"by Jennifer Smith"
Sooke News Mirror
March 2, 2005
(Photos courtesy Gary Pearson)
"New study will examine populations rebound off Port Renfrew's coast"
As throngs of tourists can attest, any trip along Vancouver Island's West Coast offers countless opportunities for adventure and rare experience. What more could one expect from an area where day-trippers can haul a salmon from the sea, catch surf at the Jordan River point break or wear the soles off a new pair hiking boots on West Coast Trail?
Well, according to local whale watching guide, Gary Pearson, a day of summer fun on the water also holds a good chance for a personal encounter with a "threatened" species- the humpback whale.
"Last year we counted 15 humpback whales moving, feeding and leaping between Swiftsure Bank and LaPerouse," said Pearson, owner of Port Renfrew Whale Watching.
The once endangered whales now surface frequently, he said. Enough to entice customers with a 50-50 chance of spotting the mammoth 14-metre mammals, whose characteristic tail flip and occasional breach betray their barnacle-speckled camouflage- easy targets for the novice eye.
Humpbacks are known for intricate, rhythmic songs that can fill 20 minutes with original patterns and repeat in hours-long serenades. But the species suffered sorely at the hands of the commercial whaling industry, among the whale populations coveted for products like lamp oil or perfume base.
"They took 1,200 blue whales between 1890 and 1960 in total, but that's not counting the foreign whaling. They took 5,000 sperm whales, 4,500 humpback whales, and about 6,500 Finn Whales," said Pearson, who's followed the whale's story closely.
The West Coast of B.C. was home to some six whaling stations that set up operation beginning in 1905; but, the majority of humpbacks were taken in the late 1800's, their baleen-filtered mouths used for "whale bone" corsets and ladies umbrellas, among a variety of products. By the time the International Whaling Commission placed a ban on commercially whaling the species in 1965, their depleting numbers dipped dangerously low.
But, the humpbacks are back in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
Pearson speculates the combination of international protection and limits to aggressive fishing have created an environment safe enough for a population rebound.
"We lost two of the biggest fishing fleets in B.C.'s history," said Pearson, referring to former Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (and Minister of Environment) David Anderson's tight salmon fishing regulations. "(They) simply just shut 75 years of 35-mile long line-ups of Gillnetters and Seiners that used to plug the entrance to the Straight of Juan de Fuca."
According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, fishing fleets were reorganized over six years ago to ensure Gillnetters could no longer pull from areas where Coho salmon run, eliminating the boats from the Port Renfrew area. The Seiners' ability to scoop "incidental fish" was also curtailed with new nets and rules to ensure fishermen throw back what's not needed. In addition, the salmon run has chosen the Georgia Straight over the Juan de Fuca Straight for the last two years, limiting the presence of commercial fishing, which in turn bolsters krill, plankton and small fish the baleen humpbacks scoop up for food.
Soon Pearson's observations should have scientific backing.
Last summer was the first season of a three-year humpback whale study, which includes the Port Renfrew area. It's part of an international effort to gather more data on the species via the Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in Hawaii.
"The goal is to have a more accurate understanding of the abundance of humpback whales," said Lisa Spaven, a research technician for Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo.
Part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the station organized researchers to comb the West Coast of Vancouver Island for the controlled study, which uses everything from tissue sampling to photo identification of patterned whale tails to measure population size and genetic diversity.
The station's effort is part of a project called SPLASH: Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpbacks.
While Canadian researchers characterize the study as "information gathering," their American counterparts note it could probe the first step in down grading the animals from endangered to threatened.
To be clear, on the graded scale of threatened wildlife, Canada classifies humpbacks as threatened, not endangered. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) scale includes six classifications: Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern, Not a Risk. But over the border at the lead agency for SPLASH data, the story is slightly different.
"We consider them, functionally, a unit within that scale (of danger)," said American researcher Erin Salcone.
"There's been a drive to de-list the humpback whales from the endangered species list," said Salcone, a research assistant for Cascadia Research Collective. "To be able to do that you need to do a really thorough assessment of the population."
Cascadia is coordinating the North American portion of the research.
At last count, we had close to 30 different collaborating research groups (internationally)," said Salcone, noting data is being collected from the U.S. West Coast, B.C., Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, the Bearing Sea and Russia, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, and South American waters.
When all is said and done, researchers will have more information on whether listing animals as endangered works.
Salcone believes that by proving listing animals as protected can help recover at risk species, the study will advance the cause for listing other animals needing attention. She noted de-listing humpback whales won't change international protection for the great mammals.
Humpback whales are protected by the International Whaling Commission under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 1946, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 1973.
Established in 1946 the IWC manages the protection of certain species, designates specified areas for whale sanctuaries, sets limits on the size and type of whales which can be taken, defines whaling seasons and prohibits capture of suckling calves and female whales.
But, some say their bans are artificial at best.
Last month an adjunct professor from the University of Victoria, Mark Zacharias, made headlines when he dared suggest the ban should be lifted to save whale stocks from poaching and countries who cleverly skirt the rules under the guise of scientific whaling.
"International law is non-binding on a country unless you want it to be," said Zacharias, adding that Canada pulled out of the IWC in 1991.
"We want to see that all nations remain part of the IWC," he said in telephone interview.
In 1994 the IWC approved a strict harvesting framework which Zacharias believes could save stocks by bringing whaling nations like Norway and Japan into the fold, ensuring they are accountable for what they take.
"It would be run just like a fishery," said Zacharias, adding that the IWC is a politicized organization and his research crew took no funds from the body to complete their study.
In fact, Canada is among the nations who no longer belong to the IWC.
According COSEWIC Status Report from 2003, humpback whales can be hunted with a "Fishing License." The report states the licenses can be bought for as little as $5, although no license has ever been issued and would likely never be issued due to "widespread public interest in these animals."
While many argue operations like Gary Pearson's whale watching tours pose threat to the animals health, others recognize there could be benefits.
For men like Gary Pearson, getting out on the water, witnessing these beautiful animals has brought new appreciation of their beauty, and the need to protect the "threatened" beasts.
© 2005 Port Renfrew Whale Watching Ltd.