OT-ish ~ friendly 'fish'
 

When we lived in Northern BC (north of this place) I remember pods of killer
whales coming up and swimming beside our boat.
Glad they didn't want us to come out and play...
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'Friendly' orca having whale of a time damaging boats
August 29, 2004
GOLD RIVER, British Columbia -- A ''playful'' killer whale who likes to frolic
alongside fishermen has damaged three boats in separate incidents in recent
weeks.
Luna, described by fishermen as a friendly 5-year-old whale, has made frequent
contact with people and boats in waters off Vancouver Island, about 125 miles
north of the U.S. border, since he began visiting the waters more than two
years ago.
Now Canadian officials and an Indian group that believes the animal is the
reincarnation of its late chief are working on a plan to protect both Luna and
humans. Officials hope to reunite him with his pod of U.S. relatives.
Witnesses said Luna damaged the rudders of a sailboat and two gillnetters in
Nootka Sound in recent weeks. For hours after damaging the boats, Luna bumped
and nudged the vessels, apparently seeking social contact, said Les Rombough,
president of Canada's Area D Gillnetters Association.
One fishing boat was so damaged that its 75-year-old skipper had to rig a
rope-and-pulley system to steer it while Luna continued to ''harass and bang
around the boat like a beach ball for five hours,'' Rombough told the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer.
Still, Rombough said, ''he's just being playful.''
But as Luna grows, there is concern the encounters have gotten increasingly
dangerous. Rombough said fishermen would love to avoid Luna, but ''you just
can't do that anymore.''
The Canadian Fisheries department and the Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nation -- a
band that believes Luna embodies the spirit of their dead chief -- will unveil
a ''stewardship plan'' for the whale this week, said Don Radford, acting
director of the fisheries department's regional office.
The plan will include providing public information on how to avoid Luna and
what to do if one encounters him, Radford said.
In the past, people have contributed to the problem by visiting the whale, who
used to snoop around docks and boat propellers. One person even tried to brush
the whale's teeth.
Radford said the Indian band has posted warning signs, restricted some dock
access and distributed brochures about the whale. He said the fisheries agency
issues radio broadcast advisories about the whale over maritime frequencies.
In June, fisheries officials tried to capture Luna to reunite him with his pod
as the small group of whales swam past the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
The plan was scuttled after canoes of the Mowachaht- Muchalaht lured the whale
away. They said they were uncomfortable with the plan.

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kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html