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The latest issue of American Cetacean Society’s Whalewatcher was edited by Thomas Jefferson, who will be a Searcher naturalist on the Jan 23-Feb 3, 2011 tour.
This issue is titled “Porpoises in Peril: The Vaquita and its Relatives” and features the porpoise that inhabits the northern Sea of Cortez in Baja California. Because the vaquita is limited to a small range and population size (125-150 animals), and due to the serious decline in numbers, it is considered to be one of the most endangered cetaceans in the world. Most probably this is due to the entanglements in gillnets used by fishemen. Conservationists are hopeful that removing these nets from their habitat can help the species recover.
This issue contains articles and photos from researchers and an illustrations of the porpoise family. We will have a copy in the onboard Searcher library and issues may be available for sale soon on the ACS web site.
More blue whale sightings from the fishing grounds: Capt Aaron reported seeing about 20 blue whales in an area about 200 miles south of San Diego and about 8 miles offshore. He says they appeared, many fluking, surfacing and some approaching the boat closely, just as daylight broke this morning.
He and his passengers enjoyed the sight!
Hello whalewatchers,
We have been fortunate to observe blue whales on our fishing trips this summer in various places. While travelling offshore of San Diego all the way down to Cedros Island we have seen a few along the coast 200 miles from San Diego. It is great to see so many blue whales. We make it a point to point these magnificent animals to our anglers and tell them how special it is. They are amazed at the sight!
On recent fishing trip off the Baja peninsula and 200 miles south east of San Diego, we observed 50-60 Cooks petrels, 25 blackfooted albatross, and 40-50 pink footed shearwaters. We also saw some of the deep-diving Baird’s beaked whales while they surfaced together. Hope you enjoy the short video of them.
Capt Art
Hello all,
We have been fortunate to observe blue whales on our fishing trips this summer in various places including offshore San Diego all the way down to Cedros Island. Just today we have seen a few along the Baja coast about 200 miles from San Diego. It is great to see so many blue whales, and see the summer population. We make it a point to point these magnificant animals to our fishing clients and tell them how special it is to see them. They are always amazed at the sight of them.
On our current fishing trip off the Baja peninsula and 200 miles southeast of San Diego, we also observed 50-60 Cooks petrels, 25 blackfooted albatross, and 40-50 pink footed shearwaters. We also saw some Baird’s beaked whales and a few blue whales.
Capt Art
Early September is a great time of year for Cook’s Petrels well offshore, and it is near-peak for Red-billed Tropicbirds. The latter is almost “guaranteed” (as much as any uncommon pelagic species can be). Laysan Albatrosses (likely from the breeding population on Guadalupe Island to the south) are seen regularly in these waters. This is also an excellent time of year and an excellent area for Least, Leach’s, Black and Ashy Storm-Petrels, Craveri’s Murrelet, and the hypoleucus subspecies of Xantus’s Murrelet. South Polar Skuas are migrating south already with other returning northern migrants as Sabine’s Gull, Arctic Tern, and Long-tailed Jaeger. And anytime we venture far offshore, who knows what rarity lurks just behind the next swell – e.g. September is the peak month for Hawaiian Petrel, well seen and photographed from Searcher on the September trip a few years ago.
We still have spots open. Join us!
Baja Deep Water Pelagic Sightings List
| Common Name | Subspecies | Date Sighted | Location | Number |
| Brant | Branta bernicla nigricans | 6/4/10 | San Diego Bay | 1 |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | 6/4/10 | Open Ocean – USA | 1 |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis californicus | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 1 |
| Laysan Albatross | Phoebastria immutabilis | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 2 |
| Phoebastria immutabilis | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 7 | |
| Phoebastria immutabilis | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 17 | |
| Phoebastria immutabilis | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 7 | |
| Black-footed Albatross | Phoebastria nigripes | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 3 |
| Phoebastria nigripes | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 6 | |
| Phoebastria nigripes | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 76 | |
| Phoebastria nigripes | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 18 | |
| Phoebastria nigripes | 6/8/10 | Los Coronado’s Area | 1 | |
| Cook’s Petrel | Pterodroma cookii | 6/5/10 | North of Isla Guadelupe | 12 |
| Pink-footed Shearwater | Puffinus creatopus | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 5 |
| Puffinus creatopus | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 3 | |
| Puffinus creatopus | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 1 | |
| Puffinus creatopus | 6/8/10 | Los Coronado’s Area | 2 | |
| Sooty Shearwater | Puffinus griseus | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 30 |
| Puffinus griseus | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 1 | |
| Puffinus griseus | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 1 | |
| Puffinus griseus | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 9 | |
| Puffinus griseus | 6/8/10 | Los Coronado’s Area | 50 | |
| Black-vented Shearwater | Puffinus opisthomelas | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 2 |
| Puffinus opisthomelas | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 7 | |
| Puffinus opisthomelas | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 10 | |
| Puffinus opisthomelas | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 2 | |
| Leach’s Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 1000 |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 10 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa leucorhoa | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 300 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 200 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 50 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 30 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa chapmani | 6/8/10 | Los Coronado’s Area | 30 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa socorroensis | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 500 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa socorroensis | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 25 | |
| Oceanodroma leucorhoa socorroensis | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 10 | |
| Ashy Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma homochroa | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 4 |
| Black Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma melania | 6/4/10 | Los Coronados to dark | 40 |
| Oceanodroma melania | 6/5/10 | 176 Seamount | 5 | |
| Oceanodroma melania | 6/6/10 | Ridge North of San Benito | 500 | |
| Oceanodroma melania | 6/7/10 | 100 Mile Run | 50 | |
| Oceanodroma melania | 6/8/10 | Los Coronado’s Area | 30 |
Hello,
Today we are further offshore with hopes of some Cooks petrels. We still have incredible weather with no wind and not much swell.
It was a little slow on the birds today, though we saw plenty of black and leaches storm petrels and just a few black-footed and Laysan albatross. We did see a family of Xantus murrelets with two adults and two chicks.
An exciting sighting was a group of blue whales with a fin whale with them. We were able to get close enough to the fin whale to see its white lower jaw on the right side. We saw 10 or 12 blue whales in the afternoon and a couple of other fin whales.
Surfacing blue whale, photo by Sally Walton
All in all, a great day with plenty to see. We are headed for the area south and west of the Islas Coronados.
Looking forward to tomorrow,
Capt Art
Hello,
Another great day in deep water! Today was albatross day. We saw about 70 black-footed and 20 laysan albatrosses. From dawn to dusk you could easily find an albatross. We also saw lots of leachs and black storm petrels and one Cook’s petrel. There was the occasional black-vented shearwater too.
We did see about 30 sperm whales in two different areas and had great looks at them laying on the surface getting air before fluking and diving deep. A few common dolphin were around us too.
We are headed west tonight since we have the good weather and the opportunity to get out in deeper water. We hope to find some more Cook’s petrels.
More tomorrow,
Capt Art
