Hoopa, CA - A mother gray whale and her calf swam up the Klamath River in late June. The calf swam back into the ocean about a week ago, yet the mother remains. Scientists fear she could suffer negative health effects if she doesn't soon return to salt water.
A gray whale has taken residence in the most unlikely of places – the fresh waters of the Klamath River, between three and four miles upstream around the Highway 101 bridge.
For almost five weeks now, the whale has been there. She's alone now, but she came in with her 5-to 8-month-old calf. For three weeks the two were inseparable until the calf finally made its way back out into the ocean more than a week ago.
Whales in the river is a little bit like man on the moon. Short visitations don't have much consequence, but permanent residence is problematic. Any prolonged time in fresh water can damage the whale's skin and cause internal health problems. The fresh waters can kill her. So how much longer can the whale last in fresh water?
"We don't really have concrete data on that," said Sarah Wilkin, stranding coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). "[Veterinarians] that we've consulted have on the order of weeks," she said. "But her body conditions at the moment are pretty good…she's not looking very skinny."
Scientists are worried that the summer's low water levels could trap the 40-ton whale from ever leaving. On July 31, the Yurok Tribe opened its commercial fishing season. The influx of boats and nets could stress and even entangle the whale.
Yurok Chairman Thomas O'Rourke said the tribe has discussed how the whale's presence will affect its commercial fishery – which is located about two miles downstream from the bridge where the whale is. The Chairman said if the whale decides it wants to leave, he will impose an emergency shutdown of the river to allow the whale to escape freely.
But the biggest problem is food. According to sampling by Humboldt State University (HSU) and Yurok Tribal researchers, whale food is scare in the Klamath River. Wilkin said the whale in the Klamath has been feeding on the bottom of the river by sifting through the mud and finding crab-like arthropods. But there's just not a lot to dine on.
Marine animals are protected by federal law. That's why Wilkin came to Humboldt from her NOAA offices in Long Beach. Under the Marine Protection Act, NOAA responds to stranded, sick, injured or dead animals out of habitat along the coastline.
Wilkin can't say what drove the whales up the Klamath, but almost the entire gray whale population – estimated to be about 18,000 – passes by the California coast in the course of the year. During the winter months the whales locate to the warmer waters of Baja, mate and nurse newborn calves, and then it's off to Alaska during the summer months. The colder Alaskan waters are a feeding center.
Most of the whales migrate all the way to Alaska, but some stop off in British Columbia, Washington and even Northern California. Wilkin said between five and 20 whales stop their annual migration in the waters near Humboldt County.
The whale defied predatory instincts when researches blasted killer whale sounds under water, hoping to frighten her back into the ocean. Scientists showed tough love as they herded in boats and jet skis and used noisemakers to pester the whale. Researches saw a few panicked dives, but ultimately she chose not to leave.
HSU marine biology professor Dawn Goley is giving her students an opportunity of a lifetime. Goley heads HSU's Marine Mammal Education Research Program (MMERP). Started in 1996, the program helps graduate students understand the ecology and biology of local marine mammals. The experience helps the students get a leg up in the field.
The program usually has students doing offshore surveys of gray whales and stellar sea lions. With the whale upriver, the students are able to monitor the whale without a pair of binoculars.
Ashley Donnell, a senior at HSU majoring in Marine Biology, has been helping Goley and monitoring the whale since she first swam up on June 28.
"I know monitoring the whale may not sound like an important thing, but it honestly is," Donnell said. "We obtain a baseline of activity, since we don't really know what whales do in a river. We can keep on eye on her condition and see what changes. This will ultimately help us help the whale find its way back to the ocean."
The rescue effort has assembled a team that probably wouldn't have collaborated otherwise. Something Goley is thankful for.
"Working with the [Yurok] Tribe has been an incredible experience. Here is this remarkable group of people who know everything about the river. It's been such an enriching experience to get to know and work with these people,"Goley said.
But all their good work doesn't mean the whale will leave. With that reality in mind, Goley manages her expectations.
"I have no expectations. My fear is that she wont leave. It's going to be up to her and that's ok with me," Goley said.
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