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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
It Makes No Never Mind by James Nalley
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t the time of this publication, Mainers should be thawing off from a long winter and looking forward to relatively warmer times. For those in Western Maine interested in something different, May is also when the whale-watching season kicks off, as hordes of hungry, migrating whales arrive to feed approximately 25 miles off the Maine coast. According to the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, the whales’ main feeding area is Jeffreys Ledge, which is “a major morphologic feature in the western Gulf of Maine that lies about 150 to 200 feet below of the surface of the water.” For the whale-watching enthusiasts, there are plenty to see, including humpback (up to 55 feet in length), finback (up to 80 feet in length), minke (up to 30 feet in length), and right whales (up to 60 feet in length). As for the latter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that “by the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted right whales in the Atlantic to the brink of extinction.” In addition, “researchers estimate that there are about 400 North Atlantic right whales in the population, with fewer than 100 breeding females left.” Thus, scientists and researchers fear that this breed is rapidly heading
toward extinction. In general, whales can be spotted from late April to late October. Naturally, there are many whale-watching cruises available for those interested in catching that perfect photo of a whale expounding air through its blowhole, which, by the way, can be seen as far as two miles away. Keep in mind that the best visibility is when the skies are clear and the fog has dissipated, which is usually during the summer. It is also important to note the three major threats to whales and their existence. First, entanglement in fishing lines can severely injure them, thus leading to death. In fact, according to the NOAA, more than 85 percent of whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. Second, since whales’ migration routes are close to major ports, they become vulnerable to collisions with ships, both large and small. Third, underwater noise pollution can greatly interfere with their communication. Finally, among the most experienced whale-watching companies, there are the following: First Chance Whale Watch (with two boats: the 87-foot, twodeck “Nick’s Chance” and the 65-foot, single-deck “Kylie’s Chance”; www. firstchancewhalewatch.com); Bar Har-
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bor Whale Watch Company (with 25 years of experience and more than one million passengers served; www.barharborwhales.com) the environmentally friendly Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watch (the greenest whale watching fleet, with the only whale-watching vessel that is Tier 3 compliant; www.mainewhales. com); and last but not least, Odyssey Whale Watch (with its 65-foot, fiberglass Odyssey and its smaller Explorer for a more personal experience (www. odysseywhalewatch.com). Well, on this note, let me close with the following jest: At a local elementary school, a teacher was having a discussion with one student about whether humans can be swallowed by whales. The teacher tells the girl that it’s impossible for whales to swallow humans because they have small throats. The girl says, “You’re wrong. Jonah got swallowed by a whale and spent three days and nights in its belly.” Then, the teacher says, “Oh, that’s just a story from the Bible. It’s not true,” after which the girl says, “Oh yeah? Well, when I go to heaven, I’ll ask Jonah.” The teacher snidely replies, “Well, what if Jonah didn’t go to heaven?” The girl looks at him and says, “Well, then YOU can ask him!”
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