Pete Thomas Outdoors

Swordfish provides rare thrill for Orange County whale watchers; video

By Pete Thomas

Whale watchers off Orange County were surprised Tuesday to encounter an 8-foot broadbill swordfish that swam briefly alongside the 95-foot Dana Pride.

Carla Mitroff, a naturalist for Dana Wharf Whale Watching, said the rare sighting occurred 1.8 miles west of Dana Point.

“It was a first for me,” Mitroff said, adding that the swordfish remained near the boat for about 10 minutes.

 

 

A post shared by Dana Wharf Whales (@danawharf) on Aug 29, 2017 at 12:42pm PDT

Swordfish are found in tropical and temperate seas in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. But in Southern California they’re typically encountered, sporadically, much farther offshore.

Dana Wharf, in an Instagram video post, wrote: “This is a new one. We have had #Sharks come to the boat but never a #swordfish ! Always something amazing at Dana Wharf!”

Had this been a fishing trip instead of a whale-watching trip, it’s likely that anglers would have tried to bait the swordfish.

–Photo and video are courtesy of ©Carla Mitroff/Danawharf.com

Rescued humpback whale had been tangled in crab-fishing gear from Washington State

By Pete Thomas

The next time you enjoy a plate of steaming Dungeness crab, consider the plight of a young humpback whale that was rescued Sunday off San Clemente, Calif.

The 25-foot juvenile whale had become entangled, perhaps several weeks ago or longer, in crab-fishing gear from Washington State. Ropes attached to floats were wrapped tightly around the base of the whale’s tail fluke, and around parts of its upper body, including its mouth.

The mammal carried the gear more than 1,200 miles, and it remains unclear how effectively the whale was able to feed.

The first attempt to rescue the whale occurred late Saturday off Palos Verdes in Los Angeles County. A disentanglement team from Marine Animal Rescue attached a telemetry buoy, but could not remove the gear before darkness fell.

The telemetry buoy enabled rescue teams, in an effort led by Justin Viezbicke of NOAA Fisheries, to locate the whale Sunday morning off San Clemente, in south Orange County.

Units from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, SeaWorld, and Marine Animal Rescue worked for several hours, according to those monitoring the rescue effort, before the whale swam away with only a single line trailing its mouth.

Viezbicke, California Stranding Network Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries, had not responded to a request for a statement at the time of this post.

However, Viezbicke told the Orange County Register: “The prognosis is guarded. It will depend how the remaining line affects [the whale's] foraging.”

Last year there were 71 reported cases of entangled whales off the U.S. West Coast (54 were humpback whales). It was the highest annual total since NOAA Fisheries began keeping records in 1982. Of the 71 reported entanglements, 48 were confirmed by NOAA.

Last year, according to NOAA Fisheries, there was a sharp increase in the number of entanglements associated with the Dungeness crab fishery. However, entanglements also involve gillnets, spot prawn-fishing gear, sablefish trap gear and lobster trap gear.

–Top photo is a generic humpback whale fluke, by ©Pete Thomas; second image shows the entangled humpback whale Saturday off Palos Verdes, by ©Erik Combs/Harbor Breeze Cruises.

 

Boat strikes whale at 40 mph off Japan; fate of mammal unknown

A high-speed passenger boat collided with what was presumed to have been a whale Tuesday off Nagasaki, Japan, leaving several passengers bruised and shaken.

The 163-ton Venus was carrying 108 passengers and crew and traveling at 40 mph when the strike occurred, according to the Japan Times.

The impact cracked the vessel's bow, but Venus arrived safely to port in Izuhara two hours behind schedule. Seven passengers suffered minor injuries. The fate of the whale is not known, but a strike of this type likely would result in serious injury, if not death.

Kyushu Yusen, the service provider for Venus, said it will investigate the incident while Venus undergoes repairs.

–Generic whale image by ©Pete Thomas

 

 

Grizzly bear killed in car collision on Grand Teton National Park highway

A 260-pound male grizzly bear died after being struck by a vehicle Sunday in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.

The park issued a news release Monday, explaining that the investigation is complete and that no citations were issued.

The collision occurred at about 5:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 89/26/191.

However, rangers were not informed until 9:30 a.m., when another motorist reported sighting a bear carcass next to the highway.

A damaged vehicle was parked nearby. Rangers later located the owner, who explained that the accidental collision occurred in the predawn darkness.

The park concluded its news release with this notice to visitors:

"Rangers remind drivers to be alert when driving through the park as animals are migrating this time of year. Please watch for wildlife and observe the posted speed limits, including a 45 mile-per-hour night time speed limit on US Highway 89/26/191."

–Generic grizzly bear image is courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Bamboo shark rescued while inside egg; blossoms into striking critter named Panda

Most shark stories have to do with the capture of enormous specimens, or attacks on humans by sharks that mistake surfers and swimmers as prey.

The following story, however, is of the heartwarming variety, involving a colorful shark named Panda, saved by a student in Queensland, Australia, and his dad.

Panda is a brownbanded bamboo shark, whose life began inside of an egg, which somehow became snarled in a net found by a Dunwich State School pupil named Laurence, and his dad.

The egg was delivered to the University of Queensland’s Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre just before Christmas.

On Monday, the research facility broke the happy news on Facebook:

“We have been monitoring her all that time, and late last night she finally hatched! She had her first feed this morning and is happy and healthy. We will release her once she is a bit bigger and able to fend for herself.”

Brownbanded bamboo sharks, which are found in the Indo-West Pacific from Japan to about northern Australia, are hardy predators that can reach lengths of nearly four feet. They prey on small fish and crustaceans, and pose no danger to humans.

Their striking appearance makes them popular as aquarium pets, but of course they belong in the wild.

The Moreton Bay facility announced that Panda will be set free once she “can fend for herself.” Laurence and his dad are expected to participate in the release.

–Image of Panda courtesy of the Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre

Sierra Nevada red fox sighting first in Yosemite in nearly 100 years

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

The first sightings of a Sierra Nevada red fox in nearly 100 years inside Yosemite National Park were confirmed Wednesday by park officials.

The furry critter was photographed as it roamed through snow in the northern portion of the California wilderness park twice by motion-sensitive trail-cameras: the first time in mid-December, and most recently on January 4.

Biologists discovered the footage during a recent backpacking expedition to check on the cameras.

The Sierra Nevada red fox is one of the rarest animals in North America, with a population of only about 50 animals, so any sighting is considered extraordinary.

Don Neubacher, park superintendent, said in a news release that his staff was “thrilled to hear about the sighting of one of the most rare and elusive animals in the Sierra Nevada.”

Sarah Stock, a park biologist, added: “Confirmation of the Sierra Nevada red fox in Yosemite National Park’s vast alpine wilderness provides an opportunity to join research partners in helping to protect this imperiled animal. We’re excited to work across our boundaries to join efforts with other researchers that will ultimately give these foxes the best chances at recovery.”

The animals are vulnerable to extinction because of their tiny population size. Among the many threats they've faced over the years include logging, off-road and snowmobile use, livestock grazing, competition from non-native fox species, and now climate change.

It could be that the population is much lower than 50.

Biologists from various agencies have been monitoring a tiny population of red foxes, first documented by the U.S. Forest Service in 2010, in wilderness north of the park.

Before that population was discovered, the last previous sighting was 20 years ago.

Yosemite said it will use strategically-placed trail cameras to try to obtain more sightings information, and will place “hair snare stations” in the hope of obtaining hair samples for genetic studies.

–Sierra Nevada red fox image is via Yosemite National Park trail-cam

Wisdom, world's oldest albatross, is a mom-to-be once more

Wisdom, who is at least 63, incubates her egg on Midway Atoll; photo by Greg Joder

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Midway Atoll, in the middle of the Pacific, is extremely remote but steeped in history.

It was the last link in a worldwide telegraph system that was launched with a message from President Theodore Roosevelt on July 4, 1903.

Midway was a landing site for Pan Am Clipper ships that ferried people across the Pacific. As a Naval Air Facility, it once supported more than 5,000 residents and, of course, the small coral atoll served as headquarters for the famous 1942 Battle of Midway, which turned the tide in the war against Japan.

But these days, with a staff of about 40, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is mostly associated with its remarkable wildlife, mainly its nesting sea birds, including the world’s oldest-known banded wild bird: a Laysan albatross named Wisdom.

Wisdom preens mate; photo by Greg Joder

Wisdom, who is at least 63 years old and possibly much older, has astonished biologists yet again by returning to the atoll and laying yet another egg.

It’s remarkable given that the average life span for a Laysan albatross is 12 to 40 years. These graceful soaring birds spend most of their time at sea and face many perils, including the ingestion of plastic they mistake for prey.

But Wisdom clearly is not a typical Laysan albatross. Every year it’s a surprise merely that she has returned, and perhaps the same can be said of her younger mate (Laysan albatrosses mate for life).

This year Wisdom’s mate arrived on Midway on November 19; Wisdom was first spotted on November 22. The laying of an egg was reported Wednesday in a blog post by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Pacific Region.

It states that Wisdom has raised between 30 and 35 chicks since being banded in 1956, when she was estimated to be 5 years old.

This marks the eighth consecutive year that Wisdom and her mate have successfully bred. Soon, it’s hoped, a chick will hatch, officially making Wisdom a new mom–again.

Not that any of the other albatross will notice, however. Midway boasts 70% of the world’s breeding Laysan albatrosses. The two islands that comprise the atoll are littered with birds during the fall-winter mating and incubating season.

Wisdom's chick from last year; photo by Dan Clark/USFWS

Hatching season typically begins in mid-January, and fledging occurs from mid-June through July. That’s also when the parents leave the nest, to spend the next several months foraging at sea.

Sounds like a lot to go through for an older bird such as Wisdom, but then what does a bird know about age?

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New York City becomes a humpback whale hotspot

Humpback whale surfaces for a view of the Empire State Building; photo by ©Artie Raslich/Gotham Whale

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Two weeks ago, we profiled the stunning humpback whale feeding display occurring close to shore off Monterey, California. Enthusiasts are still watching in awe as the giant mammals lunge upward through vast shoals of anchovies to ingest thousands of the small fish in a single gulp.

But humpback whales are putting on a spectacular exhibition in nearshore waters off New York and New Jersey, too, gorging on schooling menhaden.

 The East Coast phenomenon is unique in that more whales are showing up, and staying longer than in previous years, according to the research group Gotham Whale, because water flowing into the Atlantic from New York Harbor is much cleaner than it used to be.

The cleaner water is believed responsible for luring more bait fish to the area, and as a result humpback whales are no longer compelled to migrate farther north to feeding grounds off Cape Cod or Maine.

“The river used to bring nothing but pollution, but in the last five years or so there is cleaner water, more nutrients, and less garbage,” Paul Sieswerda, director of Gotham Whale, told the Guardian. “My boat captain says New York is the new Cape Cod.”

Gotham Whale, which runs public whale-watching trips aboard American Princess Cruises from Breezy Point, photo-cataloged 29 individual humpback whales feeding in New York waters from the beginning of the spring/summer feeding season through the end of July 2014.

That’s compared to 43 whales for all of the 2013 season, 25 in 2013, and only five in 2011.

Mendy Garron, a marine mammal specialist with NOAA, told the New York Post: “Humpback whales are in the North Atlantic this time of year for feeding. Increase or longer presence in certain areas usually mean that there is an abundant food source.”

Menhaden, referred to by many local fishermen as bunker, average 6 to 8 inches long, about the same size as large sardines.

Artie Raslich, Gotham Whale’s staff photographer, said the increased abundance of menhaden and has lured other predators such as blue fish, striped bass, and thresher sharks.

More great white sharks are being spotted, too, and this could be the result of an increase in seal populations.

A harbor seal colony off Staten Island, for example, has increased from 10 in 2006 to about 66 this year.

But the humpback whales, which can often be seen lunging upward and sending thousands of menhaden scattering to avoid capture, have claimed the spotlight.

“Every day there’s a show out there,” Raslich said.

Fans of endangered Southern Resident killer whales hoping for a new calf

Is she, or isn’t she?

That’s the burning question regarding the possibility–or likelihood?–that one of an endangered population of Pacific Northwest killer whales is pregnant.

On Tuesday, a day after J32, also named Rhapsody, was photographed breaching off Victoria, British Columbia, marine mammal enthusiasts became engaged in a spirited debate on social media. Some were more hopeful than others, but everyone was rooting for an orca calf.

Rhapsody belongs to J pod, one of three pods that make up the Southern Resident killer whales. As the images show, the 18-year-old female is revealing what looks to be an enormous baby bump.

If Rhapsody is pregnant, and delivers a healthy calf, it would represent a significant boon for J pod, which numbers only 25 animals. It would also be a boon for the overall Southern Resident population, which numbers only 80 animals. (There are three pods. K pod is the smallest, with 19, and L pod is the largest with 36.)

“It’s been since August of 2012 that we’ve seen a new calf in the Southern Residents, and yet there have been four losses since then, so we’re hoping to see at least one new baby this year,” says Howard Garrett, who runs Orca Network, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about whales of the Pacific Northwest. “It’s never easy to tell from how the females look whether they’ll have a calf or not so it’s always a pleasant surprise, and we’d love to see some surprises this year.”

Pleasant surprises are few and far between when it comes to the Southern Residents, the only endangered population of killer whales in the U.S.

They’ve endured hardships with sources ranging from pollution, ship traffic, to a scarcity of salmon as their primary food source. Their current numbers are near an all-time low.

But because they’re such a valuable tourism resource, and so embattled, each Southern Resident is regarded as a celebrity by marine mammal enthusiasts. A new baby, to be sure,  would be cause for celebration.

However, until a calf is seen, emotions are ranging from cautiously optimistic to doubtful.

Simon Pidcock of Ocean EcoVentures Whale Watching began a comment thread Monday on his personal Facebook page, on which many longtime orca observers were stating that all the baby talk is purely speculation, that J32 is just a well-fed and happy orca.

“J32 just looks like a fat healthy whale to me,” Pidcock wrote. “Even last year when they were getting nowhere near as much fish, she was still looking large. So great to see them foraging so much… feels like 7 or 8 years ago.”

Responded Melisa Pinnow: “Lots of people thought she was pregnant last year too. I think it is just a combination of her being well fed, the angle of the photo, and the way she sticks her belly out when she breaches. I won’t complain if she turns up with a calf though.”

Tasli Shaw was more positive, and creative. She pieced together a mock People Magazine cover with the announcement, “It’s Twins! Or is it triplets? Our inside look at the life of Rhapsody and how she feels about the baby rumors.” (The mock cover is posted above.)

People magazine last month week featured “Granny,” a Southern Resident who, at 102 years old, is believed to be the world’s oldest orca.

Perhaps soon the world’s youngest orca, son or daughter of Rhapsody, will be visible alongside mom.

After all, orcas typically have their first calves between the ages of 11 and 15, so the timing is beyond right.

Researchers are painfully aware that J pod needs young blood to help the overall stock.

Said Victoria-based orca researcher Josh McInnes, who was among the photographers out with the mammals on Monday:

“Top predators have a tough life… especially social predators. Calves have a high mortality rate within the first six months. There is also the issue of inbreeding as the population decreases. As inbreeding occurs, so does the chance for harmful mutations which lead to disease. This new calf could mean a future reproductive female or a male that may sire more calves.”

So as so many are saying, here’s hoping the rumors are true!

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv Outdoor

–Images (top to bottom) are courtesy of ©Josh McInnes. Mock People magazine cover is via Tasli Shaw

Oregon's wandering wolf, OR7, appears to have found a mate

The long-playing saga of a lonely wolf named OR7 appears to have taken a happy turn, as the wandering young predator appears to have found a mate in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.

It's quite likely, also, that the pair is rearing cubs.

OR7 made headlines in 2011 when he traversed 700 miles of Oregon wilderness and crossed into California at the end of the year, becoming the first known wolf in California in nearly 90 years.

OR7, which was born to a pack in northeast Oregon, was presumed to have been searching for a mate and could not have known that there were no other wolves in California.

But he remained in California–except for a very brief trip back to southern Oregon–for more than a year, ranging across remote terrain in several counties.

Few knew what OR7 looked like. He was not photographed when he was tagged as a cub. But because of his romantic odyssey he developed many fans, including schoolchildren, who followed his progress on the Internet.

They hoped that OR7 would not be shot by a rancher or hunter, and that he would someday, somehow, find a companion.

Finally, in March 2013, OR7 crossed back into Oregon, via Klamath County. He recently settled in the Oregon Cascades.

This week the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued a news release with the headline: “Wolf OR7 may have found a mate.”

Biologists assume this is true based on images captured in early May, via remote sensor cameras on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, that showed a black female wolf in the same area where OR7 is located (bottom two images).

New images of OR7 also were captured by the same cameras (top image shows OR7).

“This information is not definitive, but it is likely that this new wolf and OR7 have paired up,” said John Stephenson, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wolf biologist. “More localized GPS collar data from OR7 is an indicator that they may have denned. If that is correct, they would be rearing pups at this time of year.”

If there are cubs, it will mark the first known wolf breeding in the Oregon Cascades since the early 20th century.

While not everybody is a fan of wolves, or their fairly recent expansion throughout the West, lots of people are rooting for OR7.

Stated the Defenders of Wildlife’s Suzanne Stone:

“This is a great sign of wolf recovery in the Pacific West, and indeed some of the most exciting news we’ve had since OR7 re-visited California back in February. This would be the first wolf breeding in the Oregon Cascades in nearly 100 years!”

Added Russ Morgan, wolf program coordinator for ODWF: “This latest development is another twist in OR7’s interesting story.”

The ODWF will not be able to confirm whether OR7 is a new father until June or later, when the agency performs its first pup surveys of the season.

To be sure, this is an interesting development, considering that at the end of last year, there were only 64 known wolves in Oregon, mostly in the northeast corner of the state.

–Pete Thomas

–Photos showing OR7 (top) and his presumed new mate are courtesy of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife