Whale Strikes

A little public service announcement for the Humpbacks.

In our area they don't bubble net feed so much, but line up side by side and dive deep for food; their throat pouches have tightened up by the time they surface to breath again.

They typically breath about five times, then dive for up to seven minutes and travel quite a ways while feeding. Speed boats can zip over a feeding group and never know there are whales in the area, and slower trawlers may think a group is heading one direction but the whales can make a 90 agree turn under water and come up in a totally unexpected place.

We saw these two close to Kitimat, but their injuries could have happened anywhere between here and the Sea of Cortez or Hawaii.

Please keep an eye out and try to stay a respectful distance off.

In our last pass through Port McNeill BC about a year ago, there was a notice posted by Canadian Fisheries about humpbacks in the harbormaster's office. The jist of it was if you see them, stay clear because often their movements are unpredictable, erratic, and they may just head right for you if they're in food-search mode. Ironically, two days later travelling down Clio Channel near Lagoon Cove, I saw out of the corner of my eye a humpback about ready to T-bone us on the starboard side, closing fast and near the surface. Somehow, we didn't collide but I now am now very alert when humbacks are around and steer away from them.

For a while the SSCA was recommending white bottom paint as least likely to be hitby a whale strike, dont know if they still do.

While I am very careful around any marine mammals, Humpbacks always worry me. They do not seem to be boat aware at all! Orcas, dolphins, etc. seem to be very aware of the presence of boats, and as long as care is taken, at the speeds most trawlers go, there doesn't appear to be a large risk of collision with them.

I have been told (you know "dock talk") that if you vary your engine speeds regularly (several times per minute) when near Humpbacks, they may be made more aware of your presence. What do you think, old wives tale or maybe some logic? Anyway, when I have sighted one, we keep a very close lookout.

Here's why you give humpbacks a wide berth...

Of course there is also the chance that a sub will surface below you too.
Yes, it has happened.

Ka_sea_ta said:

Here's why you give humpbacks a wide berth...

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And the moral of this video is, Do NOT tease the whales.

You can tell by the splash that it landed beside the kayak. Lucky thing! If it had landed on them they wouldn't have been in any shape to climb on top of their kayak.

I almost had a head on collision with a Humpback while sea kayaking up Grenville Channel. Had to hit the rudder hard, lean waaaay out with a high paddle brace, and managed to get out of the way. You'd think Humpbacks would watch for that sort of thing...must hurt smacking your blowhole on a big log.

OldDan1943 said:

Of course there is also the chance that a sub will surface below you too.
Yes, it has happened.

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And, it was pretty bad, the time I am thinking of.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/02/10/9-killed-in-2001-when-a-u-s-sub-hit-japanese-fishing-ship-remembered/

Group9 said:

And, it was pretty bad, the time I am thinking of.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/02/10/9-killed-in-2001-when-a-u-s-sub-hit-japanese-fishing-ship-remembered/

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Yup, that is the one I remember.
And then when the subs were caught a fishing net.... dragging the fishing boat down.

Thankfully there are more whales than subs...dumb subs at that.


Of all the things to worry about in boating...unless you are a whale or sub hunter...your worries are misplaced.

psneeld said:

Thankfully there are more whales than subs...dumb subs at that.


Of all the things to worry about in boating...unless you are a whale or sub hunter...your worries are misplaced.

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Dont forget shipping containers and adrift derelict boats

OldDan1943 said:

Dont forget shipping containers and adrift derelict boats

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OK...add about 1% worry depending where you are.


If you are transiting to an island and there is a current between them and you.....unless something just recently had an issue downstream of you...what are the chances then?


A some point a meteor/lightning strike becomes a comparable number.


A medical problem for most of us soars above the worries some people come up with.

Group9 said:

And, it was pretty bad, the time I am thinking of.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/02/10/9-killed-in-2001-when-a-u-s-sub-hit-japanese-fishing-ship-remembered/

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A career ending event for the sub skipper...do you think?

Humpbacks are said not to echo locate and have poor eyesight, so they can't really see your boat. Like eagles, I doubt they ever look up - no hazards there in their evolutionary development. Dolphins and killer whales can track your boat easily.

Outside the Juan de Fuca, I had one surface suddenly only 10' behind the sailboat, spraying me with stinky snot. I think it was as surprised as I was.

Ken E. said:

A career ending event for the sub skipper...do you think?

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If I recall correctly, back in the 60s, there was a policy not to surface nor identify the name of your submarine. Alas because of the damage to the school boat, loss of lives and injuries, the sub did surface but the confusion involved, if the sub identified itself.

Perhaps a permanent transfer to DC, no more promotions and after being passed over 3 times, he will retire with benefits.

psneeld said:

Thankfully there are more whales than subs...dumb subs at that.


Of all the things to worry about in boating...unless you are a whale or sub hunter...your worries are misplaced.

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No empathy for the whales? That's where my concern was/is.

We hit a humpback a few years ago.
A whale was coming at us from quite a distance from a bit to port. We have a policy of not altering course to get a better look at whales.
I got my camera and went out on the afterdeck. Chris was at the helm. I was right at the back of the main cabin almost on the side deck. My eyes caught something large and black directly in front of the bow (3’ maybe less) Chris screamed (out of character) thinking I may fall overboard. I did grab the doorjam. Suddenly there was a “soft but immediate deceleration stopping our 8 ton boat almost immediately. I scrambled inside the boat not knowing if we’d get tossed around or what. The whale must have sunk vertically and swam on well below the surface.

The cow (that we saw earlier) seemed a bit further away and we saw she had a calf w her. Looking at the whales blowing from a distance astern as we went on our way looked like there were three whales. So we assumed the bull whale survived the collision just fine.

Later in Shearwater we talked to science-like guy that said the bull was trying to keep us at (what he considered) a safe distance from his family.
Never heard of or seen that happen before or since. Most skippers in the same situation would almost surely run closer for a better look judging from what I see and hear.
But now much of the time I actually steer away from whales. Only takes a few minutes.

Eric,
Sorry to hear about your whale strike. Murray, as much as I do have empathy for the whales in these cases, I am more concerned with what the whale may do to us and our potential injuries, in the very unlikely event of an incident. PSneeld, as much as you are correct about the probability of a collision, they do happen as evidenced by the photos Murray posted (as do lightning strikes, etc.). Not something that "keeps me awake at night", but by being aware of my surroundings and taking prudent actions I hope increase my odds of avoiding Eric's situation. I too do not "go in for a closer look".
Tom

MurrayM said:

No empathy for the whales? That's where my concern was/is.

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Plenty...but realistically? I have been in the business of reporting whale sightings since the early 1980'S.


I followed whales in the name of research for 20years and then helpeh with strandings all through that time and another 15 years working for heroic and environmentally conscious bosses.


I would love more whales around and I bet I have seen plenty more than many TFers in my occupations...I'll post pics if you doubt me.


But in the big scheme of things...our little boats and occasional path crossings are little threat or possible "fear of collision" for the vast majority of us...pay atttention and things work out.


Like manatee strikes in florida...no matter what we do they will happen...but just payng attention will help.

psneeld said:

Plenty...but realistically? I have been in the business of reporting whale sightings since the early 1980'S.


I followed whales in the name of research for 20years and then helpeh with strandings all through that time and another 15 years working for heroic and environmentally conscious bosses.


I would love more whales around and I bet I have seen plenty more than many TFers in my occupations...I'll post pics if you doubt me.


But in the big scheme of things...our little boats and occasional path crossings are little threat or possible "fear of collision" for the vast majority of us...pay atttention and things work out.

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Bravo.

The issue may be a wee bit more acute here because of the confined waters we have, as compared to your wide open spaces. It's 75 nautical miles as the crow flies from Kitimat down the Douglas Channel system to open water, and the widest point is 3.5 miles wide. Much of BC and SE Alaska is similar.

Did you look at the photos in the 1st post? Notice the prop scar or chunk taken out of the dorsal fin? We've seen 14 whales feeding in a group 15 minutes from the marina. Less space and confined waters equal more opportunities for strikes.

psneeld said:

Like manatee strikes in florida...no matter what we do they will happen...but just payng attention will help.

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Do your panties get bunched up when people post reminders to watch out for manatees as well?

I just have a realistic perception of the issue...post all the reminders you like.

psneeld said:

I just have a realistic perception of the issue...post all the reminders you like.

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Thanks for your blessing

MurrayM said:

No empathy for the whales? That's where my concern was/is.

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You`ll appreciate this, this week off Sydney,whale rescuers in inflatable boats went to help disentangle a humpback whale calf from fishing net with multiple floats. They get alongside the whale and cut the lines with special cutters. No easy or safe task, especially with Mum right nearby and none too happy about her calf being approached like that. They got the job done!

It is sad that Japan has taken a new interest in commercially harvesting whales.

BruceK said:

You`ll appreciate this, this week off Sydney,whale rescuers in inflatable boats went to help disentangle a humpback whale calf from fishing net with multiple floats. They get alongside the whale and cut the lines with special cutters. No easy or safe task, especially with Mum right nearby and none too happy about her calf being approached like that. They got the job done!

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Lucky calf!

We went out for a five hour romp today and saw a mom & calf in with a group of four other Humpbacks.

My wife and I were in the pilothouse discussing if we should stop photographing and head back to town before the hardware store closed when one breached twice about a hundred feet from the boat.

Crap!

Another photograph that will never be. Next time though...

FF said:

For a while the SSCA was recommending white bottom paint as least likely to be hitby a whale strike, dont know if they still do.

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That is the exact opposite of what you would want to do, assuming that your believe your bottom paint would matter, we'll get to that in a minute. As for color of bottom paint, if you dive down into the ocean and look up, you see a light color, white to blue. When you look down, you see a dark color. This is the reason fish are light colored on the bottom half of their body's and dark on the top for their body. They are trying to be stealthy so they don't get eaten. So when a fish is under them looking up at them, they are hard to see because the light color blends in with the sky (aka light color looking up). And vice versa if a fish is looking down it will have a hard time picking out the top of a fish which is dark and blends in with the background. So you would want a dark color on your hull for a fish to see you.

As for humpbacks not being aware of your boat, nonsense! I tuna fish often in the summer of Long Island and the last 2 or 3 years we have been loaded with humpbacks 30 to 40 miles off the beach. When I say loaded, I mean 1000's on any given day. I have video of 100's of them surrounding the boat, most of them are bubble seining for fish/food. They will swim right up to our boat and instantly go under it a few feet and come up the other side. They clearly do it on purpose almost like they are using the boat to hide behind. Sometimes were are just drifting with nothing anywhere near us, and out of know where they will pop up next to us and swim under and around out boat. Often with their mouths wide open trying to capture fish/bait/food around the boat area. They clearly see us, plain as day.

Now if we are running 25 knots on way in/out, and approaching some whales maybe 1000 yards out, they almost always go under and disappear and do not pop up until we are well past them. There has been so many of them out there, it's impossible to try and avoid them because they are everywhere. Likely because there has been tons and tons of bait all around the area the last few years. Of course, it has been making for great tuna fishing as well.

But the point is, I pay attention to the whales very closely, and they are not only aware of our boat but they sometimes avoid it, and sometimes come to it. Me thinks they are a lot smarter than we are! I need $20k worth of electronics to navigate around out there, they don't need anything!

Birdman said:

...As for humpbacks not being aware of your boat, nonsense! I tuna fish often in the summer of Long Island and the last 2 or 3 years we have been loaded with humpbacks 30 to 40 miles off the beach. When I say loaded, I mean 1000's on any given day. I have video of 100's of them surrounding the boat, most of them are bubble seining for fish/food...

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Must be an impressive experience.

We spent the morning milling around with about 30 of them.

They were 'line feeding' again in groups of 2 to 6 individuals. Their numbers are highest around here at about this time of year, which makes me think they spend summers up north or along the outer coast and find their way 60 miles up our channel to top up on the way south for the winter.

Luckily there wasn't much boat traffic...we saw one other boat in 5 hours

Birdman said:

...As for humpbacks not being aware of your boat, nonsense!...

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I’ve been watching this thread with interest. I have hit a humpback off Klemtu and started a thread on this forum here:

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/whale-tale-27114.html

I was at watch at the helm, had my head down for a second. That whale was not aware of my boat.

I also know of another KK42 that hit a humpback in Johnstone Strait. Humpbacks have poor eyesight and do not echo locate. It’s easier to hit a whale than you might thing. Believe me. I know.

When it comes to humpbacks, you cannot be too careful.

Jim