One incredible thing about spring and early summer along the Alaska coast is the abundance of wildlife. With so many hours of sunlight - and days rapidly lengthening through the June solstice – the conditions for plankton to grow are just right. This spring bloom feeds many different kinds of organisms, all eating at a variety of trophic levels (or different parts of the food web). Salmon congregating in coves along the eastern Aialik Peninsula in late May and early June attract special marine mammals whom I’m always thrilled to see: Killer Whales. Also known as Orcas, Killer Whales are an iconic species and an important part of marine ecosystems here in Alaska. They are part of the Cetacean group that contains all whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and are the largest member of the Delphinidae family of ocean dolphins. There are several distinct ecotypes of Killer Whales that feed on different types of food – resident whales that eat fish, transient whales that eat marine mammals, and offshore whales that eat sharks. These specialized populations are genetically distinct and have not interbred for thousands of years. In addition to varying diets, these types of Killer Whale also have different lifestyles, behaviors, and personalities. Killer Whales have strong family bonds and remain in matrilineal groups their entire life - often 60-90 years. These family groups called pods will travel together, cooperatively hunt, and raise young calves. Individuals will mate with other Killer Whales outside of their family group, then return to their birth pod. There is a lot that we still don’t know about Killer Whales, but the impressive amount of information we do know is thanks to the dedication of marine mammal researchers and scientists all over the world. Decades of close study and photo identification efforts have allowed researchers to map out family trees of many pods. Photos of the left side of a whale’s prominent dorsal fin and saddle patch can be compared to other photos in a database to identify individual whales based on markings, scars, and other distinct patterns. Hydrophones collecting underwater acoustic data have allowed researchers to recognize clicks, whistles, and calls - types of vocalizations used by the whales to communicate, and to even recognize the accents of specific pods and individuals. There is so much more fascinating information about Killer Whales, so check out these great resources to learn more: * Killer Whales of Southern Alaska, by Craig Matkin, Graeme Ellis, Eva Saulitis, Lance Barrett-Lennard, and Dena Matkin * Beyond Words, by Carl Safina * Into Great Silence, by Eva Saulitis *If you are looking to purchase a book, consider buying it from an independent bookstore – like Innisfree Bookshop in New Hampshire or Title Wave Books in Alaska! One of my favorite things about encountering Killer Whales along the coast is the reverence and awe they bring over groups of human observers. While deckhanding and kayak guiding I would see it often – a group of people quieted by the sense that they were observing something special. And because the geographic range of an individual pod is so large, any sighting of these marine mammals is exciting because their home is spread over hundreds of miles of ocean. It was no surprise that those same feelings of awe and excitement brought us to silent giddiness within the first few days of our voyage. Unlike most other encounters with Killer Whales we have had, this time we were on Katabatic and gliding quietly along under sail. With no engines running, the soundscape consisted of gurgling water against the hull and the short, bursting breaths of the Killer Whales surfacing all around us. Incredible! While we were maneuvering to keep our sails full and the boat headed generally where we wanted to go, several Killer Whales swam closer to us and paralleled our course. They swam close enough that you could see their white eye patches glowing light blue through the water, and even their undersides when they turned sideways, presumably to check out the hull of the boat and the two humans leaning over the rail to get a better view. What an experience! At one point Brent was on the tiller and I was up on the bowsprit with my camera and we were only communicating with facial expressions and hand gestures: “Is this really happening?!” We tacked back and forth a few times to maximize our time with this pod, most of whom were hunting near a cove where researchers have observed them feasting on salmon this time of year. Eventually we sailed beyond their zone of interest, and our new friends returned to the other members of their pod. We watched their triangular dorsal fins emerging and disappearing at the surface until they were too far away to distinguish. A few days later, we had a weather window to paddle along the coast of the Aialik Peninsula to Cape Aialik. In any kind of sea state or wind this would be ambitious for our little 9-foot kayaks, but we had a rare glass-calm day in the Gulf of Alaska and went for it. Not only was paddling around the spires and cliffs of the Cape magical, but soon after we arrived a pod of Killer Whales swam through the area. Floating in our kayaks, we heard the same bursts of breath and marveled at the height of the male whales’ dorsal fins. Reaching heights of up to six feet, the dorsal fins looked towering when observed from our kayaks, barely above the ocean’s surface. The Natoa, a research vessel working with the Gulf Coast Oceanic Society, was nearby – photographing the pod and documenting behavior in their ongoing efforts to learn more about and promote the conservation of Alaska’s Killer Whales. We chatted on the marine radio with one of the researchers about the pod and individuals present, then wished them well as the Orcas turned offshore and the Natoa followed. It was a surreal experience to encounter this iconic species, with such complex communication and culture, at a fascinating location, often inaccessible to kayaks due to ocean swell and wind. Kayaking back along the coast to our protected anchorage was a blur. We paddled rhythmically in a silence weighted with reverence and awe.
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Excerpts from the Elsaesser Fellowship ApplicationWhy the Kenai Fjords? Since I first arrived on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula in April 2015, I knew it was a special place. I feel privileged to have spent the past five summers exploring the fjords through my work as a sea kayak guide and a deckhand based out of the town of Seward. I have had the opportunity to learn the many faces of the fjords, to grow familiar with particular weather patterns, to sense the subtle changes in light throughout the year, and to eventually feel the summer slip into a cool maritime fall. I have learned to identify seabirds at a glimpse by the way they flap their wings, and know which shelves to look for humpback and fin whales, how high on the hillside to look for mountain goats at a particular time of year, and where killer whales assemble to feast on the salmon that keep Alaska’s metabolic time. I have also been able to witness changes in the landscape since my first summer in the fjords, mostly in the recession of tidewater glaciers. I want to keep exploring further along the coastline, to places that summer work responsibilities and little time off have kept merely a dream. I aspire to learn more about this region, and really come to know it, while I still can sail and paddle in the presence of glaciers that carved these very fjords. Why sailing? The plans for a purposeful and personal sailing trip have been in the works for a long time. I developed a strong connection with the sea and sailing at an early age, living aboard a 37’ sailboat with my family for a year. We sailed from New Hampshire to the Bahamas and then back up to the Chesapeake Bay, homeschooling all along the way. It was my first real introduction to sailing and travel. A decade later, in high school, I spent four months sailing the Caribbean and the east coast aboard SSV Harvey Gamage. It’s where my I formed my first independent connection with shipboard life and the amazing feats that can be accomplished with a supportive team of shipmates. I even wrote my college essay about going aloft. Throughout college, I returned to Gamage every winter break to work as a deckhand and science educator. I am now an assistant scientist with Sea Education Association, teaching marine science to university students aboard SSV Corwith Cramerand SSV Robert C. Seamans. In fact, I wrote this personal statement for this fellowship in the main salon of Seamans after sailing from Pago Pago, American Samoa, to Auckland, New Zealand. I’ve learned so much in the last several years working as part of the SEA team and have thoroughly enjoyed having the ocean and sailing be such a large part of my life. Reflecting on influential moments and mentors over the past decade, it is clear how these sailing communities have made a tremendous impact on who I am today. Why artwork? Looking back, I have also always loved sketching animals and landscapes. Most of my journal from my family’s sailing trip is filled with pages of my writing about the various animals I had seen and the pictures that I drew of them. In college, I designed diagrams to explain the population genetics of horseshoe crabs and their symbionts for my senior thesis. In Alaska, I draw diagrams to calculate and visualize tides and to describe how glaciers move through and shape landscapes. On Cramer and Seamans, I draw identifying features of zooplankton to help the students recognize the microscopic members of ocean ecosystems, diagrams that explain how the water column changes through the seasons, and sketches that show how birds can fly close to the surface of the water with less effort. I have always been a visual learner and my notebooks from college classes are packed with diagrams and colorful shading. I have found that this method of interpreting science using art has made complex topics more digestible. I would be thrilled to continue sharing the rugged and inspiring coastlines of Alaska’s Kenai Fjords through environmentally-inspired art created on a sailing voyage.
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Voyage Log
AuthorCanvas & Ice Archives
April 2021
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