Whales crowd Monterey Bay to feast on krill bonanza

[SoCalDem]

Whales crowd Monterey Bay to feast on krill bonanza
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/24/2911782/whales-crowd-monterey-bay-to-feast.html?storylink=lingospot
slide show: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/23/2911236/whales-making-a-spectacular-comeback.html


By Matt Weiser

MONTEREY – Blue whales are so big that when one surfaces to breathe, it seems a peninsula is emerging. You see a blowhole and a glossy back the size of a vegetable garden. But there's a whole land mass down there bigger than the boat you rode out on. The biggest creature ever to roam the Earth is drawing crowds to Monterey Bay this month. Daily sightings are the norm in response to the best feeding conditions for marine mammals in years. Whale-watching businesses are adding extra tours – and filling them up – to accommodate eager nature lovers.

"It takes your breath away, a little bit," said Alan Denning, a visitor from Great Britain, after the first blue whale appeared during a tour Thursday. "They are huge and awesome creatures, really. I feel very lucky and privileged." The big whales are here by the dozen to feast on huge blooms of krill, a tiny shrimp that is their main food. All manner of ocean wildlife are benefiting. Krill are considered a "keystone" species because they feed on plankton, converting that energy into a form available for fish, squid and even birds.

In effect, krill are the ocean's salad bar, and right now they're providing an all-you-can-eat buffet. "It's very unusual in terms of just the sheer number of animals," said Daniel Palacios, a Monterey oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "The bay is abuzz." Passengers aboard the Sea Wolf II, operated by Monterey Bay Whale Watch, saw this abundance on Thursday. In a three-hour tour, they saw 80 humpback whales, 400 Risso's dolphins and 150 northern right whale dolphins.

There were also eight blue whales – three close enough to photograph with an average camera. "Whoa, did you hear 'em?" passenger Rachel Ray said when two whales made a raspy whistle as they spouted. "Far out!" The whales dove, and the turbulence left behind made a flat spot on the sea as big as a basketball court.

snip

[aquart]

1. They really like krill. So, it turns out, do piranhas.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I hope this is all a sign of something positive.....

Whale watching pups!!!

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

I get their newsletter...

I wish I lived closer.

[Cleita]

3. Maybe I'll have to drive up there and have a look.

:-)

[BrklynLiberal]

4. I am so jealous that you can "drive up there and have a look"...

[Cleita]

6. I was very fortunate that the Goddess dropped me off

in something close to an oceanic Eden. Really, I ended up here on the Central Coast of California because of a series of unforeseen circumstances.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. I am sorry that I was not led to that end of the continent....

[X_Digger]

5. Interesting considering the recent report re phytoplankton..

Krill eat phytoplankton, and whales eat krill.

There was a recent report about phytoplankton being dangerously absent from the seas, which kind of flew in the face of previous theories- increased co2 and nitrates from the land were fueling an explosion of phytoplankton.

I wonder which it is- is phytoplankton up (as demontrated by large krill shoals and attendant feeding whales) or not.