Okay, that’s not what you were expecting for marine mammals? Never fear, we saw some exclusively marine mammals too, like the Steller sealions who spend the winter in the Salish Sea fattening up before returning to their rookeries on the coast. Mostly the sealions are snoozing during the day but there are always some swimming or fishing or playing or roughhousing too. In recent years there have been more and more females and youngsters in these waters. Baby Steller sealions stay with their moms for 3-4 years, nursing and learning skills.
And of course we saw many of the ubiquitous Harbor seals. Rarely do seals and sealions share the same haulout, and on this occasion one seal popped its head up to watch us go by at the smaller of the two Whale Rocks. Then another appeared....
...and then a third! Harbor seals are generally loners except at haulouts. Not sure what this trio was doing. The rock is quite steep. Perhaps they were taking a break from fishing. Tidal currents sweep vigorously around these Rocks through reefs and kelp forests — a prime fishing spot.
We didn’t see any whales on this occasion. But other mammal hunters were out and about: humans. The recreational crab season is over but the commercial season will stay open until April, unless the limit is reached before that. Other regions of the Salish Sea are already closed. The crab fishery in Washington State is well-regulated. Among other regulations, I’ve been heartened see the one adopted in 2011 requiring gear that prevents traps from becoming permanent death traps if they get lost underwater. Recreational crabbers are also subject to this requirement.
Commercial shellfish pot gear—Escape mechanism required.
It is unlawful to fish for or possess crab, shrimp, or crawfish taken for commercial purposes with shellfish pot gear unless the gear allows for escapement using at least one of the following methods:
(1) Attachment of pot lid hooks or tiedown straps with a single strand or loop of untreated cotton twine or other natural fiber no larger than thread size 120 so that the pot lid will open freely if the twine or fiber is broken.
(2) Providing an opening in the pot mesh no less than three inches by five inches and laced or sewn closed with one single strand of untreated cotton twine or other natural fiber no larger than thread size 120.
Here’s another kind of mammal we saw that day: sheep. Huh? You might be wondering why it’s in a marine Bucket.
I don’t know what kind of sheep these are, but they live on a small island we pass regularly. Sometimes we see them grazing right up the edge of the cliff. This 14-acre island has been privately owned since white settlement, to the best of my knowledge. The Bates family lived there part-time in the early 20th c and later the Scripps owned it after Dr. Bates’ daughter married into the newspaper magnate’s family. Now called Charles Island, the Scripps’ descendants still visit but a caretaker lives on the island. The sheep are part of the pocket farm.
Today the sun has come out and the gale winds of the latest storm have died down. You can probably guess what our plans are for the afternoon!