[Paddlewise] Tracking Gray Whales

For the past month or so I've been going on weekend whale watch tours
out of San Diego as a volunteer for the Scripps Institute which works
with the tour company in providing a naturalist (cetalogist?) for these
trips.  Basically, I'm just the go-fer, carry the exhibits on board, and
hand out literature, etc..  (I get asked questions and if I don't know
the answer, just make it up and they don't know the difference.  Hey,
just kidding!)  The naturalist last Sunday, on finding out that I'm a
sea kayaker, mentioned that the American Cetacean League (??) has been
using sea kayaker volunteers armed with cross bows with suction cup tips
to afix  radio transponders to the whales for tracking their movements.
The kayaks can get closer to the whales than a larger boat can with out
spooking them (which is against the law).

The little else I know about the ACL is that they have a whale "watch"
station on the bluffs of Palos Verde peninsula, manned 24/7 by
volunteers with telescopes and binocs, during the migratory season, to
take a census of the passing parade.  This and other censuses are
compiled to make a judgement of the strength of the California Gray
whale population.

I'm intrigued by all of this and wonder if anyone else has done this, or
worked with the ACL, or knows anything about it?  It sounds like a whale
of a lot of fun and challenges, while doing something useful instead of
just juking around for my own sport and adventure.

-- Nick          (just call me Ishmael, with suction tip harpoon in
hand)



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