Whales crowd Monterey Bay to feast on krill bonanza

[lovelyjolie]

MONTEREY – Blue whales are so big that when one surfaces to breathe, it seems a peninsula is emerging.

You see a blowhole and a glossy back the size of a vegetable garden. But there's a whole land mass down there bigger than the boat you rode out on.

The biggest creature ever to roam the Earth is drawing crowds to Monterey Bay this month. Daily sightings are the norm in response to the best feeding conditions for marine mammals in years.

Whale-watching businesses are adding extra tours – and filling them up – to accommodate eager nature lovers.

"It takes your breath away, a little bit," said Alan Denning, a visitor from Great Britain, after the first blue whale appeared during a tour Thursday. "They are huge and awesome creatures, really. I feel very lucky and privileged."

The big whales are here by the dozen to feast on huge blooms of krill, a tiny shrimp that is their main food.

All manner of ocean wildlife are benefiting. Krill are considered a "keystone" species because they feed on plankton, converting that energy into a form available for fish, squid and even birds.

In effect, krill are the ocean's salad bar, and right now they're providing an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"It's very unusual in terms of just the sheer number of animals," said Daniel Palacios, a Monterey oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The bay is abuzz."

Passengers aboard the Sea Wolf II, operated by Monterey Bay Whale Watch, saw this abundance on Thursday. In a three-hour tour, they saw 80 humpback whales, 400 Risso's dolphins and 150 northern right whale dolphins.

There were also eight blue whales – three close enough to photograph with an average camera.

"Whoa, did you hear 'em?" passenger Rachel Ray said when two whales made a raspy whistle as they spouted. "Far out!"

The whales dove, and the turbulence left behind made a flat spot on the sea as big as a basketball court.

Later, hundreds of dolphins swam among the whales. As a humpback rolled on the surface, throwing a barnacled pectoral fin in the air, white Risso's dolphins slashed through the water like sports cars passing a semi-truck.

"It's incredible," said Hein Koelman, visiting from Germany with his wife and four children. "You see that nature is so beautiful."

Blue whales were nearly hunted to extinction by the 1950s. Now a federally protected endangered species, they number about 2,000 in the Pacific, said Palacios, and about 8,000 worldwide.

The Pacific group breeds in waters off Mexico in winter, and migrates to Alaska in summer. Between those points, they follow the krill.

The tiny shrimp have been in short supply on the California coast for about the last seven years. Deep upwelling currents that bring nutrients to the surface have been weak or ill-timed, leaving little for krill to eat.

Northerly winds that drive the mixing of currents have been erratic over the past five years, but the causes are unclear.

Recent krill shortages likely explain other problems. Thousands of Cassin's auklets, a seabird that feeds on krill, died over the past three years. Hundreds of sea lions, which feed on fish that eat krill, have turned up dead and emaciated. Salmon and rockfish have been in short supply.

Last year, said Palacios, "The upwelling process started late. However, once it got started it was very strong."

The krill have responded, offering hope that these other species will rebound, too.

"We've had just the right conditions, it seems," said Nancy Black, a marine biologist and owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch for 23 years. "This year, I've seen the most whales ever since I've been doing this."

Black has added an evening tour to keep up with demand. Three other whale-watching businesses on Cannery Row are also booming.

The krill are so abundant, Black said, that sometimes they give the sea a red appearance.

Krill are good swimmers and spend their days in vast clouds at a depth of 200 feet to avoid predators on the surface. At dark they rise closer to the surface.

Blue whales feed by diving below the schools of krill and lunging upward. Baleen plates in the whales' mouths allow them to expel the water and retain the krill.

Monterey offers a unique vantage point to observe all this because it sits just two miles from the edge of a sheer underwater cliff. It marks the edge of the world's third-largest submarine canyon – 10,000 feet deep – which funnels the upwelling currents and the krill close to shore.

Whales can be found every year in Monterey Bay. But the big blue whales are a special attraction, even for locals.

"They're the ones we always hear about, but don't always see," said Ray, who lives in the Monterey County town of Cachagua and has been whale watching many times. "So to be in their presence is sacred."

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/24/291178 ... feast.html

[Neil hayes]

Nice write up! It really is a crazy thought that Blue whales being the largest living creature and maybe the largest that ever lived is actually two steps away from living off solar energy. Also by getting their food so close to the base of the food chain they are getting loads more calories for the amount of food that they are eating and also I reckon they are cutting down big time on the amount of mercury they are taking in etc.

Upwelling really is a crazy thing and it lets people actually see these animals for if there was none I guess most of the larger Baleen whales would spend their time at the poles feeding in the cold nutrient rich water and then most people wouldn't be able to see and gain compassion for these creatures!

long live the Baleanoptera Musculus : )


Neil

[SeaTag]

Why am I always oblivious to the things around me :(

Should have taken our boat out

[shark4life]

Incredible story!!

I spent the summer of '09 working in Bahia, Brazil with the Humpback Institute. I came during the beginning of the season and one of my tasks was to go out every morning with a whale watching crew to both check their procedures and record sightings. It was probably one of the best summer experiences of my life. I still have photos and memories. It is an incredible thing to see whales no matter the size. They just are a force and beauty of nature.


http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm49 ... ILSLAP.jpg

[Orca_lover]

It's an incredible year up the the Bay of Fundy as well. I just returned from a marine mammal course in New Brunswick where we went out multiple times in the boats.

In the Bay this year there are the usual humpbacks, a few right whales (but not nearly as many as we normally get), and a treat - sperm whales! Apparently they're following the squid in. I also saw Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins, and hundreds of harbour porpoise. There were also lots of harbour and grey seals, as per usual.

There is also an increase in the number of orcas seen off NFLD this year. That may be linked to the 95% mortality rate of the harp seals this winter because of the non-existent ice. It's all over the news that the orcas have killed 2 minkes so far that we know of, and have been ramming whale watching boats.

Just as a side note - I like to think that the Southern Right Whale that breached on the sailboat was a response to a member of the same species being hit by a tanker not a month earlier.