Lauren Fritz, M/V Sea Lion, 7/18/17, 6:00 pm Tour
Today's sunset trip was a real treat for those of us on M/V Sea Lion. As we pulled away from the dock in Friday Harbor, we were excited to venture out and meet up with some of our Southern Resident Killer Whales that had been sighted earlier near the southwestern side of San Juan Island. These whales were members of L-pod, one of the three Southern Resident Killer Whale pods that we see out here in the Salish Sea. J-pod and K-pod were not spotted, which means they are elsewhere looking for their favorite food - Chinook salmon. It's common to see these pods separately, although they have also been seen frequently traveling together.
Captain Pete navigated us down San Juan Channel once we left Friday Harbor. The breeze picked up slightly, adding to the anticipation we felt as we neared Cattle Point. After admiring a beautiful cormorant rookery and watching some of our cute little "rock sausages," or harbor seals, we moved through Cattle Pass and out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. From here, it was just a few minutes' cruise along the coastline before we slowed our engines and started to keep our eyes peeled. Sure enough, after a few moments of scanning the water's surface around us, a few black dorsal fins sliced through the surface, complemented by the telltale blows that result from the orcas' exhalations.
Captain Pete and I were just as excited as all of our passengers on board to see these whales (if not moreso)! We haven't been seeing much of our Southern Residents this summer, and this was the first I'd seen of L-pod in over a month. We've been seeing plenty of our Transient Killer Whales, the marine mammal eaters. But what does that mean? Why are the Southern Residents more elusive this summer? It all stems down to their food supply. Salmon is the staple of their diet - it's all they eat. So if they aren't able to get the food they need here in the Salish Sea, they're not going to spend much time here. It makes sense, right? This year does not seem to be a great year for the salmon runs, and although it is a cyclic process and some years see greater salmon prosperity, there are definitely some deeper underlying issues that are affecting the numbers. Dams, overfishing, pollution, disease - plenty of these factors are hurting the chances for our salmon, and therefore our Southern Residents. Curious to learn more and find out how you can help? Cruise on over to the EPA website for a clear summary on why they need our help and steps we can take to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
For these reasons and more, I was so excited to be able to spend time with L-pod today. It was great to see their familliar foraging behavior, and internally I was cheering them on in their quest to find salmon. We spent time with Marina and her offspring, and even saw the big adult male Crewser. He's fun to watch - there's a very distinct curvature at the tip of his dorsal fin that definitely stands out!
We saw lots of foraging behavior, some socializing and playing, and stayed with several whales as they continued to cruise up the west side of the island. Tail slaps, spy hops, some pectoral fin slapping - these animals were having lots of fun. What a dream! On our way home, we ended up circumnavigating San Juan Island, watching the beautiful scenery move by with the backdrop of one of our magical Salish Sea sunets.
Thanks to those of you who came out with us this evening - it was a wonderful experience. We'd love to have you out again! Some of my favorite photos from the evening are below - enjoy.
Lauren Fritz, Naturalist, San Juan Safaris
