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| - | ==== Paddle quickly, think slowly... ==== | ||
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| - | **Nadja <expatgal@...>** \\ | ||
| - | 08/25/08 #4822 | ||
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| - | ~Our local waters of the Salish Sea are home to the only resident\\ | ||
| - | Orca whale pods in the continental USA. Combined, these Orcas of J,\\ | ||
| - | K & L pods currently estimated at 86 whales were listed on the\\ | ||
| - | Endangered Species Act in 2005. They are 'culturally' unique from\\ | ||
| - | all other Orcas in the world, as well as possessing their own\\ | ||
| - | language dialect.\\ | ||
| - | Their populations have been decimated by fisherman, who dubbed\\ | ||
| - | them 'blackfish' and saw them as their primary competition for the\\ | ||
| - | salmon catch, by the military who used them as target practice and by\\ | ||
| - | Canadian & US Sea Aquariums, who recognized their ability to bring in\\ | ||
| - | the almighty dollar. The last great capture/ slaughter for the marine\\ | ||
| - | parks was at Coupville, on Whidbey island in 1976. Only one of these\\ | ||
| - | whales still survives,"Lolita", from L pod, in the Florida Sea\\ | ||
| - | Aquarium. She is the longest living Orca to last in captivity. Her\\ | ||
| - | mother and sister are still alive. (I saw them yesterday.) There\\ | ||
| - | has been much effort to bring her back home to local waters, but a\\ | ||
| - | major lack of funding... | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~Humans are the number one threat to these gentle giants. Pollution,\\ | ||
| - | from toxins entering the water, are the primary concern that could\\ | ||
| - | effect their reproductive abilities and survival rates. | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~Why should us paddlers care about these marine mammals? Would you\\ | ||
| - | still launch your surfski, outrigger or kayak into the bay or\\ | ||
| - | channels if you knew most of the sea life below you was dead? | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~While knowing which new boat designs will perform the fastest and\\ | ||
| - | what new gadget & gismos are going to provide the most accurate\\ | ||
| - | technologically advanced rewards for your hard earned money, teaching\\ | ||
| - | yourselves and most importantly your children about the other\\ | ||
| - | intelligent life which share our waters should be an even higher\\ | ||
| - | priority. | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~I didn't intend to become a "whale hugger". After living overseas\\ | ||
| - | for the past 7 years, I witnessed some of the most obscene\\ | ||
| - | environmental disrespect imaginable. (IE- While snorkeling in the\\ | ||
| - | Philippines I heard dynamite being used nearby for fishing. While on\\ | ||
| - | a ferry from Malaysia to Sumatra I witnessed Indonesian deckhands\\ | ||
| - | tossing 6 hefty bags of styrofoam & plastic of our lunch containers\\ | ||
| - | into the Strait of Malacca. While delivering a yacht from Malaysia\\ | ||
| - | to Thailand I saw bottom net fishing techniques that literally made\\ | ||
| - | the seas look as if they were bleeding...) Finally, last year, China\\ | ||
| - | broke my soul & hence made me break my job contract half way through\\ | ||
| - | and come running home, as I reached an unacceptable overload in\\ | ||
| - | pollution tolerance. | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~I attempted to return home and escape here into the comforting\\ | ||
| - | natural surroundings that I had missed for so many years...only to\\ | ||
| - | work as a deckhand on a few local whale-watching boats over the past\\ | ||
| - | year and learn that some of our practices are no better than what's\\ | ||
| - | happening on over there... | ||
| - | |||
| - | ~Afeter meeting with the founders of the Orca Network yesterday, we\\ | ||
| - | have been inspired to create a kayak race soon that will hopefully be\\ | ||
| - | able to raise awareness and funds for this much needed local non\\ | ||
| - | profit... | ||
| - | |||
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