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Saturday, August 28
Posted 9:00 pm ET
JOURNAL ENTRY
Jackson
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Amazing isn't it? My journey is almost over and I feel like it hasn't even begun. With only two more days on the ship many of us among the student expeditioners are beginning to realise that the time to say good-bye is drawing near. Aside from missing the good company aboard the ship, there are some other things about this lifestyle that I'm going to miss. The gentle rocking of the boat up and down and up and down is no longer a stomach twister for me. I think I even like it; it's quite soothing at times. In general I'm going to miss life aboard the ship. Waking up early to the sound of the engines starting up, the marine showers which are always cold if you're the first to have a shower, and the 6 o'clock whale watches. A yes, there is much I'm going to miss about the expedition life, but it will be good to be home again. The one good thing about the drive home will be that we get to listen to the rest of Fluke and catch up on all the journal writing that I have to do. This lifestyle may be great but it is a real trial for the mind and body, never enough sleep and lots of deep thinking in between whale watches and galley duty. I would write more\ but now I have to go help Lynn serve lunch.
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Posted 1:00 pm ET (Note: one new entry also just posted for last eveing Aug 27th)
GEOFF
Saturday morning and we have Blue whales all around! Despite the fog we have been able to get close looks at 4 or 5 whales so far. This is what we were hoping for in this area between Mechins and Matane. The sun is shining and blue skies are up above, so fingers are crossed that this low level fog will lift to give us some better visibility. Sedna is such a great platform to work from and almost acts like a big Zodiac! Today is really our final big day with the Blues, since we will begin heading west up the Estuary tonight to Le Bic for some kayaking and hiking, and then unbelievably the next day is our last!
Whales now face an array of threats. Toxic pollution, entanglements in fishing gear, ship-collisions, oil and gas development in feeding grounds, depleted food supplies and believe-it-or-not commercial whaling are all real and present dangers to the remaining whales (and other species including ourselves) on our planet. Pro-whaling nations such as Japan, Norway and Iceland are attempting to abolish moratoriums on whaling, or hunt whales under the guise of "scientific" whaling. Ironically and strangely, Canada is not even a member of the International Whaling Committee (IWC), which was formed in the 1940's. After all, we are a nation with one of the greatest coastlines on the planet, and we have lots of whales in our waters. It seems that Canada could play an important role in the IWC and help to protect the remaining whales of world.
Climate change may also have a significant effect on whales. It is now widely accepted that the build up of greenhouse gases resulting from human activities is altering the world's climate. It is undisputed that the two last decades has been the warmest this century, indeed the warmest for the last 1000 years, sea level is rising, precipitation patterns are changing, Arctic sea-ice is thinning, and the frequency and intensity of El-Nino events appear to be increasing. The effects of climate change on marine ecosystems include changes in ocean currents, wind patterns, surface temperatures, natural climatic cycles and phytoplankton production, the basis of the ocean food chain. Changes such as these in the oceanic systems present a considerable threat to whales and other life in our world's oceans.
Many whales are reliant upon ice habitats and they migrate to the poles to feed, and it is the Polar regions that are most susceptible to climate change. Temperature increases in recent decades because of climate change has diminished sea-ice around the Antarctic Peninsula, which in turn is diminishing krill populations, the main food source for Antarctic Blue whales. The reduction of sea ice due to global warming is also threatening to increase vessel traffic in places like the Northwest Passage, which will bring the associated risks from pollution, disturbance, collisions, etc.
The other day when we were camping on the north shore at Le Paradis Marin, we saw someone driving a gas-guzzling Hummer with kayaks on the roof. They had driven all the way to the St. Lawrence River to go kayaking with whales. It was the paradox of this situation, which really reflected so much about our society. This disconnect between our actions and lifestyles and the impact we have on the environment is alarming and needs to be addressed fast.
(Webmaster note: We can make an environmental difference: VISIT One-Tonne Challenge!)
Gotta run out to the Zodiac. To be continued…
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