DuckDogTitus":22sra0kl said:
Jim, that's more or less what I expected to hear but I thought I'd ask. I've seen them all the way down in Tacoma before and that was pretty darn cool. My wife hasn't seen them in the wild yet so it will be a treat for her if she can.
do you recognize individual whales now after seeing them so often? or just the pod size? I am wondering how you are able to know who is who when you reference which family pod you see.
The naturalists on our boats have reference books that are like a high school yearbook for J, K & L Pods. They are identifiable by their dorsal fins and the saddle patch area behind the fin. They log who we see. I can identify some of the big males... especially Blackberry, who seems to have an affinity for one of the boats I drive. I jokingly said to the owner, "Maybe I shouldn't have painted the bottom of the boat black and white last year?"
We pass the info of who we see to the Orca Network. There is generally a research boat out there, with a dog onboard who helps them find whale scat. That is used to check the DNA and general health of the animals (yes, really). Our guests are generally fascinated by this all once we explain the process and point out the research boat and the dogs (there are two dogs doing this duty, not to be confused with doody :wink: ).
These animals have been studied since the 70s. Births are recorded (a very high infant mortality rate), deaths are assumed if an animal is not seen for a season. These Orcas are very family oriented, in a matriarchal society. The oldest female, Granny (J-2), is estimated to be 102 years old. Males generally live to be 30 to 40 years old, females another decade or so.
Ruffles, that Tom referred to, died a couple years ago. His dorsal fin had a definite "wave" to it, like the Ruffles potato chips. Each of the Orcas are given a number identifier (Ruffles was J-1, and believed to be around 60 years old when he passed) and after a year, a name.
When you study them, and see them on a regular basis, you begin to understand their behavior, as well as being able to identify them. Our naturalists are all degreed biologists and trained as naturalists. They explain different behavior, family links, and point out identifying features on the Orcas. If the animals are moving and there are a lot of other boats nearby, I have my hands full at the helm, keeping legal distance while positioning to give the guests the best viewing, and being respectful of the animals and other boats.
As has been discussed in another thread, NOAA and WDFW have been more visible this season, boarding boats and enforcing the regulations. If you come across the whales while out there, watch what the professional whale watch boats are doing: you will see them maintain at least 200 yards lateral distance and not getting in front of the whales' path. When there are a bunch of boats out there, all following the rules, and someone blasts right up on the whales or positions their boat in the path (yes, we see that on regular basis), it is pretty obvious. NOAA and WDFW have been all over that. Some people think that if they're a private boat or don't have their engine running that the regulations don't apply to them... and then find out differently.
Maybe more than you wanted to know. Hope you get the opportunity to see these magnificent animals!
Best wishes,
Jim
