had logged 147 sightings of southbound gray whales. The previous high for the month was 133 in 1996.

The project, which notes sightings and behavior and monitors trends rather than estimate the actual population, began in 1984. The promontory is manned during daylight hours from Dec. 1 through May 15.

The 147 figure is the most since 130 gray whales were spotted during December of 2004.

Monday's tally was 27, the highest for any December day in the project's history. It included the season's first two sightings of gray whale calves. Sunday's count  was 17 and Saturday's was 21 (the previous high for the month).

These daily numbers are more typically logged during about the second week of January, when the southbound migration off Southern California begins to peak.

(Significant early sightings also were recorded off Monterey in Central California, helping to suggest that the whales embarked early on their annual 5,000-mile trek from Arctic feeding grounds to Baja California lagoons, where calving and nursing occur.)

Splendid weather conditions, with flat seas and long-distance visibility, could partially explain the high number of sightings off Southern California. But experts believe a productive summer feeding season in Arctic waters has prompted at least some whales to begin their migration early.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, director of the Census and Behavior Project, was aboard the Voyager out of Redondo Sportfishing on Monday, to kick off the official start of the 2011-12 whale-watching season. Passengers viewed an endangered fin whale and 11 gray whales, several of which revealed tail flukes.

I was aboard the Dana Pride out of Dana Wharf Whale Watching. Our group saw only one gray whale. But passengers aboard a fishing boat from the same landing saw five earlier in the day, and whale-watchers aboard a boat out of Oceanside to the south enjoyed multiple sightings.

About 20,000 Pacific gray whales migrate to and from Baja California each year. The population has edged upward since "unusual mortality events" in 1999 and 2000, following poor feeding seasons in the Arctic region.

The slow rebound has been reassuring to marine mammal experts, considering that between 1998 and 2000 the population suffered the loss of about 10,000 whales, to number about 18,000. Gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994.

Prospective whale-watchers should note that ideal weather conditions are in the forecast for the next several days, so your chances of seeing whales early into the new year are very good.

—Pete Thomas

—Note: Reports about gray whales and other marine mammals are posted frequently on the ACS-LA Facebook page

—Images showing gray whales passing by the Point Vicente Interpretive Center are courtesy of Alisa Schulman-Janiger

Sean Collins, founder of Surfline, dies suddenly at 59

Surf-forecasting pioneer Sean Collins died Monday afternoon after suffering an apparent heart attack while playing tennis at a club near his home in Seal Beach, Calif. He was 59 and is survived by his wife, Daren, and sons Tyler and A.J.

Collins, a passionate sailor and surfer who traveled extensively in pursuit of perfect waves, will be remembered for taking the guesswork out of when and where storm-generated swells will arrive at destinations around the world.

As founder of Surfline.com, he had a knack for understanding weather systems. Collins, who had no formal training as a meteorologist, utilized an extensive network of buoys and computer models to predict the arrival and duration of ocean swells.

The website contains surf reports, features and forecasting tools, as well as industry news reports. It attracts about 1.5 million viewers per month.

Big-wave surfers have for the past several years relied on Collins' forecasts as they traveled the world in search of giant waves. Surfline, established as a website in 1995, also placed dozens webcams at well-known surf spots, enabling website visitors to see first-hand how the waves were breaking.

Collins was named one of the "25 Most Influential Surfers of the Century" by Surfer Magazine in the summer of 1999. He was inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame in 2008. It should go without noting that he'll be sorely missed.

Details about services for Collins were not known at the time of this post.

Gray whale greets scuba divers off Laguna Beach (video)

 

Pacific gray whale sightings have begun to surge off Southern California, just in time for today's official start to the whale-watching season. But marine mammal enthusiasts are still excited about a sighting logged more than a week ago by scuba divers who captured rare underwater footage of a juvenile gray whale off Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach, Calif. (The video, filmed by Rebecca Ziegler, is posted above).

If you look closely at the footage you can see barnacles and lice—the telltale markings of a gray whale—on the young whale's head.

About 20,000 Pacific gray whales migrate each fall and winter from Arctic feeding grounds to lagoons along Baja California, where calving and nursing occurs.

The whale in the video appeared to have been curious about the bubble-blowing divers. Juvenile gray whales often travel by themselves and can be more adventurous than adult male and pregnant females, who are trying simply to reach the lagoons as quicly as possible.

Alisa Schulman-Janiger, director of the ACS-LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project at Point Vicente on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, said this could be a record December in terms of gray whale sightings.

Is it legal to keep my limit plus my friend’s fish?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: My buddies and I fish for rockfish out of Pillar Point Harbor and are very careful about following the rules. We usually return with legal limits. However, on occasion one or more of my fishing friends decides not to take their entire catch home. When that happens I might leave the marina parking lot with my 10 fish as well as additional fish caught by other licensed fishers. I’m thinking that since we caught them legally and returned to the dock legally, we are ok. Am I right? (Bill L., Half Moon Bay)

Answer: No. You cannot ever be in possession of more than the possession limit, even if the extra fish came from another angler who caught them legally. Your buddy may only give away fish to someone who does not already have a limit in their possession. If you have your limit and then take additional fish from another angler, you may be cited for having an overlimit regardless of who gave them to you.

Q: A friend shot a wild pig and while skinning it he saw worms in the armpits and groin area. He cut out and discarded the surrounding meat, processed and ate the rest. Is this a seasonal problem? Was this meat safe to eat? If one gets an infected pig, how should one dispose of the bad meat or entire carcass? Bury it (how deep)? Burn it? Toss into the trash can within tightly sealed plastic bags? (Ray, Arbuckle)