"The week of 3/20 -3/27 was slow for whale watching boats in Ventura/ Santa Barbara both due to poor weather and a lull in the sightings of gray whales.
There are two overlapping but distinct pulses in the gray whale migration off the Pacific coast. We are right in between these pulses here in the Santa Barbara Channel. The leaders of the first pulse are the newly impregnated cows. They are followed by adult bulls, immature cows, and soon, immature bulls. New mothers and their calves are the only participants of the second migratory pulse. During the first wave, the whales are in transit from February to June and during the second they travel from March to July.
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS: 1) Why do you think new mothers and calves travel later in the spring than the whales in the first pulse?
2) Why do you think orca whale sightings been included in gray whale migration reports?
Send your answers to: jnorth@informns.k12.mn.us
The following whale watching information is from the National Marine Fisheries Service. They were doing some research in the Southern California bight last week. All whales were northbound.
Date Location
3/20 One group of 4 gray whales was sighted 3 miles south of Ellwood (34 22.83 N, 119 55.06 W)
3/21 4 gray whales were seen off Point Conception.
3/22 3 gray whales were observed in the Santa Cruz Passage (34 23.03 N 119 56.29 W) 3 whales were also observed near Point Conception (34 05.27 N 119 59 87 W).
3/24 3 gray whales were observed just North of Goleta. A female with a calf was observed just south of Pt. Conception.
3/25 One gray whale was seen right off Santa Barbara Harbor. 2 gray whales were seen at Pt Conception.
3/26 5 gray whales seen at 34 19.47 N 119 49.11 W)
3/27 3 whales seen at 34 26 04 120 18 07 2 pairs and 2 single whales were seen just off Gaviota 1 pair and a single whale were observed near Platform Holly.