Spring 2009
San Juan Islands - Then and Now
How to get a robust ecosystem back?
Evidence suggests that human beings have inhabited the San Juan Archipelago for at least 5000 years. Perhaps in early times, the islands were only summer camps for hunting deer, salmon fishing and clamming. Without refrigeration, the meats were dried and stored to make it through another winter.
Makah whalers 1910
It has only been in the last 100 years or so that the islands, its flora and fauna have been heavily exploited. The first or old growth forests were cut and burned to fuel the numerous lime kilns. After the turn of the 20th century, fishing was unrelenting, resulting in essentially fishing out northern Puget Sound.
One only needs to look at photos of the fishery 75-100 years ago to see docks lined with fish, ready for processing or canning. Docks loaded with cod and salmon, stretching for hundreds of yards. Today, a sport fisherman will be lucky to catch one fish.
From boat to cannery
The San Juan Archipelago is a beautiful area drawing visitors from around the globe. Within the island's boundaries is one of the most awe inspiring tourist attractions anywhere... Orca whales. Not just one or two, dozens. Much has been written about these magnificent mammals, the folklore, the place in coastal Native American culture and how, in recent years the Orcas have wound up on the endangered species list.
Although beautiful on the surface, what the local or tourist sees is only a fraction of the total wildlife residing in the islands. Two thirds of what actually makes up the islands wildlife is under water. Recreational divers who frequent the area marvel at the incredible wildlife just below the surface.
Friday Harbor Labs (then the Old Station Building, 1909)
As awe inspiring as the orcas and underwater wildlife is today, it is nonetheless a skeleton of what was once abundant here. Stories from locals who were born and raised in the islands, talk of salmon so thick you could almost walk across the bays on their backs at certain times of the year. Herring (planktivores) the all important link between plankton (microscopic organisms) and salmon were thick, with herring balls seen throughout the islands.
What has happened?
There is an element that suggests that the precarious balance of wildlife witnessed today is the result of or in part caused by boating activity. My observation differs. Having lived in the northwest my entire life, sport fished and operated a marine related business here for 35 years, it seems clear to me that the primary culprit is unbridled development on land.
In a recent weekend boating trip with a group of small boat enthusiasts, a weekend cruise labeled 'Puget Sound End-to End', I got a chance to see southern Puget Sound, which I hadn't seen up close since my youth. What impressed me most is the extensive development in the lower sound. Just about every piece of waterfront property was developed
Hood Canal is the perfect example of development gone sour. So many toxic chemicals and effluent are winding up in the waters of Hood Canal that the southern end of the canal is now labeled a 'dead zone'.
I mention Hood Canal, because what Hood Canal lacks is good circulation of freshly oxygenated sea water. Despite a nominal tidal range of 7 to 8 vertical feet and tidal extremes of 15 feet, southern Hood canal just doesn't receive sufficient freshly oxygenated seawater to maintain even the simplest marine organisms. What oxygenated water that does arrive, is absorbed by chemicals and effluent runoff. By contrast, the San Juan Islands receive abundant freshly oxygenated seawater daily.
Some years ago I read a local publication Orcas in Our Midst, A chart in the publication showed the Puget Sound basin as viewed from the west. The caption depicted the chartlet as 'the way Orcas see the San Juan Islands'. Looking at Juan De Fuca Strait and the San Juan Islands from the west gives a totally new perspective. We humans are used to looking at the northern hemisphere from our maps and charts…..feet planted in the south and head to the north. Simply changing our vantage point to the west changes our perceptions and conventional wisdom.
What is very evident from the westerly viewpoint is the fact that the main arm of Puget Sound isn't to the south (Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia) but is to the north, Georgia Strait, Canadian Gulf Islands, Vancouver and beyond. Sitting in the middle of the entrance to Georgia Strait is the San Juan Islands. The islands form a sort of beaver dam in all the freshly oxygenated water flowing north.
The local waters are deep and the currents strong. The San Juan Island are unique in that the waters are constantly refreshed. This single facet gives wildlife a big boost. But as I mention earlier, the archipelago has been heavily exploited…..and for the very reason that there is robust life here.
A great deal of publicity is being aimed at saving the whales, but the majestic Orca populations are first and foremost general indicators of the overall health of the aquatic region. This is because the Orcas are at the top of the food chain and are dependent on all the subspecies below them.
The real headline story is southern Puget Sound, the dead zones, the unbridled development. Southern Puget Sound is heavily contaminated with heavy metals, PCB's and a host of oxygen absorbing pollutants. Governor Gregoir has made a commitment to clean up Puget Sound. What the governor intends, I believe, is to curb (to the extent possible) further pollution of the region. From a technical standpoint, cleaning Puget Sound which means dredging all the contaminants from the bottom is impossible.
In a recent newspaper story it was noted that the occupants of the seawater aquarium in Friday Harbor were dying. After some study it was found that detergents in the seawater that circulate in the aquarium are the culprit. I can only assume we are talking about ordinary household detergents, here!
Much has been written about how to strengthen orca populations, about restoring salmon habitat, etc. We also hear a lot about the importance of eel grass in the spawning cycle of herring. What we don't hear about is the health of herring populations. Herring are the all important link in the food chain, the go-between, between plankton and salmon. Herring are the hinge-pin in large and healthy salmon runs. If you want salmon runs to return to levels a hundred years ago, you are going to have to have huge herring populations. If you want nice fat healthy orcas, we are going to have to bolster salmon. This means bolstering the entire food chain, not just one species.
What to do?
As the human population continues to grow in the Puget Sound region, we all need to make informed decisions on a daily basis as to what we purchase, consume and discard. We all need to recognize the fact that whatever we purchase in liquid form is ultimately going to wind up in the ocean. Gravity sees to that.
I don't think we don't need to adopt an orca to make a difference, although that's a nice gesture. Adopting a herring would probably make more sense. Instead we need to adopt the entire Puget Sound basin and its ecosystem.
Looking at coastal Native American art, it is obvious that the relationship between man and nature, especially the orca, has historically been symbiotic. We all need to work daily to return the balance of nature. We are part of nature, not master of it.
The orcas whale has the largest brain of any creature living today, or has ever lived on this planet. Do the orcas think, and if so, what do they think about? It's time we listen closely, learn from them, their actions and from our ancient ancestors.
At Close Encounters, we wish to entertain you, show you this gorgeous environment and its inhabitants, educate you as to what it once was, is now and can be again. Our mode of transportation is a classic boat that was state-of-the-art in boatbuilding in 1957. We've added 21st. century state-of-the-art propulsion to demonstrate that alternative energy with minimal environmental impact is available to the marine marketplace today.
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September 12, 2001
Captain Tim's most memorable whale watching experience
Although I've been in the assistance towing business for many years, I still get out and enjoy the wildlife on occasion. I really enjoy talking family out to see the whales.
I received a call from my daughter in the early afternoon. Zoanna was raised on Orcas Island and was now in Seattle moving into the dorm at the University of Washington and starting her first quarter. From a high school graduating class of 35 on Orcas, to a large college of 35,000, to say she was experiencing culture shock would be an understatement.
She was distraught about what had happened and could she come up and spend a day or two with dad? Sure! Come on up. Zoanna arrived on the ferry the next morning about eleven. I suggested we see if we could find some whales and then do a late afternoon lunch. Zoanna's response. Good idea!
We jumped aboard my 23 foot Glasply assistance tow boat and cast off. We headed down San Juan channel, around Cattle Point and then turned southwest. About three quarter mile off Eagle Point I throttled back and we scanned the horizon. Not another boat anywhere. After a few minutes of looking, I spotted one whale about a mile to the southwest. Rather than head down that way, I shut down the engine. We drifted and talked. We talked about school, the big city and about what had happened the day before.
About 20 minutes later we were talking and saw a whale surface about one quarter mile inshore of us. A few seconds later another whale, even closer, and then another. A large male surfaced on the other side of the boat. Before we knew it we were surrounded by whales, about 10 of them. They were all around, circling us as if they were lonely…..we being the only boat around. One of the whales (the leader) must have surely been thinking: "Hey there's Jonesie's boat! I'll bet he knows where the salmon are. Let's head over there"! The Orcas are very intelligent, you know!
They slapped the water, tail slapped and jumped. One large male surfaced about 50 feet upwind of us. That animal had bad breath! Talk about halitosis! Whoa! We just sat there, the whales frolicking around us. It was an amazing and unforgettable display.
A bit more than an hour and the pod began moving east. When they were about a half mile away, I started the engine and motored slowed toward Cattle Point. Once around the point and back in San Juan Channel, I throttled up to cruise and headed back to Friday Harbor. We had an enjoyable lunch at one of Friday Harbor's many fine restaurants.
Over lunch, we talked about what a fun day it had been, about the fabulous display the whales had put on for us. Despite the fact that the human realm was in a tumultuous state at the moment, the whales assured us that in the larger picture, everything was going to be okay.
Captain Tim
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