Pavlof Harbor & Whale-watching
After breakfast we landed along the salmon stream that emerges from Pavlof Lake. Various groups set out to explore the forest and margins of the lake and stream. Advanced bushwhacking challenged the groups that had set out to explore the forest. Since the area had been clear-cut some years ago there was thick brush to work our way through. Even though we found a good bear trail to follow, the brush was just too thick to make much headway so we returned to the stream and waterfall to watch the salmon working their way upstream to spawn.
The salmon, mostly humpbacks (pinks), were trying to negotiate the waterfall and we watched them leaping repeatedly as they tried to get up the swiftly flowing current. About the time we started to head back to the ship, one of a group of Forest Service employees who were working in the area recording the species and number of salmon that were managing to get up a fish ladder and over the falls into Pavlof Lake, lost control of a skiff and stranded it and himself precariously on the rocks at the top of a raging waterfall. With a coordinated effort over the next three hours the officers and staff of the Sea Lion, and others who were summoned to the scene, assisted the Coast Guard in the successful helicopter rescue of the stranded worker.
Dr. Fred Sharpe, the noted humpback whale researcher who was in the same area, came aboard the Sea Lion with two of his assistants and presented an interesting slide show about his years of work in this part of Alaska with these wonderful marine mammals. He joined us for lunch and part of the afternoon, sharing his knowledge and experiences.
After lunch and "build your own" ice cream sundaes, we continued our discussion and later encountered a group of cooperatively feeding whales in Lyoukeen Cove near Flint's Point. Eight to ten whales dove down one after the other, in a graceful, synchronized water ballet, and created a net of bubbles in order to contain and concentrate the small fish on which they feed. The whales then surfaced with mouths wide open in an explosion of body parts. It was quite fascinating and exciting to watch, as they came up every minute or two, often very close to our vessel. Humpback whales are baleen whales, which means that instead of teeth, they have fringed keratinous material hanging from the roof of their mouths, which they use to filter their prey. We put the ship's hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the water to listen to the vocalizations of the whales, which enabled us to know when they were getting ready to surface again. It was apparent that their efforts were coordinated and involved communicating with each other, which shows a lot of intelligence. Sound travels very well through water and most marine mammals are dependent on their well-developed sense of hearing to impart information and find food.
With an already-full and eventful day almost behind us, Bryan gave a slide presentation entitled "Seabirds Worth Their Salt." The adaptations of birds to the salty, windy, treeless environment are truly fascinating. They include light weight and long wings for gliding as effortlessly as possible; nesting in large colonies, most often on small, mammal-free islands; diverse propulsion strategies while on and in the water; the physiological removal of excess salt through the development of a salt gland in the eye region; and individual, cooperative and opportunistic feeding behaviors.
It was an emotionally, and for some a physically, demanding and draining day. But the powerful events of today are the life-experiences that spur everlasting memories and bonds. We were appreciative and relieved by the outcome and results of today's activities.
After breakfast we landed along the salmon stream that emerges from Pavlof Lake. Various groups set out to explore the forest and margins of the lake and stream. Advanced bushwhacking challenged the groups that had set out to explore the forest. Since the area had been clear-cut some years ago there was thick brush to work our way through. Even though we found a good bear trail to follow, the brush was just too thick to make much headway so we returned to the stream and waterfall to watch the salmon working their way upstream to spawn.
The salmon, mostly humpbacks (pinks), were trying to negotiate the waterfall and we watched them leaping repeatedly as they tried to get up the swiftly flowing current. About the time we started to head back to the ship, one of a group of Forest Service employees who were working in the area recording the species and number of salmon that were managing to get up a fish ladder and over the falls into Pavlof Lake, lost control of a skiff and stranded it and himself precariously on the rocks at the top of a raging waterfall. With a coordinated effort over the next three hours the officers and staff of the Sea Lion, and others who were summoned to the scene, assisted the Coast Guard in the successful helicopter rescue of the stranded worker.
Dr. Fred Sharpe, the noted humpback whale researcher who was in the same area, came aboard the Sea Lion with two of his assistants and presented an interesting slide show about his years of work in this part of Alaska with these wonderful marine mammals. He joined us for lunch and part of the afternoon, sharing his knowledge and experiences.
After lunch and "build your own" ice cream sundaes, we continued our discussion and later encountered a group of cooperatively feeding whales in Lyoukeen Cove near Flint's Point. Eight to ten whales dove down one after the other, in a graceful, synchronized water ballet, and created a net of bubbles in order to contain and concentrate the small fish on which they feed. The whales then surfaced with mouths wide open in an explosion of body parts. It was quite fascinating and exciting to watch, as they came up every minute or two, often very close to our vessel. Humpback whales are baleen whales, which means that instead of teeth, they have fringed keratinous material hanging from the roof of their mouths, which they use to filter their prey. We put the ship's hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the water to listen to the vocalizations of the whales, which enabled us to know when they were getting ready to surface again. It was apparent that their efforts were coordinated and involved communicating with each other, which shows a lot of intelligence. Sound travels very well through water and most marine mammals are dependent on their well-developed sense of hearing to impart information and find food.
With an already-full and eventful day almost behind us, Bryan gave a slide presentation entitled "Seabirds Worth Their Salt." The adaptations of birds to the salty, windy, treeless environment are truly fascinating. They include light weight and long wings for gliding as effortlessly as possible; nesting in large colonies, most often on small, mammal-free islands; diverse propulsion strategies while on and in the water; the physiological removal of excess salt through the development of a salt gland in the eye region; and individual, cooperative and opportunistic feeding behaviors.
It was an emotionally, and for some a physically, demanding and draining day. But the powerful events of today are the life-experiences that spur everlasting memories and bonds. We were appreciative and relieved by the outcome and results of today's activities.
