Earth
Day this year coincides with what will be my 1000th post on Instagram
@around_the_bay_and_away, but surprise, it is not a food post, but from my
other passion, travel. Of course, it
makes sense that it would be from my happiest place on Earth, Maui and speaking
of Earth, in honor of this year’s Earth Day as well.
Having recently finished Dalai Lama’s illustrated quick read Heart to Heart, A New Guide on Compassion, Climate Change, and Living a Meaningful Life from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, it was a reminder that although humans can be the cause of destruction, humans can also be the solution as well.
On my recent trip to Maui last month with the purpose to coincide with the return of the humpback whales, I saw both the good and the bad of human behavior.
The Good
Just like me, many humpbacks return to the warm waters annually coming and going with the first arriving as early as October and the last leaving as late as April/early May. The first time I saw these magnificent mammals was almost 20 years ago in 2004 and the next time was 13 years later in 2017 and let me tell you, going on a whale watching cruise to see the humpbacks in their natural environment, never gets old especially with the Pacific Whale Foundation.
Although there are many operators of whale watching activities, I always choose and recommend the Pacific Whale Foundation, so much so, that they were my organization of choice for the Amazon Smile Program since Day 1. A 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1980, all profits support research, education, and conservation programs and to “protect the ocean through science, advocacy, and to inspire environmental stewardship”. Just when I thought I learned everything I could about these gentle giants as I shared in my 2017 blogpost - Around the Bay and Away: I Got Mugged in Mau`i, by a Humpback Whale!!, I learn something new as follows.
1.
When
they dive down and you see their tail fluke, they most likely will be staying
underwater for at least 15 minutes, so time to scan the horizon elsewhere vs. hoping
for more activity from that specific whale.
Now, that is good to know as we saw a lot of tail flukes on our 2-hour cruise
and with our binoculars from shore during the sunset.
2.
Humpback
calves stay with the mom on average about a year, up to two
3.
Humpbacks
gestation period is 11 months so they are often pregnant the previous year when
they leave Hawai`i for the migration back to Alaska to feed and then of course
return the following year to give birth in the warm relatively protected
Hawaiian waters
4.
When
I mentioned protected, the humpback calves main predator are the orcas. However, they do encounter them on the migration
back to Alaska.
5.
Luckily
mama humpbacks are usually pretty successful in fending off the orcas so the
survival rate of calves in the first year is about 80%.
The Bad
So, I had said relatively protected waters because although there is a lack of orcas in the Hawaiian waters, strikes by vessels and boats are still a big problem. Although Pacific Whale Foundations guidelines of maintaining a 100-yard distance is in place and speed limits of 15 knots of less, reducing to 6 knots within 400 yards, a friend captured a video from shore the day I left, of a boat speeding and chasing a whale pod so close that it looked like they might have ran right over a whale with their vessel.
PWF researchers have identified ship strikes and unsustainable tourism practices among the biggest threats to both whales and dolphins, both of which have just recently been the subject of harassment by disrespectful humans.
What Can We Do
The first thing we can do is to always follow the key recommendations - Be Whale Aware | Pacific Whale Foundation
Secondly, support and go with operators like the Pacific Whale Foundation where their mission is to protect, advocate, and educate - https://www.pacificwhale.org/
Finally, if you do see humpbacks, dolphins or wildlife harassment or suspected violation, immediately report it to the 24-hour DLNR tip line at 1-808-643-DLNR or via the DLNRTip app.
This disruption to their normal behavior causes unnecessary stress that will ultimately drive them away in the future by making these waters no longer hospitable.
No
Instagram post will ever be worth that.
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