Photo by Eva Cooley
Having
a whale of
a good time
Whale watching in Oregon best now through May
By JIM GERSBACH
Of the Emerald
If you missed the elusive Rainier during its
last migration, don’t despair. Chances are
good that this spring you’ll be able to catch a
glimpse of a more common but no less exotic
Northwest species, the Pacific gray whale.
Toothless creatures that thrive on krill and
other tiny ocean life, gray whales pass by the
Oregon coast between December and May.
They first pass while heading south to lagoons
near Baja, California, where they calve. They
then return to their Bering Sea feeding
grounds, again via the West Coast.
Large numbers of whale enthusiasts also
Economics push whaling ban
toward major breakthrough
By LESLIE FARRIS
Of the Emerald
Conservationists may be one giant leap
closer to securing a worldwide ban on
whaling.
On Jan. 19, the Soviet Union news agency,
Tass, announced “the Far Eastern Soviet
Fleets will stop whaling in 1981The Soviet
whaling fleet is second largest in the world to
Japan.
David McTaggart, chairman of Greenpeace
International, issued a statement saying,
“This is the first major breakthrough in the
fight to stop whaling in 10 years. The Soviet
Union’s decision.. .has now isolated Japan as
far and away the largest and the only strident
supporter of commercial whaling.’’
Local Greenpeace members, however, are
celebrating cautiously.
“We’re going to wait and see,’’ says Jackie
Bryson of Greenpeace Eugene. "They’ve said
these things before — we’re going to stop
whaling — and they haven’t.”
Bryson says economic more than
conservation pressures prompted the Soviet
announcement.
"Fuel for their boats — fishing vessels and
factory ships - costs a lot of money.”
If the ban carries through, Bryson predicts a
noticeable increase in whale populations
within a few years. The number of gray whales
off the United States has increased
significantly since Congress passed the
Marine Mammal Protection Act in the early
70s.
The Soviet ban allows for a “few” whales to
be captured “to supply the needs of the
aboriginal people of the great north.” Bryson
says although the provision may prove
harmful, it’s difficult to denounce.
"The bowhead, which is what the Eskimos
whale, is one of the closest to extinction,” she
says. “On the other hand, this is the Eskimos’
way of life. What would they have left,
welfare?"
In addition to the whale ban, the Soviet
Union plans to create marine sanctuaries in
its coastal waters Bryson says if the Soviets
truly support conservation, the balance of
power in the International Whale Commission
could shift toward those nations favoring a
worldwide ban.
Other whaling nations include Iceland,
Brazil, Spain, Norway, South Korea, Peru and
Chile Japan and the Soviet Union account for
more than 70 percent of the annual whale
catch worldwide.
Greenpeace U.S.A. hopes to work with
environmental groups in Japan to bring about
a Japanese whaling ban. Bryson said a similar
effort in Taiwan helped put an end to that
country’s whaling industry last year.
are drawn to the Oregon coast each spring,
because at few other places along their
10,000-mile migration route do gray whales
swim as close to land.
Traveling slowly in small groups, mothers
and young calves — followed later in the
spring by adolescent whales and bulls —
meander within two or three miles of the
shore, feeding on krill.
Although the gray whale has been hunted
by Northwest Indians for centuries, it wasn’t
until the latter decades of the 1800s that
American whalers brought the gray close to
extinction.
But a ban on hunting the gray was imposed
by the International Whaling Commission in
1937, and the gray whale has made an almost
complete recovery. Estimates put the
population of gray whales at over 12,000.
Grays are large whales, growing up to 50
feet in length The best spot for viewing them
on land is from promontories overlooking the
ocean On a clear day and with a good pair of
binoculars you should be able to locate grays
by their telltale spouts, the condensed mist
formed when whales exhale.
Headlands within a few hours drive of
Eugene include Cape Perpetua, Heceta Head
and Seal Rock, all between Florence and
Waldport.
Boat outings, however, offer a much closer
look at the giant cetaceans. A veteran of one
such close-up whale watching is Al Denfeld,
Youth Program Supervisor for the Eugene
Parks and Recreation Department.
“The first time I went out on a whale watch
I'd never been out beyond the bar,” Denfeld
recalls of a Greenpeace outing a few years
ago. As with most expeditions, the group
detected the whales on sonar and sped to
where they were feeding. The boats pulled
close enough alongside the whales that
passengers were sprayed with water when the
whales dived.
“The whales would surface and people
would get so excited they'd forget to take
pictures,” Denfeld says.
Denfeld will be an informational guide on a
whale-watching trip out of Newport planned
by the Eugene Parks and Recreation
Department for March 21. Although that trip
has been virtually sold out, more tickets will
be sold if there are cancellations.
Several other Northwest groups also plan
whale-watching excursions later this spring.
In April the Portland Audubon Society will run
two trips out of Bar View near Tillamook.
Those trips also are heavily booked, but Mark
Smith of the society says space may open up
as cancellations occur. Cost of the society’s
trips is $20 for members, $30 for
non-members. For more information write the
Portland chapter at 5151 NW Cornell Rd,
Portland, 97210.
The Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry (OMSI) has nine whale-watching trips
planned for weekends beginning March 28
through May 23. Cost is $27.50 for museum
members and $30 for the general public. For
tickets mail a check or money order payable
to OMSI Whale Watch, 4015 SW Canyon Rd,
Portland, 97221.
The tickets are non-refundable and will be
mailed along with trip information after OMSI
receives payment. Three boats will leave
Newport each weekend accompanied by a
guide who will explain whale migration and
habits, according to Karen Strom of the
museum.
OMSI will coordinate its whale-watching
expeditions with a program at the museum
featuring films and talks about whales.
In Eugene, literature on gray whales is also
available at the Greenpeace Foundation’s
office on 11th Avenue or at the University or
Eugene Public libraries.
available for academic year 1981-1982.
Previous Resident Assistant
experience is required.
Applications and job descriptions
available at Housing office in Walton
Hall. Completed applications must be
turned in by Monday, Feb. 9.
Completed applications must be
turned in by Monday, Feb. 9_
EARN $136,000
OVER THE NEXT
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WHAT’S YOUR NEXT
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For more information call
Phil Wallace (503) 221-3041 Collect
TINO’S
Serving
Full menu
until 11:30 pm
Pizza until 12:45
15th & Willamette
Open
Everyday
Mon-Fri
11-1 am.
Sat. 5-1 a.m.
Sun 5-11 p.m.
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£mM. % m 'K^paSE.# mJm. & ' g
Spring Garden Restaurant
Mandarin & Cantonese Style • American Cuisine
< It’s The Year of the Chicken
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CELEBRATE
CHINESE
FREE GOLDEN NFWYFAR
CRISPY CHICKEN ^ wiTHIW^
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Lucky surprises for the children Feb. S-6-7-8
(Jpen IXu/y 11 am to 10pm Closed Monday
WE SERVE CHINESE TSINCTAO BEER
215 Main St., Springfield 747-0338 ORDERS TO GO
^ W # a; Jim
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V
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Ati
VALENTINE RUN
RELAY STYLE
FREE
ENTRY
OF RACE
10-10:45
FREE
PRIZES
REFRESHMENTS
DAY
Saturday, February 14,1981,11 a.m.
Alton Baker Park, Eugene
Each person runs 5,000 M. Course
Team: 1 man and 1 woman. If you need a partner and if
you pre-register we will match you up call
342-5155 for more information
Entry Fee: None required. Pledges to voluntarily donate
blood for patients in Lane County hospitals will be
accepted. (OPTIONAL)
Awards: Shoes to the top couples. Bags to the entrant
with the highest number of blood pledges submit
ted. Something to every participant. . drawing
for shoes, bags, shorts, and singlets. . . all don
ated by NIKE Eugene.
-emu
Fishbowl
DELI
located in
the Fishbowl
• Peppered Beef
• Ham
• Raft Salami
• Pastrami (turkey)
• Salami (turkey)
• Ham Stick (turkey)
• Ham (turkey)
BREADS
• Cracked Wheat
• Onion Rolls
• Light & Dark Rye
• Wheat Berry
• Cheddar
• Provalone
• Swiss
• Jack
SALADS
• Bean
• Macaroni
• Potato
• Cole Slaw
BAGELS
Make your own sandwiches
from a variety of meats and
cheeses, salads available too
Open 11-7 Mon-Sat
12-6 Sun
/