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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Mr Brennan writes:
"The ocean isn't so good if you want to buy an experience. The local whale watching outfits have been in trouble on occasion for not following the rules. This does cause anxiety to creatures who just wanna be whales and mind their own business."
Last September, I spent a few hours standing around Cattle Point Lighthouse ( San Juan Island ), watching the whale watchers on the Haro Strait.
Almost all the marine traffic I saw that afternoon were whale watching boats. You could tell that's what they were doing - darting around aimlessly, full of people all standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Trying to intercept whale pods, and get as close as they could to them. Good for the whales? Maybe in a Sea World kind of way that Anderson would understand.
Remember, if you pay for a whale watching cruise, your dollars are supporting what looks to me like whale harassment.
If your whale boat captain obeys the law, you won't get any closer than 600 feet of a whale. That's over a tenth-of-a-mile away.
Whale watching boat trips are a poor investment.
I heard the hot tip for whale watching is Lime Kiln Point ( San Juan Island ). There, the whales pass within 100' of shore, pushed there no doubt by pressure from whale watching boats.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Chaz- it is hard to harpoon one if you don't get closer! Is that a difficult thought?
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Mr Brennan writes:
"It has become a controversial thing Chaz.
But what drives it ?"
I think we both know. It's cash.
The whale watching boats I saw were packed with people. Paying what each? $25 $50 $85 That's a lot of cash, especially when anything else your boat is good for produces chancy and inconsistent income at best.
The whale watcher captain caught his fish before he even leaves port.
Then, they're out in the Haro Strait. World Class whale watching territory, if there ever was any. You can see whales way off in the distance - like a couple hundred yards away - and the captain either has to explain to the paying passengers why they're not getting any closer, or violate the law and satisfy the customers.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:07am PT
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q-ball Sorry to say this sounds like a crock!
got any proof?
The Honduran government called my father in the 90's because they wanted some dolphins for a research institute.
He responded and caught seven keepers the next week. A hurricane came through shortly after and ripped the pens open.
All the dolphins stayed outside (free!!!) as new pens were rebuilt (3 weeks later). When completed they all swam in and started doing spontaneous tricks!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:13am PT
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This is from an article I found online at the Center for Whale Research
Cetacean brain development is an example of parallel evolution, adapted to the ocean environment.
The brains of orcas are roughly four times larger than ours, have a greater surface area relative to brain weight, have enhanced development in different areas, and some of their nerve transmission speeds greatly exceed ours.
Naturally enough we humans don’t much like the idea that another species might rival us in that which we feel sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom: our intelligence. And so we have come up with many ways to explain it.
At first people pointed out the difference in our body sizes, and thought that it was obvious that bigger animals needed bigger brains…
...except that animals like the stegosaurus, close in size to orcas, had a brain about the size of a walnut. Not that they were mental giants, but they got by.
The next idea to come along was a comparison between the size of an animal and how large it’s brain is, and by that measure an orca would clearly be smarter than a stegosaurus, but not as smart as we humans. Unfortunately for us, both hummingbirds and squirrel monkeys beat us in that measurement (we are about 2%, while hummingbirds are about 4%).
Now we have come up with a way of comparing brain size called “Encephalization Quotient”, or EQ, in which we compare how big an animal’s brain is versus how big you would expect it to be relative to the overall size. At last we win, our brains are 7 times bigger than you would expect them to be for our size, while our closest rivals are dolphins and toothed whales, which come in at the 2 to 5 times range. Whew! Except…
Their brains have a greater surface to volume ratio than ours. What this means, basically, is that the part of the brain that integrates information is much greater. Although scientists at first dismissed this by assuming that the tissue was ‘primitive’, current research disputes that.
Research also overturns the notions that the types of cells are related to adapting to ocean temperatures, or that the large brains are completely dedicated to processing echolocation information. The layout of their brains is different from ours – some regions (such as those associated with smell) are diminished or absent, while others, such as the vision center, are moved around, and the structures associated with hearing are enhanced.
Fortunately, scientists are beginning to concentrate more on learning how the cetaceans use their massive brains, and less on coming up with ways to dismiss and diminish the evidence that we share this planet with other intelligent beings.
The recent discovery that cetaceans have a special type of cell (called a spindle cell) previously found only in humans and the great apes implies that they aren’t just intelligent, but they are sentient and feeling as well: those cells are associated with our deeper emotions and social bonds.
“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 10:31am PT
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Love your post Jim Brennan!
Love this site too!
http://www.endcetaceancaptivity.com/
EMPTY THE TANKS AT SEA LIFE PARK
Fortunately, scientists are beginning to concentrate more on learning how the cetaceans use their massive brains, and less on coming up with ways to dismiss and diminish the evidence that we share this planet with other intelligent beings!!!
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 12:30pm PT
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Good point Tioga,
I found this in New Scientist
"Research use of animals so closely related to humans should not proceed unless it offers insights not possible with other animal models, and unless it is of sufficient scientific or health value to offset the moral costs," says Jeffrey Kahn at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in Baltimore, Maryland, chair of the committee. "We found very few cases that satisfy these criteria."
At least it's a start.
I'm against any of it. I think they should use human volunteers!
In the news today
PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — A 12-year-old girl made a splash Wednesday when she was arrested during a protest against Sea World’s participation in the 125th Annual Rose Parade.
Rose McCoy, a straight-A student, was among those arrested for participating in the protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against Sea World’s float.
“I want every family to know Sea World is a cruel industry,” McCoy said.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Straight A's are good, but the poor kid has just limited her choice of universities because now she has an arrest record.
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frank wyman
Mountain climber
montana
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I have not been to Sea World since my youth. But they have to be better than the ones I Saw down in the Yucatan peninsula recently. Places like Xel-Ha where fat tourists grope and fondle the poor dolphins. I did not do it as it cost more than the entrance fee. But we listened to the trainer talk about how wonderful they were and loved being petted.(as opposed to being the main course at a dinner..I guess)One poor dolphin had only one eye...And they had made up some cute name...It was a sad site...They have many places that do the interact with dolphin theme...Xcaret,X-plor,Xel-Ha to name a few. Also you can pay to pet a Leopard or lion cub which is real nice and cudddly until it scratches somebody and they kill it and steal a new one...So in that sense I guess the ones up here have "First World Problems" compared to Mexico. We told many folks not to do it because of the cruel treatment that we observed. One poor old dolphin...I swear...had a frown and was kind of just floating around...A real buzz-kill..
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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http://www.emptythetanksworldwide.com/seaworld-sucks
When I was about 22 I was surfing Imperial Beach. It was about a four foot day. Late in the session I looked up to see a nice right pealing wave and in it were four dolphins. They were coming right at me. At first I thought shark. But as they got closer and rode the wave I realized they were dolphins.
They swam right under me.
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 03:31pm PT
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Awesome experience Nature!
Time for a new business model Sea World your old ones not working anymore!
http://youtu.be/1eGEJTLB0LM
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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**q-ball Sorry to say this sounds like a crock!
got any proof?**
Karen Roseme, yes I have proof. Have you ever heard of the Bay Islands, specifically Roatan?
Where do you think those dolphins came from at the marine studies institute? It is located right next to AKR (Anthony's Key Resort). I grew up in Honduras (my little bitty years).
I wish I had been older so I could have participated in the capture. We also had a pilot whale for a while that beached itself nearby. We kept it in a pen for 6 months then released it once it tried to drown a person.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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With my buddies Lucho and Rabbit, we would swim the channel to Baileys Key (where the big pen is at). We found/made a hole to crawl under one panel of netting and would play with the dolphins for hours or till we were spotted and ran off!
I still get Christmas cards from Lucho, not sure what became of Rabbit?
Maybe these experiences is what made me become an Aquatic Biologist?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 2, 2014 - 05:35pm PT
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Q-ball You have a great imagination!
Write a letter to SeaWorld and tell them you and your friends are going to boycott SeaWorld until the stop making wild animals do tricks for food.
Tell them to let the whales and dolphins go, after making sure they can fend for themselves.
GuestCorrespondence@seaworld.com
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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http://www.anthonyskey.com/dolphins/dolphin-activities.htm
If you would like to see an aerial photo of my old stomping grounds try the link. (It did look a bit different 17 years ago)
Do you not believe pertinent science can be gained through a captive population regardless of species?
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Q-ball You have a great imagination!
I don't need an imagination when I live in reality and try and share true science without an agenda.
It seems you have a hard time excepting that premise on education?
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 3, 2014 - 10:03am PT
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The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only organization working toward actual LEGAL rights for members of species other than our own. Our mission is to change the common law status of at least some nonhuman animals from mere “things,” which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to “persons,” who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and bodily liberty, and those other legal rights to which evolving standards of morality, scientific discovery, and human experience entitle them. Our first cases are being prepared for filing in 2013. Your support of this work is deeply appreciated.
http://www.nonhumanrightsproject.org/?gclid=CLPR-66g4rsCFew7MgodUGQASA
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Karen Roseme, what species are most imperiled? Please be specific, I love biologically specific details on endangered species the world over!
Curious why your add campaign doesn't highlight actual critically endangered species?
-q-ball
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karen roseme
Mountain climber
san diego
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 4, 2014 - 10:20am PT
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The population of orcas in the wild is unknown.
They are endangered in California Oregon and Washington.
This thread is about ending captivity of dolphins and whales in theme parks around the world so a few rich people can get richer.
These animals may be as smart or smarter than us. That seems particularly horrible to me.
Also It is very sad that their captivity and torture is completely unnecessary.
However, there are so many reasons to be sad for the animals and plants of the world today.
I am saddened buy the fact that so many species are going extinct.
The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
Experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year.
If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true that there are around 2 million different species on our planet then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.
I feel it is important to try to do something about it.
"You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, (1803 - 1882) Poet, Philosopher, Naturalist and Ethicist
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