WELCOMING WHALES – PROJECT YEARS IN REVIEW

 

How can humans and whales share the ocean, share the food and even share friendship? 

In 2024 it has been 55 years since the bloody hunt that wiped out most of British Columbia’s whales officially ended. In the Salish Sea, on Canada’s southwest coast, migrating humpback whales have been returning since 2015 – over 100 years since they were all slaughtered here.

How can humans; fishers, whale watchers, recreational and commercial boaters, and local residents welcome and get to know their new large neighbours? How do humans and whales live together harmoniously? What can we learn from other places in the world? How can we all work together to ensure the ocean we all share is a healthy place to make a living and raise families for the myriad species who live in, on and around it.

 

2015 – REVIEW

The Summer of 2015 was intended to be a reconnaissance and research season for the project.  A reading of the 2015 monthly Whale journals blog will quickly reveal that it turned out to be a season of moving home and work plus repairing boats and boat engine. In fact, we filmmakers got as far offshore in our sailboat as the beach at low tide.. SEE BLOGS – 2015 for details https://www.imppossible.com/imp_wp/welcoming-whales/blog/

Finally in October we had our first really spectacular sightings of humpback whales while we were camping onshore!

2016 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN     The filmmakers will be living on the water in their sailboat for weeks at a time. We plan to film humpback whales as they go about their natural business making their living in the Salish Sea. We hope that local humpbacks will become familiar with the boat and us. We certainly won’t be chasing whales but if they are curious enough to approach the boat we will welcome their attentions. We will also attempt to imitate some whale sounds by blowing through a PVC pipe and note their reactions.

THE REALITY     2016 was a year of frustrations. Boat engine repairs and family health crises quickly ate up our time to be on the water with the whales. However, thanks to a local skipper and a virtuoso mechanic we managed to get out in the sailboat during Aug – Nov 2016. Unfortunately the only whales we saw up close were in our dreams or ghosts in the distance. We didn’t manage to get any usable video or audio this season.

THE GOOD STUFF     In retrospect, it is useful to have another year of studying the research on humpback whale cultures. Time spent learning how to repair SV Blue Parrot’s WWII Atomic 4 boat engine will certainly help on future expeditions. And accumulating the usual bit of winter fat will help insulate us while freediving in the northern Pacific ocean!

THE HIGHLIGHT     of 2016 was purchasing a good quality hydrophone from Cetacean Research Technologies. Extending our limited human hearing into the aquatic realm is the closest thing to being a marine mammal. When there aren’t boats and machines around the quiet is vast and awesome. But add people and boats and “hear’s” what happens. What are the whales hearing?

2017 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN     “How to make friends with our local whales” is still our quest for 2017.  These are the basic essentials for recording the video we need to make a documentary about How to Make Friends With Whales:

  • Repairing SV Blue Parrot’s engine
  • 6-8 weeks on the water in Blue Parrot June – November to video and observe whales
  • Customized camera gear that includes gyro-stabilizer 
  • 4K capable video camera(s) with underwater housing  
  • A DSLR to capture high-resolution photos of whales for identification purposes All this wonderful equipment requires funds to purchase.

A fundraising campaign is necessary. The catch 22 is that we don’t yet have the video footage to make a dazzling demo or tantalizing teaser that will inspire people to give us money yet. So this is a fundamental objective of our 2017 work plan. We are also searching for humans who have whale or dolphin friends so we can consult with them about how they developed their relationships. Even then, a whale or dolphin may not be interested in having a human friend. Here’s hoping a cetacean or two are willing to honour us… or humour us. Stay tuned!

THE REALITY     2017 started with disappointment and injury.

THE GOOD STUFF     In the Fall our hard work  finally bore fruit. We had some magical encounters with humpback whales. Getting good video from a vessel in constant motion is a challenge that Terry (aka “The Amphibiographer”) is working out through customizing his gear, steady hands and practise, practise, practise.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Whale swims under Blue Parrot

2018 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN     “How to make friends with whales” is still our quest for 2018. Add to that “How to capture enough video to create a sizzling teaser”. Then in December 2017 we have a surprise offer. On the recommendation of our friend Mary Burgett, we contacted Shari Bondy who runs whale watching tours out of Ojo de Liebre in Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico. That was back in May 2017. “Whale Magic” tours get up close and personal with the friendly grey whales who mate and give birth in the shallow lagoons of the Pacific Coast of Baja, Mexico. Shari, who has been guiding for over 20 years, asked us to help guide her tours in 2018! We are so excited! This is a remarkable opportunity to finally be able to meet friendly whales and hopefully get to know some individuals. We will also be able to video the whales plus video interactions between whales and people on the tours.

THE REALITY     2018 was an amazing year – the one we had dreamed of for a long time.

The Thrill of Connection

THE GOOD STUFF     Working with the Mexican lanchero Julian was wonderful. His knowledge of the grey whales and his care for them was inspiring in any language!

Shari with some of the pescaderos from the fishing cooperative

Living at the Fish Camp while guiding in Mexico gave us opportunities to learn about poaching in the lagoon from the fishermen directly. They took watches while staying at the Camp to guard their cooperative’s territory. 

  • We learned how grey whales mate and how Moms build their baby’s stamina for the long migration north. We learned ways that grey whale culture in their mating and birthing areas differs from their culture on their feeding grounds. And every whale species has it’s own specialized hitchhikers.
  • Finally Terry got the video we need to produce some scintillating videos of humpback whales  in the Salish Sea and Grey Whales in Ojo de Libre, BCS, Mexico.
  • Roger has connected with some of the whale researchers in Canada, US and Mexico who have been very helpful with information and whale identification.
  • We have reported information to the WOWS whale sightings and ID catalogues.
  • We’ve opened every teachable moment to educate people about safe boating around whales including hailing boats on VHF radio when we’re on the water to inform boaters of sleeping or feeding whales ahead of them.
We found this whale barnacle on the beach. It fell off a grey whale

THE HIGHLIGHT     

2019 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN     

  • Contact whale researchers /guides in Canada, USA, and Mexico to introduce the Welcoming Whales project and share information about humpback whales
  • 3 – 4 week trip to Mexico to meet with whale research/whale watching company guides
  • Edit a 1 minute and a 3 minute Welcoming Whales teaser
  • Video of Jude being trained as a whale watching guide by a whale watching company captain. We will use this video to educate the public in safe boating around whales – safe for whales and humans.
  • Apply for an Arts Grant for a Welcoming Whales Documentary Film

THE REALITY     2019 was an amazing year. Although the trips to Mexico and Jude’s promised training didn’t come through and we didn’t get the Arts grant there were many highlights this year.

THE GOOD STUFF     

  • Created a new website (this one) dedicated to the Welcoming Whales project
  • We filmed and edited short videos for the website 
  • We wrote blogs from Jude’s Pilot Log Journals for the website 
  • We took a Stranding Rescue training with Paul Cottrell, the DFO expert and the only person authorized to conduct disentanglement operations and stranding rescues on cetaceans and pinnipeds for the entire BC coast. We coordinated with 2 students at the Powell River Digital Film School to produce a video of the “rescue” at Willingdon Beach

THE HIGHLIGHT      Hallowe’en night under a full moon, anchored off Savary island. Jude dropped the hydrophone in 20 feet of water and we heard humpback whales singing here for the first time.

Full Moon Rising

Click on the arrow to listen to a Whale Song

2020 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN       Covid scuttled all our plans for travel, presentations and networking. We decided to continue documenting the lives and stories of the Salish Sea whales, edit videos and network online.

THE REALITY       THE PANDEMIC…… Harbours were closed and so were stores and fuel docks. In April/May there were very few recreational boats on the water so the underwater acoustic environment was much quieter. It was easier to film whales without constant wake and motor noise from other boats. What effect would  less boat traffic have on the whales and other Aquatic Life?  There wasn’t enough time to assess this situation. By the end of June there were more boats than we’ve ever seen on the water with people from Seattle to Campbell River off work and fishing or recreating.

THE GOOD STUFF      

  • We have begun to recognize some of the whales and be able to identify who is hanging out with whom. It will be interesting to note whether these social groupings persist or change from year to year. A couple of interactions with Moms and calves have been awesome.
  • The whales were singing again on Halloween and into December which we were able to record. It would be fabulous to actually film a whale singing here in their northern habitat. The problem with this plan is that first we’d have to find the singing whale. Our northern seas are dark in the winter so finding a whale underwater is not easy. It requires a hydrophone array to determine the direction of the singing. If a singer could be located a diver with underwater camera and lights would be able to film.
  • We stayed connected with the whale researchers and guides we had contacted in 2019 and sent them the recordings of whalesong we made.

THE HIGHLIGHT Documenting the often playful interactions between whales and sealions. Sometimes a gang of sealions will pester napping humpback whales. The whales get excited and splash around but never hurt the “tiny” sealions.

2021 – REVIEW

It looks as if covid restrictions on non-essential travel in and out of Canada are going to postpone our travel plans until 2022. So we are planning our 2021 whale season here in the Salish Sea.

THE GRAND PLAN      

  • 6-8 weeks on the water in SV Blue Parrot to film whales above water and record communications underwater.
  • Find skippers with boats in Powell River, Saltery Bay and Lund willing to take Terry and Jude out on day trips to observe and document whale culture.
  • Look for a waterfront cabin on Read Island that has a good view of Sutil Channel that we can rent June – September.
  • Acquire RAVEN PRO spectrograph software and analyze hydrophone recordings we’ve made to detect infrasound (below human hearing range) whale vocalizations.
    What Humpback Whale vocalizations look like on a Spectrograph
  • Continue networking with researchers in Canada, USA, Mexico to share information.
  • Continue editing short videos for the website and writing blogs. 

THE REALITY      It was a good summer on the water although not a great Fall season. No whalesong recordings this year. A few trips out in other boats were not very productive. It seems that not many people have the interest or stamina for long days on the water waiting for whales! We realize we need to be able to hire people and this requires funding. This is not our area of expertise so we need help with writing proposals and fundraising in general.

THE GOOD STUFF     

  • We wrote articles on the return of humpback whales to the Salish Sea and on resident herring for local publications.
  • We recorded video and underwater sound of the whales from June through December (which we are editing for the website)
  • We started to learn how to use spectrographic software to analyze acoustic recordings and recognize biological sound signatures

THE HIGHLIGHT       So many whales that we recognized traveling and feeding together. We realize that “together” can mean on the other side of the channel to a whale and learning how they signal each other and communicate with breaches and fin slaps when far apart. Peduncle throws can be aggressive or playful. This video shows many ways whales communicate with body language.

2022 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN       Terry has been in Belize since November 2021 snorkeling on the coral reefs and in the jungle while creating fun educational videos for TREES – Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Station

  • Plan a trip to Baja California Sur in February to record humpback communications in the Sea of Cortes and to look for whales who migrate to the SE cape waters to give birth and train their babies for the long migration north.
  • Find 2 sailboats out of La Paz with captains willing to dedicate 2 – 3 weeks each to whale research. 
  • Expand the Team – work with Roger in Baja to analyze the hydrophone recordings and find whales. 
  • Another 6-8 week season on the Salish Sea June – December with the whales.
  • Edit short videos and write blogs.
  • Update website.
  • Send ID photos to Happy Whale
  • Enroll in  a course to learn how to promote the project. 
  • Investigate interspecies communication techniques 

THE REALITY     Jude slipped on ice and broke a rib so it took a longer time to get to Baja than planned. By February 23 Moms with calves were already hanging out in deeper waters. Off Cabo San Lucas  lots of whales including Moms with babies were bien mobbed by boats. It was difficult to witness so many power boats roaring in close to the whales and large cruise ships bearing down on them.

Lost Pearl at anchor in Espiritu Santo

Since there are few good anchorages around the Cabos Onno, captain of the ketch Lost Pearl, anchored in Las Frailles. When we dropped the hydrophone off the boat we could hear whales singing but we couldn’t see them.  A few Moms with calves came by Lost Pearl at anchor and we saw a few whales traveling but none stayed to play.

 

THE GOOD STUFF

  • In Baja California Sur, Mexico Jude got some quality recordings of male humpbacks singing.
  • Roger and Jude assessed how to interface a spectrograph analyzer with the mixer/recorder so ULF sounds could be detected in realtime. Expensive specialized oscillator or software would be needed
  • Roger and Jude connected with whale watching companies and guides in Cabo San Lucas and encouraged them to report their sightings to Happy Whale
  • Jude and Roger connected with whale researchers in La Paz to learn about their work  and to discuss how to protect cetaceans in the Sea of Cortes.
  • We observed how the local Baja fishermen and tourist boat traffic are affecting the ecology and biodiversity of the Sea of Cortes.  
  • Jude and Roger connected with the Yacht Clubs in La Paz to ask for whale sightings from boaters
  • In October  SV Blue Parrot rafted to  Jamie’s trimaran and we floated all night on the Salish Sea over The Pinnacles while the whales sang and fed underneath our boats. [See Video Below]
  • We participated in the first  Multispecies Symposium presented by University of Saskatchewan

THE HIGHLIGHTS     So many including our first video with underwater sounds of Lunge Feeding. The video below shows the view from up the mast of Jamie’s trimaran when our boats were rafted up and a whale approaches.

2023 – REVIEW

THE GRAND PLAN      

  • Travel to Maui  to record humpback whalesong and to look for whales who migrate to the area from the Salish Sea to mate and give birth.
  • Our usual 6-8 weeks in SV Blue Parrot on the Salish Sea  documenting humpback whale behaviour, relationships and communication 
  • Continue to send sightings reports and ID photos to WOWS and Happy Whale
  • Continue to produce short videos and blogs.
  • Continue to investigate telepathic interspecies communication and learn from Animal Communicators
  • Create Public Presentations to give live and online.
  • Find NGOs focused on Ocean health and protection to partner with.

THE REALITY      It took a while to find accommodations in Maui that we could afford. As a result we left at the end of February which is late in the whale season there. After a week of organizing and renting equipment the Kona storm winds hit for a week. We caught RSV which developed into pneumonia for Terry who also wrenched his back and pinched a nerve. 2 weeks later we were back on the water for 1 week but the whales were leaving and we had to leave too. However, it was still a very exciting and productive year with new revelations and new questions.

These 2 humpback whales are enjoying themselves playing and feeding in a deep arm off Lewis Channel. Dalls porpoises come by frenetically chasing fish. Lots of excitement ensues! The fish sounds at the end of the video are not midshipman mating calls. What are they?

THE GOOD STUFF      

  • Our Team has grown with volunteer help from youth who attended a presentation we gave to the OceanWise Bridge Program.
  • Jude has been expanding the Vision and Mission of Welcoming Whales through Climate Action Training through the  Pachamama Alliance 
  • Maui was a wonderful place to kayak, snorkel and freedive – in good weather when healthy.
  • We connected with a few whale researchers in Maui but couldn’t attend social and cultural events when we were sick.
  • Jude got some good recordings of whalesong from her kayak.
  • The green sea turtles have been protected in Hawai’i since the 1970s. As a result Hawai’i is one of the only places in the world where sea turtles bask onshore. Terry filmed relaxed turtles underwater and emerging onto a basking beach. [See Video Below] Is this an indication of what a benign relationship between humans and other species can look like?
  • In the Salish Sea we documented interesting new behaviours and interactions between whales we know and met some new whales
  • We recorded new sounds of humpbacks, orca and fish that we hadn’t heard previously
  • We continue to develop our unique citizen science methodology of documenting video above water and hydrophone sound underwater.
  • We created and delivered Welcoming Whales Presentations locally and online
  • We participated in the second  Multispecies Symposium presented by University of Saskatchewan and hosted a discussion of Ethics in Filmmaking when filming wild species.
  • We continue to contribute sightings of cetaceans to WOWS and ID information to Happy Whale

THE HIGHLIGHTS       Freediving in Maui with Honus (sea turtles) surrounded by colourful fish while listening to the humpback whales sing further offshore.

2024 – LOOKING AHEAD

THE GRAND PLAN      

  • Continue giving live and online presentations of audiovisual media featuring stories of the lives of North Pacific humpback whales that inspire & inform the public about how to protect and restore the Salish Sea.
  • Organize a Presentation Tour of communities around the Salish Sea in BC and Washington state.
  • Continue documenting the lives of humpback whales and Salish Sea ecosystems during our “citizen science” boat trips.
  • Continue playing music & practising intuitive communication with the whales & documenting their responses.
  • Continue supporting marine research and ocean activism through sharing our audiovisual and hydrophone recordings.
  • Continue supporting youth creating or involved in ocean projects
  • Begin working with bioacoustic researchers to analyse 5 seasons of Salish Sea hydrophone recordings
  • network with organizations and community groups around the Salish Sea in BC and Washington state that are working on protecting and restoring marine life to share knowledge & skills.