I'm a -
WHALE
watcher
As many as 10,000 people flock
to see huee, sen tie 2ray whales
H\ SIt>v»• ( urcl
I mcr.ilil Photographer
\\ h.ile w .ill lung i mil nines to
ijrim in popularity ,is thou
S.lllds lit spei l.tlors tint k 111 the
( )inr ( o.isl (iurmg the .iMim.il
migration ol the gra\ u h.ile
As many ns 111,null pttople
me inputted I.) have heen on
life lookout till I he III loll main
Inals liming the (ihiislmas sea
soil s.iui Doll lilies ul the Hal
held Marine Si ieu< e ( elite! in
New port
Whales will lie visible oil tile
l liegim i oast until nhoul lln
set inn! week ol Ma\ as lhe\
eoiilinne their northern migra
Inm I lie gru\ whale is an Hind
t . teel long alwml the length
ol tun I ileyhouiiil Imses alnl
is the tartbest migrating mam
inal on I arlh making a round
trip ol 1 miles Irom the
Choke In and liering Seas north
ol Alaska to the warm lagoons
neat Bata Me\n o
(.ties said populal viewing
areas atinuui I loieni e tin hide
t ape I’erpelua Sea I.ion ( ales
and the month ol the t!mpr|tia
l<ivei wilele a w hale wati lung
plallorm has tei etilk heen i on
strut ted I ape I mil W e.dltei
and Dt'poe liav ollei some e\
eellenl viewing as well lilies
said
W hales tend to i mite in
quite i lose at these loi atoms
not math \\ ithm a hall mile and
sometimes as (lose as Jtltl
\aids he said
I lie l iregon Natural Ke
siuni es t imm il through New
port Sport I ishitig sponsors
whale u ati lung i ruises even
weekend through April
Art Burk ownet ol Newport
Sport lushing estimates that
t noil to I IHItl people \ tew the
whales limn Ins (mats each
Vt*ai liurk said that svhales are
sighted almost every time boats
go out It s a good evperieiu ■
it \ i )l! see them he said.
that s ss In vve don't run altet
April
I he National Marine I isliei
les Serviie has established
guidelines designed to redm e
the level ot disruption i a used
b% whale watching expedi
tions "We usualls !r\ to stas
.’(III s aids aw as Murk said
Sometimes however. the
whales i ur iosit\ w ill bring
them s\ illlin a tew teet ol the
boat l he\ phis is ith them
(the boats). Hulk said 111
H,l|.l tiles i ome up and let sou
si i all h then hai k he said
Whale watching requires pa
I lent e arid is something sou get
hettei at w ith praclit e said
Mats hoi k e naturalist lor
( t\( K W hen sou whale
s\ all h. look about one to one
and a halt inr In s below the ho
rizon and look toi blows sin
said
there's nsualls about three
to live hlosss and then the
whale is going to dise tot about
la minutes
Some observers mas also see
a ss hale breai h I hat’s ss here
tile ss hale ai i elerates out ot the
water about three quarters ot its
hods length and then tails bat k
doss n on its Ii,n k oi side
hioke said
Research hasn't discovered
sshs whales hre.u It. hut then
lies spevulnle that it is done to
remove whale In e to abmptls
i linnge duel tion Ol to sillipls
to has e tun k loke said
Ihe sast majorits ot whales
sighted (itt the (lo gon i oast are
gras ss hales Ai (ording to a
ItlHU coililt done bs the I S
Department ol 1 ish and Wild
LETTER PERFECT
Graph ics
• \p">
• I' V s 's|l if'
life llit- iimiilm ul liii' gi.ivs is
cslmi,ilnl Iij hr .! ] Hilll
I In' |itipiii.it inn dropped In .is
li »\\ .is .' Mill will'll Ihr will ill's
Will' 11 U 1111 'll III till' I,ill' 1‘lllls
.uni i -,ii K Mis l.ilrs s, ml llit'
nuinbi'i is now .it in ,ilui\ r lIn■
If• V l■ ls lu ll ill' lln- lli'.iv \ i'\plill
I.it inn li ti >k pi,ii i lie s.lid
I think I In- biggest problem
we l,n i' today is tlic possibility
nl nil d 1111111 u "II ill'' Olrgon
lli.isl kmkr s.ilil An nil spill
w mild ha\ i' ,i i atastroplm id
(i'll mi llii' wli.ili- population,"
sin- said ' f ill' nil w mild lilli-r
mil llir sunlight th.it allows till'
mil nisi upii plant Idi- In
grim
Tins would interrupt llir
loud i ham, ultimately alii'i ling
1 hi* u li.di's kmkr said Ihr
:ia\ wliali- is mir id the must
primitive surviving baleen
nil,drs which strains its food
while trrdiug lift llir ik ran
I lour
I In- w hairs sla\ w itlini liv e
miles nl slime during migration
and am huge si ale ai tivit\
within this pathway is puten
ti.dly hat mtti 1 according III a
report issued hv the ()\Kl
Photo !>\ Sti-vr l 4f«i
Kumiinx whole watching .mil sfmrt tishiiu; r\iirilitions is >'
it eekcntl /mo/csmo/i tor I’.il Si hrnk . skippi'l ot thr X.iuti-I nth
Durini; the week Si hunk is .1 junior hitih school ninth lent her
in IIit .11 o. It nsliiniiton.
I'h.ilo h\ Slrvt* t ard
I’enfile hiifiinIn , .ih li nl »/ i,-/.n whole". either .it the hnih.in .ulrni Dm k in \en/to//
In Im.irtl mu- nt t'ii:hl ho.it", operated In \eniiort s'port l i\hin».