Tofino whale research: Strawberry Island - May '02

by Rod Palm, Tofino

Many people in many ways hail the coming of spring. For some it's the daffodils seemingly bursting out of the ground overnight. It can be the opening leaves of the Salmon Berry bushes giving promise of the first 'Chumis' of the new year. It may be the sight of noisy clouds of geese passing overhead.

In Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, there is no doubt that the tell-tale plumes of mist on the open ocean marking the path of the passing Gray Whales is our most dramatic portend to spring. There is a confidence and strength in their slow persistent pressing on to the rich feeding grounds of the Bering Sea.

The Gray's demanding 5,000 nautical mile journey from the warm and calm breeding lagoons of Mexico is the longest migration made by any animal on earth. There are many in route perils faced by these leviathans; collision with large vessel traffic, oil spills, Killer Whales and likely the most dangerous of all is the threat of entanglement in commercial fishing gear.

Nets are considered to be the greatest threat but, surprisingly, crab gear, though not a common occurrence, is a danger here in the Pacific Northwest. Almost every year Grays are reported fouled with as many as 3 crab trap float lines in their jaws and hitched around their bodies.

Think about that for a minute. The animal is not only restricted by the entanglement of line but with three traps is also burdened with over 100 kilograms of steel.

In January '99 Strawberry Isle Research Society hosted a disentanglement workshop in Tofino. In attendance, along with our membership were representatives from the government departments of Fisheries, Transport and Parks.

The outcome of this gathering was recognition of the threat and need for a coastal web of response teams that could be tasked to deal with entanglement reports. On the spot it was recognized that our society would be the first recognized team.

Our Next Goal

We raised $1,400 for the purchase of entanglement response. Well it took a couple of years and a lot of red tape but we are now in possession of an array of custom made cutters, knives and grapnels.

Our next goal is to establish a team of volunteers who would be willing to attend practice sessions and respond to incidents.

Interested?

Call Rod Palm (725-2211) or Pete Schulze (726-5793).
Cool heads and good physical condition are a must.

website: www.strawberryisle.org
email: sisle@island.net