BajaNomad

Whale/Lanchero relationships in the lagoons

shari - 3-5-2010 at 08:49 AM

My passion is observing whale behavior and I have been observing gray whales in the calving lagoons for 22 years.

Gray whales are creatures of habit so the more consistant boat drivers can be, the more trust the whales develop for them...whales dont like the unexpected...something different in the routine.

Whales become accustomed to the pangas in the lagoon and who drives them. They know who is driving a panga by the course they take, their speed, driving style and motor sound...so they know who is coming before they get there.

One year, the ejido got all new engines mid season and I recommended that they either only change one motor at a time or even wait till next season....but they changed em all and it really freaked out the whales and all that hard work developing trust the weeks before was compromised...they couldnt get near a whale for a couple weeks!!!

a new guide will also confuse them and they will be wary of them. Also if a research panga suddenly shows up in a lagoon, the whales stay away...particularly after being harpooned by them in the name of science for tagging or attaching devices. Sometimes they will even be mad at the normal pangas...just because the trust is betrayed.

As Wilderone commented in the other thread about "Gil", he has worked there for 15 years and the whales know him well and trust him. He is a pure of heart fellow with an enormous smile who truly loves the animals for who they are...not just to make money. I had the pleasure of teaching him how to approach whales successfully and letting him in on some secrets of how to win their hearts. It was so wonderful to watch him develop his skills and see how the whales responded to him. Most friendlies would come up to greet him first....I have so many picture of him stroking a gals rostrum....then just to be nice, the whale would visit the other people in the boat but always go back to Gil.

A couple weeks ago when we went out...gil worked his whale magic again...but I must comment that things have changed since I was there...before, the pangeros were more cautious and slower at approaching whales...this was a technique I taught to them...approach very slowly and patiently...from the side at an oblique angle so they can get a visual on you too...slowly match their speed and angle...then wait and see what happens....

well, now that whales arent afraid of boats anymore and pangeros arent afraid of whales anymore, they are tossing etiquette out the porthole and just driving right up to them...even from behind...which is NOT legal or adviseable.
This is why we got splashed by a whale and thrown aside...the whales often teach us what is not cool...



I have known lancheros who are not in the business for the right reasons...nasty guys or agressive ones...and the whales certainly react accordingly. One guide was so bad, the whales would be constantly hitting his boat...this was a dangerous situation in my opinion and finally the guide was beached...I had to fire a guide once too cause the whales would just hide in the kelp beds when he came into the bay.

I tried for several years to convice the government that guide training was critical to the success of whale watching. There is a short training program now but falls way short of teaching guides about whales...it teaches them more about tourists...but doesnt ever touch on their behavior or ocean currents. I was glad to hear of Kuyima's guides sensitivity that dianne mentioned but I have seen the training manual and it is not sufficient. Sirenita's experience was a pretty common one...it is more that most people dont have the faintest idea what is a safe or dangerous situation...for example, I always tell people do NOT put your arms over the edge of the panga if a tail is presented...hang on...you could get your arm broken easily as the whale slaps the boat...some guides might say..oh the whale is just playing...maybe but generally any tail action is a sign of aggression. I have heard it said that whales are just more playful now...well, playing or not...tails are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. I should never have been able to take this photo...peoples photos reveal alot about the guides whale approaches...this was just before we got smacked...never approach a whale from behind!

Reving an engine is a BAD thing to do and will startle a whale...some guides do it just to get a reaction out of a whale so their clients can get a picture of a tail in the air!

Turning off our engine is also not recommended as starting it up again to get out of danger could cause more trouble...they are supposed to have the engine in nuetral but keep it running.

It is my dream to create a comprehensive training program for guides and have a trained naturalist on each panga so the driver can do his job and not be distracted talking to people.

Whale watching CAN be done responsibly but we are a very long way off....and will not happen until better training is offered and there is active enforcement of the regulations. Most people arent aware that lancheros are breaking the rules on a daily basis and the lagoons have no enforcement.

No doubt that both whales and lancheros are becoming more agressive and there will be more injuries to both parties...somebody say party?...thanks for listening.

bajafam - 3-5-2010 at 09:01 AM

Shari, I love to read your posts....you have such vast experience with these magnificent creatures, and I love that you share with us. I suppose, the whale watching is like so many other things, too many cooks spoil the broth and the like. There is always a bad egg :( I hope that our experience ranks among the good and that we can one day contribute to your quest to spread knowledge and understanding. I know that I will be writing about our experience and sharing it with whomever will listen (even if it happens to fall into the "bad" category) because I know that ignorance is NOT bliss....

We are so looking forward to visiting these amazing creatures and witnessing a phenomenon that not many folks get to do. Honestly, I don't care if I touch a whale...I just want to see them in their natural habitat before it's too late.

Santiago - 3-5-2010 at 09:06 AM

Thanks for this Shari.

Donjulio - 3-5-2010 at 09:07 AM

Phenomenal Shari. Thank you for this post. Everything you posted was new information for me so I learned a lot. The idea of having the trained naturalists is a great idea. I wish you much success as your work continues. Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your world.

DianaT - 3-5-2010 at 09:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
I was glad to hear of Kuyima's guides sensitivity that dianne mentioned but I have seen the training manual and it is not sufficient. Sirenita's experience was a pretty common one...

Whale watching CAN be done responsibly but we are a very long way off....and will not happen until better training is offered and there is active enforcement of the regulations. Most people arent aware that lancheros are breaking the rules on a daily basis and the lagoons have no enforcement.


Since we are getting to know one of the families who run Kuyima quite well, we will pass this information on to them. We will let them know about Sirenita's experience. I am sure they will be very surprised that this is such a common experience as they pride themselves on this not being the case. If you know of any other specific negative experiences with this company, please let us know and we will pass it on.



[Edited on 3-5-2010 by DianaT]

Kuyima whale orientation

tripledigitken - 3-5-2010 at 09:52 AM

When we recently went whale watching at San Ignacio, we went through an orientation that explained the do's and dont's of interacting with the whales. They explained the area of the lagoon which was off limits for the calving, we were limited to the stretch closest to the ocean. They explained, if we were to get a close encounter, where on the whale was appropriate to touch. The panga's are also limited to 90 minutes in the lagoon. They also had a question and answer period before we departed. If you look closely at the map of the lagoon you will see the hatched area the panga's are limited to viewing the whales. Seems like they are taking a great effort to do things right.


Bob H - 3-5-2010 at 10:00 AM

Shari, loved this posting from you. I suppose many Nomads are not aware of your expertise on whales and whale migration, and how much research and study you have done on them. And, stuff that you have written over the years.

Thanks for keeping us all informed on this subject.

Bob H

Russ - 3-5-2010 at 10:09 AM

I was so fortunate the time I went out to see the whales. It was over 10 years ago and we had the guide that was " the first to pet the whales". He was written up in National Geographic a couple years before we went. He was an old guy and while the other boat were running around for photo opps he'd just putt slowly and the parallel a visiting whale until it moved in and he'd put the motor in neutral and wait. We had 4 or 5 whales come in while the other boats were on the chase. This guy truly love the lagoon and the whales. I don't know which gave me the most satisfaction the whales or this gentle man. I'll bet Shari knew him well.

schwlind - 3-5-2010 at 10:20 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob H
Shari, loved this posting from you. I suppose many Nomads are not aware of your expertise on whales and whale migration, and how much research and study you have done on them. And, stuff that you have written over the years.

Thanks for keeping us all informed on this subject.

Bob H


Shari,

I ditto Bob's remarks. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about this truly awesome creature.

Linda

shari - 3-5-2010 at 10:36 AM

Kuyimas orientation is excellent and every company should do this. What may have happened is that...that weekend there was a big celebration in the lagoon with many of mexicos leading ecologists and even serge dedina was there giving talks etc. Sometimes when there are more people than usual...companies may send out guides who are not properly trained...kind of standby guys...i dont know if this was the case but maybe. Also what goes on in the orientation is not what happens in the boats...so it is really helpful to the companies to get feedback on their guides so they can improve thier service and contact with whales.

The group Sirena was with are ecology students and they had extensive discussions with and interviewed Kuyima people and some researchers afterwards so Kuyima is aware of the trip. They explained it as the whales were overstimulated that day due to the overload of people on the lagoon....it was also a day where all the school kids from the area were taken out to see whales so there may have been more pangas out than usual. There was also a research vessel on the lagoon...lots of action.

As I mentioned before, each day is different, each guide is different, each whale encounter is different. But whales can get rambuncious if overstimulated too...like kids. There were only a few whales in the lagoon...only 18 calves. Looks like all lagoons have a big population drop this season.

wilderone - 3-5-2010 at 06:31 PM

Learning all this about behavior of both whales and lancheros really adds to the Ojo de Liebre experience and understanding of the whales. Thanks Shari.
We got some tail slaps and one whale pushed on a boat and turned it around. I got a little nervous once when two whales were beneath the boat and just sitting underwater - not babies - but huge. I knew they could have up-ended us at any time.

shari - 3-5-2010 at 07:26 PM

sometimes especially if the tide is low...whales will push pangas out of the canals because they cant get under or around the boats and simply have to move them out of the way to get by them...the canals are very narrow and they dont want to get stranded on the sand bars on either side of it.

But there is a particular whale there this season who has been really doing alot of pushing around and it is nerve racking for sure...all the guides talk about this whale...tail slaps are dangerous and the guilty whale should be avoided or at least not provoked.

It wouldnt surprise me if this whale is a son or daughter of La Puchona...a whale who was famous for pushing boats around all the time...she would even swim under a boat upside down and place the panga on her chest, kind of hug it with her flippers and swim around real fast with it...I hate it when that happens! Her calf would just watch it all and many calves take on the characteristics of the mama...like babies of whales who spy hop alot also tend to repeat mom's behavior. Obviously friendly whales have more friendly calves etc.

But unprovoked tail slaps are extremely rare....usually the lanchero deserves a spanking! Sometimes a panga will get a slap and wonder why and often a whale will have been peeed off by another boat and is just taking out her anger on whatever boat happens to approach her....I just dont believe in unprovoked attacks...there is usually a reason for their anger.

SiReNiTa - 3-5-2010 at 07:40 PM

Thanks for sharing mamma!!
As always it's a great experience to listen...or read what you have to say.
I'm lucky to have you as my mentor and mother!!!

Iflyfish - 3-5-2010 at 11:36 PM

Sirentia, you are indeed. Iflyfish

Skipjack Joe - 3-6-2010 at 04:27 PM

I enjoyed your posts very much on this thread, Shari.

You obviously know a heck of a lot about whales and it's illuminating to read about their behaviour (your preferred spelling).

Bajahowodd - 3-6-2010 at 04:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Kuyimas orientation is excellent and every company should do this. What may have happened is that...that weekend there was a big celebration in the lagoon with many of mexicos leading ecologists and even serge dedina was there giving talks etc. Sometimes when there are more people than usual...companies may send out guides who are not properly trained...kind of standby guys...i dont know if this was the case but maybe. Also what goes on in the orientation is not what happens in the boats...so it is really helpful to the companies to get feedback on their guides so they can improve thier service and contact with whales.

The group Sirena was with are ecology students and they had extensive discussions with and interviewed Kuyima people and some researchers afterwards so Kuyima is aware of the trip. They explained it as the whales were overstimulated that day due to the overload of people on the lagoon....it was also a day where all the school kids from the area were taken out to see whales so there may have been more pangas out than usual. There was also a research vessel on the lagoon...lots of action.

As I mentioned before, each day is different, each guide is different, each whale encounter is different. But whales can get rambuncious if overstimulated too...like kids. There were only a few whales in the lagoon...only 18 calves. Looks like all lagoons have a big population drop this season.



I cede to your obvious expertise with these creatures. What has not been mentioned is that the whale's natural reproductive cycle is such that from one year to the next, you will not encounter the same whales. That said, I truly hope Shari's observation about the small number of calves is nothing more than an anomaly.

shari - 3-6-2010 at 09:37 PM

my photo ID project indicated that every 4 or 5 years we would see the same whales returning to the same lagoon to calve...which concurs with the notion that when whale populations are up to their estimated original numbers...mating slows down as well as depending on food supply. When they were endangered, researchers claimed they reproduced more frequently to increase their numbers. We have seen these fluctuations in numbers over the years...seems to be a natural cyclicle(sp?) thing....

I guess that's the canadian spelling of behavioral:?: (colour, neighbour etc)

mulegemichael - 3-6-2010 at 10:41 PM

shari....get those ecotour groups together and teach a "whale behavior guiding" class...who is more experienced than you?...no one...you know that, i know that...seems that the tour groups would jump all over the opportunity...then again, it is mexico...we're back up north for the time being...not long

BajaNomad - 3-7-2010 at 01:04 AM

Shari,

THANK YOU for this your posts on this thread. Excellent info, and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge on this topic here.

-
Doug