Baby makes New Year's appearance

Lora Grindlay, The Province

Published: Monday, January 11, 2010

 

Whale watchers are anxiously awaiting another sighting of the Pacific Northwest's newest baby orca.
The New Year's baby killer whale was likely born Jan. 1 in the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait and was spotted off Seattle on Jan. 3.

Howard Garrett, director of the Whidbey Island-based Orca Network, said it's important to verify that the calf, a member of one of three southern resident-whale pods, has survived.

"We'll be eager to see," said Garrett. It's common that whales are not seen for weeks at a time at this time of year, he said. It is the sixth whale to be born to the southern resident whale pods in the past year. The pods are known as J, K and L.

The births follow a devastating year in 2008 when seven orcas from the pods, including two females of reproductive age, died. Garrett said the latest birth is an encouraging sign for the southern resident population that is now believed to consist of 88 whales. "We just had a real bad year and then a real good year."

The whales are often seen around Victoria, at the mouth of the Fraser River, in the Georgia Strait and have been sighted near the Queen Charlotte Islands. Garrett said there were 97 southern resident whales in 1995. "We're climbing back. In five years [after 1995], it dropped to 78 whales, and now we're up to 88, so we're half way to where we were in 1995," he said.

About 50 per cent of calves die in their first year of life. Garrett said the births and mortality rates of the whales are closely linked to the availability of chinook salmon, their meal of choice.
"That's really the predominant factor at work here," he said. "They are very picky eaters."
lgrindlay@theprovince.com

© The Province 2010

Keeping it authentic!

The following is a post from From Shain Jackson, President of Spirit Works Limited about the authenticity of native products used for the 2010 Winter Games:

Please, we need your support,

We are Aboriginal producers of Authentic Aboriginal Products in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, home of the 2010 Winter Olympic games.  We define our products as Authentic in that they are designed, produced, and distributed by us, Aboriginal People, with the benefits going back to our communities where they are so desperately needed.
       
We have been under siege by competing non-Aboriginal companies taking our culture, mass producing it overseas, and selling it for cheap.

Unfortunately the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic games (VANOC) is one of these competitors. VANOC has branded the term “Authentic Aboriginal Products” to mean their licensed products displaying Aboriginal graphics but supplied by non-Aboriginal companies, and originating overseas where labour and environmental standards are less stringent.  They have branded the term “Authentic Aboriginal Products” so aggressively that when you Google these words in any order you are taken directly to the Olympic online store.  At the same time, VANOC has virtually excluded from their licensing program truly Authentic Aboriginal Products - those designed, produced, and distributed by First Nations people.

If you find this behaviour unacceptable we ask that you read and sign the following e-petition, then pass this along to a friend:  http://www.gopetition.com/online/32954.html (This is a reputable site and there is an anonymous option for those concerned about revealing their info publicly)

They can ignore us, but it is our hope they won’t ignore you.

For more information please visit our Blog at: www.trulyauthentic.wordpress.com.  It will be documenting our campaign as it evolves.

Thank you so very much

Shain Jackson
President
Spirit Works Limited