Petersburg & Frederick Sound
This morning would be spent in Petersburg, a town begun by Norwegian and Chinese immigrants and which has now become one of the richest communities in the United States due to the increasing demand for fresh fish products from the well managed fisheries of Southeast Alaska. There was a bog walk offered while others had shopping adventures in town before we all boarded the ship for an afternoon of whale searching.
After lunch we ventured north in search of and found the greatest killer of all, Orcinus orca, “the devil fish from hell,” (as some have stated is the meaning of its scientific name). The group of killer whales we saw were actually fish eaters and as such were easier to follow than their whale eating counterparts. Their path along the shore in search of salmon was swift and action filled. We viewed through our awaiting lenses splashing, breaching, tail lobbing, and fast swimming.
The later afternoon was a different experience as we enjoyed the sight of another marine mammal; the humpback whale. These leviathans of the southeast water ways are amazingly adapted to search for their prey (herring and krill). Cooperating and organizing in a fashion not seen outside of humanity. To see them bubble net and hear them trumpet to one another is a gift from the oceans we may not appreciate right away but will take with us none the less.
This morning would be spent in Petersburg, a town begun by Norwegian and Chinese immigrants and which has now become one of the richest communities in the United States due to the increasing demand for fresh fish products from the well managed fisheries of Southeast Alaska. There was a bog walk offered while others had shopping adventures in town before we all boarded the ship for an afternoon of whale searching.
After lunch we ventured north in search of and found the greatest killer of all, Orcinus orca, “the devil fish from hell,” (as some have stated is the meaning of its scientific name). The group of killer whales we saw were actually fish eaters and as such were easier to follow than their whale eating counterparts. Their path along the shore in search of salmon was swift and action filled. We viewed through our awaiting lenses splashing, breaching, tail lobbing, and fast swimming.
The later afternoon was a different experience as we enjoyed the sight of another marine mammal; the humpback whale. These leviathans of the southeast water ways are amazingly adapted to search for their prey (herring and krill). Cooperating and organizing in a fashion not seen outside of humanity. To see them bubble net and hear them trumpet to one another is a gift from the oceans we may not appreciate right away but will take with us none the less.
