By George Shepherd

Delivers a solid understanding of how to use Visual Studio Orcas with ASP.NET to create Web applications and Web services.

Includes a companion CD with code samples, data sets, and a fully searchable eBook

It has been a difficult year for the endangered Southern Resident orca population, and after wrapping up their annual survey in late September, the Center for Whale Research has reported that seven whales are missing at this time, and with the addition of one new surviving calf, the population is now believed to be at 83 (click here for Orca Network's births/deaths page).

In addition to 98 year old female K7/"Lummi", the elder of K pod, also missing are:

23 year old L67/"Splash" (Luna's mom), and

six year old L101/"Aurora" (Luna's brother),

58 year old female L21/"Ankh",

36 year old female J11/"Blossom",

and two unnamed calves, J43 (missing last winter) and L111 born in August 2008 to L47, missing by the end of August).

Only one calf born this year survives, K42, born in June.

It has been apparent to those observing the whales this summer that salmon have not been in abundance - all three pods have had to leave the Salish Sea area on and off during the summer in search of salmon, and when they were present, they often were traveling in widely spread out groups, which typically means they are having to spread out to find enough salmon to feed the pod.

Our hope is for a strong chum salmon run this fall in Puget Sound, so the whales can get some nutrition before the winter season, when they leave the inland waters in search of food up and down the coast.

But if we don't act NOW to restore the Chinook salmon runs in the Pacific, this trend will likely continue, and the population is already so small that its survival hangs in the balance.

What can we do about all this?

Support salmon restoration efforts, reduced harvests, taking down dams, stopping farmed salmon operations, stop using pesticides, fertilizers or chemicals in your home and garden, and contact your elected officials to make sure they know how important salmon, orcas, and their habitats are to you. Think about these issues when you vote - who will best help clean up our waters, and save our salmon and orcas from extinction?

And visit our News Page for some recent articles on salmon restoration efforts as well as some of the human impacts that have led to the demise of our once healthy, abundant salmon runs.

If we don't save the salmon, there is no hope for the orcas -

Susan & Howard, Orca Network

But don't worry if you don't see whales while in the ferry because Victoria is full of whale watching companies that make daily trips with a high percentage of sightings everyday. Here you have a list of some of them:

- Orca Spirit, 5Star Whale Watching, ocean explorations,   SpringTide Whale Watching Tours, Eagle Wing Whale Tours, Great Pacific Adventures, Seafun Safaris and Wildcat Adventures.

All these companies are associated members of the Whale Watch Operators Association Northwest that garantees responsible wildlife viewing. Together with researchers they have developed several practical guidelines for operating vessels around wildlife.

Apart from that, Victoria is a very clean and lovely city full of hanging flower baskets eveywhere and views of the islands.

Ottawa sued over lack of legislation to protect B.C. killer whales

Ecojustice, a non-profit organization of lawyers and scientists, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the David Suzuki Foundation, Environmental Defence, Greenpeace Canada, International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and the Wilderness Committee.

 Judith Lavoie

Canwest News Service

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

VICTORIA - Killer whales in the waters off southern Vancouver Island are losing blubber and developing strange behaviour patterns because of a shortage of salmon, say whale experts.

Some endangered southern resident killer whales are developing "peanut heads" because they are not getting enough food, said Howard Garrett of Washington-based Orca Network.

"They are looking sick. There is usually a thick layer of blubber just behind the skull and that seems to be the first place to be drawn from when they need to draw down blubber," he said. "In some of them, there's a dip right behind the blow-hole and, when you see that, you know the whale has been hungry."

The Center for Whale Research is having difficulty finalizing numbers for the three resident pods this year because the whales are so spread out.

Researchers believe there might be some losses, but, tentatively, the number of southern residents is set at about 87.

As the whales search for elusive chinook salmon there are unusual liaisons, Garrett said.

"A small group from L Pod have been travelling with J Pod all summer long and twice J Pod has split into two completely separate groups, out of acoustic range from each other," he said. "It's an indication that they are searching high and low and in every nook and cranny for fish."

Environmental groups are holding a news conference Wednesday in Vancouver to protest the federal government's fisheries policies.

"The announcement marks a tipping point in a two-year battle between the federal government and concerned scientists and environmentalists about the need to protect the orcas from threats to their critical habitat," according to a news release from Ecojustice.

"There are ongoing scientific concerns about conservation of the species, particularly in light of the fact that killer whales are not looking good this year," said Lance Barrett-Lennard, co-chairman of the federal government's Resident Killer Whale Recovery Team.

The recovery team worked with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to produce a killer whale recovery strategy, which was finalized earlier this year.

© Victoria Times Colonist 2008

[/caption] ]]> http://killerwhales.wordpress.com/?p=3 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:22:18 +0000 orcagirl http://killerwhales.es.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/best-orca-friends/ [/caption] ]]> http://paccas.wordpress.com/?p=1245 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:54:14 +0000 pacca http://paccas.es.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/roberto-bubas-el-amigo-de-las-orcas/ Roberto Bubas es un hombre afable de 37 años que vive en el sur de Argentina y que, en sus ratos libres, juega con orcas salvajes en el mar.

Este guarda forestal de modales tranquilos que vive en Puerto Madryn, en la provincia de Chubut, ha logrado que algunos ejemplares del máximo depredador del mar se acerquen curiosos a la orilla para poder tocarlos. Las imágenes captadas por él mismo con una cámara fija lo muestran con el agua a la altura de las rodillas, golpeando con las palmas la superficie del mar para convocar a las orcas y luego acariciarles el morro como si fueran mascotas gigantes. “Han sido momentos impresionantes”, recordó Bubas, cuya destreza llamó la atención de Jane Goodall, una experta mundial en comportamiento animal, que coordinó un documental que tiene un capítulo dedicado al argentino. Incluso ha llegado a tocar con la armónica canciones del autor local León Gieco, sentado sobre la playa frente a un auditorio imposible de ballenas asesinas.

“Cuando logras estar cerca del animal te inspira calma, paz”, dijo antes de aclarar que no ha tenido contacto directo con las orcas desde el año pasado para evitar polémicas. Su insólita habilidad le dio la fama, pero también lo puso en el ojo del huracán, con demandas por quebrantar la ley que prohíbe tocar mamíferos marinos en áreas protegidas de Chubut, en la costa sudeste de Argentina. “Todos estos años en que era denunciado por meterme al agua con las orcas, y a su vez era comprendido por mucha gente de Argentina que le mandaba cartas al gobernador diciendo: ‘No queremos que Roberto Bubas se vaya de ahí’, me han dado mucho más de lo que me han quitado”, dijo. Bubas convivió muchas temporadas en la soledad de las inhóspitas playas de Punta Norte, en la Península Valdés, estudiando a las orcas de Chubut, las únicas en el mundo que cazan lobos marinos sobre la playa sacando prácticamente todo su cuerpo del mar. Casi no hay antecedentes de ataques a humanos.
Actualmente, un poco más alejado de las costas donde realizó el grueso de su trabajo, asesora a grupos de filmación y escribe un libro de divulgación científica sobre las llamadas ballenas asesinas con las que ha tenido más de 200 encuentros.

photo credit

Sightline Daily | Northwest News That Matters

Top Picks of the Day

10. Views: Paying a Living Wage
Families who work for low wages often face impossible choices: Buy clothes or heat the house, feed the children or pay the rent. The result can be spiralling debt, constant anxiety and long-term health problems. In British Columbia, the contradiction between a strong economy and growing economic insecurity is especially stark. Vancouver Sun 09/30/2008

This website is first and foremost inspired by my favorite animal the killer whale. This website also showcases a journey of 8 years of my life from where I first started. My work with killer whales has now brought me to new levels by focusing on sustainability projects in Sacbe Mexico and partnering with Freestyle Playa kiteboarding which is also inspired by killer whales; human energy free in the natural environment

See the Orcas page

Because in Canada distances are quite big the trip is reduced to Vancouver Island, a perfect base for wildlife viewing. Here you have a brief explanation of the tour I did and recommend. Arriving in Vancouver city by plane, take a couple of days to explore Stanley Park and the Vancouver aquarium among other things. Then, you can catch the BC ferry from the city to Victoria so you have a quick look at the Southern Golf Islands and maybe see Orcas on the way. Once in the island, drive up to Strathcona Provincial Park and camp there for some days of wilderness and black bear watching. Afterwards, go north to Port McNeill and take a BC ferry to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. It's a place  with a rich native community "The Namgis" and a great spot for orcas, humpback whales, porpoises and sunsets. Before heading south, stop at Telegraph Cove where you'll find the Whale Interpretative Centre and the British Columbia's first Whale Watching company called Stubbs Island. Then you can explore the west part of the island, Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve where you can see grey and humpback whales, orcas, sea lions and also go storm watching.

Thanks Troy Bright for finding this video. It's one of the most moving things i've ever seen...

I know this isn’t as personal as many of you would have liked, but I feel like I haven’t kept in touch as well as I did on my last rotation and I’d like to get everyone updated in one shot. So… as of today we’re totally finished with our Alaska season. We did three last trips between Sitka and Juneau and a two-week photo trip from Sitka down to Seattle, which we finished today. We had a few hours off the ship, so a few of us – the hotel manager, bartender, purser, and I – met up with our old head chef and walked around Pike Place, then almost missed all aboard because we couldn’t find the right pier.

Our last few weeks in Alaska were amazing, especially the photo trip. We saw bubble-net feeders several times (humpbacks that work together to corral fish into their open mouths as they come up and out of the water) and a huge pod of orcas that surrounded our ship and came within reach to several kayakers. When I was on the bow they swam right in front of us and I had to lean over the side to see them. It was incredible. We saw bears fishing for salmon in shallow rivers, took the zodiacs through a grotto and watched the water turn black as salmon swam beneath us, and watched a sea lion toss a salmon through the air and catch it again as it tried to break pieces off to eat. Everything revolves around salmon up here.

On our way down to Seattle we stopped at several ports, including Alert Bay and Friday Harbor. In Alert Bay we watched kids perform traditional Tlingit dances and in Friday Harbor we fed a blind harbor seal fish and listened to some great live music (Kubatana – I burned the cd from a guest). When we came up from Baja at the beginning of the Alaska season, I said that I was falling in love with the Pacific Northwest and it’s still true. It’s so beautiful here – all the greenery, the ocean, the mountains. I’m going to do the massage school in Vancouver, which starts in February. I get off the ship in January and I’m hoping to spend that month travelling around the islands and towns – If mom and dad want to join me and help me look for a place, that would be awesome . After that, I have to decide if I want to stay put for a little while and grow some roots, or apply for the wellness specialist with Lindblad. I guess I don’t have to decide that for awhile though…

BUT for now, I just got my tickets to Thailand!!!! I’m so excited! I fly out from Oakland on the 13th (I have to spend the night) and I get to Thailand on the 14th. 20 hours of flight time – I can’t wait… But it will be worth it! I’m not sure what we’re doing yet, but I’m sure Tim will be a great tour guide. I know we’re spending some time (most of the time?) in Northern Thailand at Pun Pun farm and I’d like to see Chiang Mai. I’ll defininately keep up my blog if I can and post some pictures. Then, when I come back (if I do…) I’ll spend three weeks at shipyard in Alameda (near San Francisco), do the the positioning trip down to baja (10 days), sit in La Paz for eight days because a trip got cancelled, then do two baja trips. Not bad. Most of my rotation is talking about going down to Costa Rica for the next break and staying at our pantry chef’s house right on the beach, so I might join them for that. We’ll see.

For now, I’m enjoying not having any guests on board as we make our way down to Portland to do two Columbia River trips (and sit at cascade locks – right outside of Portland - for eight days because another trip got cancelled). It could get rough for a few hours, but I’m hoping that it won’t.

I hope everyone is doing well and I’d love to hear from you! I’ll try to be better about writing on my blog.

Bountiful Sea
Explore PNCIMA’s mystery and natural wonder. BC’s Bountiful Sea Heritage Worth Preserving

The marine environments of British Columbia’s central and north coast teem with life and offer up adventure and opportunity. Few places in the world offer such an abundance and diversity of marine life.

The Canadian government has named this region the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area, or PNCIMA (pronounced pen-SEE-ma). The area is one of five large ocean regions selected by the federal government to undergo a planning process to improve management and ensure long-term ecosystem health.

Increasing industrialization is threatening the wildlife, natural spaces, and the very health of ocean ecosystems.

The opportunity, and our challenge, lies in the potential to ensure the continual productivity and health of this region by developing a comprehensive management and conservation plan that considers the interests of all the people, animals, and plants that share our ocean resources.

The opportunity is before us. The challenge is ours.

Let’s start unravelling some of PNCIMA’s mystery by exploring its natural wonder.

---

And this extensive publication prepared by co-worker, friend and scientist Anna Hall, MSc.;

State of the Ocean in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA)
The report examines the current state of the marine area known as PNCIMA, which stretches 88,000 square kilometers from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the southern tip of Alaska. PNCIMA is of interest to many British Columbians, and this report is intended to serve as an overview of the biological and ecological diversity, along with a profile of commercial industries that operate within and rely on the PNCIMA. Major threats to the sustainability of the PNCIMA species or ecosystems are reviewed.

This report also highlights the Canadian governance complexities as related to ecosystem-based ocean management and the scientific capacity available in British Columbia. The report identifies gaps in information needed to inform decision-making on marine-resource use issues. It finishes with a summary of social attitudes toward the integrated management of the PNCIMA.

Find them here; David Suzuki Publications

Thank you kindly for linking this blog. We have added your link to our list.

Nothing like a spontaneous trip to the San Juans to cap off summer in grand style.

At 4:00 Friday the idea was hatched. I was home from work at 6 and by 7:30 we were on the road with pet-friendly reservations secured. Rosie was an amazing traveler!

Walking the docks is always fun.

Hiking anyone? Is our dog cute or what?

Ah, the views.

A grand time was had by all. From the beaches at American Camp to hiking at Lime Kiln State Park, walking the docks at Roche and Friday Harbors, spotting a fox on the road and enjoying the antics of Popeye the one-eyed harbor seal, San Juan Island is as enjoyable as I remembered. Then on Sunday we had a lovely ferry ride to Orcas where we marveled at the jaw dropping view atop Mt. Constitution and then kicked back for a 4 hour wait in the ferry line, people watching and absorbing the relaxation that Orcas inspires. I love the San Juans and it was a pleasure to introduce my favorite archipelago to Bob on such a beautiful September weekend.

Throughout the entire trip Rosie was a perfect dog. Friendly, quiet, agreeable, game for anything and an excellent car sleeper. She met so many people and dogs and was great with everyone. What a pleasure she is!

Look -- there are more over there!

Orcas!

Killer whales!

Resurrection Bay, Alaska

by Erin Loury, Ichthyology Lab

Regular 4 a.m. wakeup calls are brutal even for the coolest fishing survey.  Once the boat is steaming towards our destination, very few things can come between me and my precious snooze time.  But this morning I heard words that had me on my feet in a hurry:  “Killer whales!”

Science crew and volunteer fishermen alike clamored onto the deck and pressed ourselves against the boat railings, scanning the early morning horizon as our captain maneuvered us in for a closer look.  Suddenly we saw them -  two black jackknives of dorsal fins appeared over the rolling swells.  We spotted two small orcas (another term for killer whale), their heads surging  forward through the waves.  Their characteristic white eye spots stood out like warpaint in fearsome contrast against their sleek black bodies.  I watched in disbelief and euphoria as their heads broke the water's surface once, twice, and again before they disappeared from sight.

Since I wasn't able to snap a decent photo of my own, this one is courtesy of SIMoN and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary, who generously host a marine photo library for public use.

Though orcas are found in all the world’s oceans and are not unheard of in Monterey Bay, to actually see them here is rare and really quite special.  Orcas are voracious hunters - as far as their prey are concerned, they earn their nickname, “wolves of the sea," and probably the Latin meaning of their scientific name, Orcinus orca: "from hell!"   Orcas near Monterey, like the ones I saw, sometimes hunt gray whales passing through on their migration from Mexico to Alaska with their new calves (ie, easy targets).

But even their ruthless reputation  just added to my enthusiasm, which somehow always gets the best of me around whales and charismatic wildlife.  Cheering and clapping at the sight of my first orcas,  I threw my fist in the air and shouted “Jump!,” - you know, like in Free Willy?  Apparently these orcas had never seen the movie, since they missed their cue.

Still, it was a good miniflashback for me, remembering how I used to dream of being like the kid in that movie, who lived by the ocean and got to spend time with awesome marine life, lucky duck.  And now I am that kid, getting to see the real deal on days like this, roaming free.  Such sweet job perks even make the 4 a.m. wake-up call  worth it - at least until tomorrow morning.