Island Guardian

Saturday, August 13th

ig_BOAT_raised-1 (50k image)
(Jim Slocomb photo)

By Jim Slocomb

A-1 Marine and Diving services raised the vessel that sank in Friday Harbor (see previous story: Going, Going, Gone In Friday Harbor ). The job was complicated by the extremely fragile condition of the derelict old vessel. It took all day with a combination of airbags to lift the vessel to a point where it could be pumped and prepared for towing. The vessel will be towed to Deer Harbor Boat Works where it will be trailered to the Orcas landfill. This salvage was funded by WADNR and the local contract was managed by SJC Public Works.

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Wednesday, August 10th

Real Killer Whales Don't Eat Fish

ig_ORCA_eats_porpo (21k image)
Orca flips porpoise prior to ...see below (Robin Baird photo)

The Whale Museum's Summer Lecture Series PresentsReal Killer Whales Don't Eat Fish: Foraging Behavior and Ecology of Mammal-Eating Killer Whales in the Pacific Northwest
This presentation will focus on the mammal-eating "transient" killer whales in
the Pacific Northwest, based on research undertaken both in Haro Strait, Juan
de Fuca Strait and the Strait of Georgia, as well as southeastern Alaska, from
1986 through 1998. In a slide-illustrated talk, information will be presented on
interactions with "resident" killer whales, predation on seals, sea lions,
porpoises and seabirds, cooperative hunting, social organization, diving
behavior, and relationship to other populations of killer whales world-wide.

This presentation will take place at The Whale Museum at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 11. There is a suggested donation of $3.00. All proceeds benefit the Whale Museum. For more information, call (360) 378-4710, ext. 23 or email marcy@whalemuseum.org. The Whale Museum is located at 62 First St. N., Friday Harbor, WA 98250. We thank the Friday Harbor Inn for co-sponsoring this lecture.

The Whale Museum promotes stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research.

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Sunday, August 7th

Another Way To Watch Whales

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A Truck parked in Friday Harbor on the street used by ferry riders to enter town has a sign attached that expresses a groups concern that whale watching boats may have a negative impact on whales.

After three years of posting large signs along the west coast waterfront of San Juan Island, Orca Relief Citizens' Alliance said they have decided to expand their whale protection efforts to include occasional postering and handing out leaflets at the main dock in Friday Harbor. "We are encouraged by the fantastic increase in the number of visitors to our land-based Whale Watch Park," ORCA Chair Mark Anderson said this week, "and we want to do what we can to continue this move away from harassing the whales on the water."

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