Showing posts with label Whalers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whalers. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Mystery as ‘corkscrew’ kills Scottish seals
Daily Mail, By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER, 15th August 2010
Dozens of seals are dying from unexplained ‘corkscrew’ injuries, prompting the launch of a Scottish Government investigation.
Seven incidents involving common and grey seals, such as the one pictured below, were reported in the past two months alone in St Andrews Bay and the Firth of Forth, Scottish officials said.
Carcasses washed ashore showing a single, smooth-edged cut starting at the head and spiralling around the body. Experts do not believe the injuries were caused by fishing nets or boat propellers.
'Strange deaths': Seven incidents involving common and grey seals were reported in Scotland in the last two months
Environment Minister Richard Lochhead said: ‘It’s critical that we establish the cause of these strange deaths and do all we can to protect our seal populations, particularly as numbers have reduced in recent years. I would encourage anyone who encounters a seal carcass to contact the Sea Mammal Research Unit.’
In total, 33 seals have washed up along the east coast of England and Scotland, including six in St Andrews Bay and the Firth of Forth in 2008 and 2009.
Similar incidents have been reported in Norfolk and off the Canadian coast.
Mr Lochhead has asked scientists from the University of St Andrews to investigate.
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Monday, August 2, 2010
Pictured: The whales once dubbed the 'devil fish' that now want tourists to tickle their tongues
Daily Mail, By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE, 2nd August 2010
They were once referred to as 'devil fish' for the way they attacked whalers, but these enormous grey whales are now dubbed 'the friendliest in the world' as they rest their heads on boats and demand to be tickled.
These pictures show the 45-feet-long adult whales happily allowing their backs and tongues to be scratched.
The whales also encourage their young calves to approach boats, and if their bid to be touched goes unnoticed they swim along to more tourists in the hope of getting attention.
A whale of a time: An adult grey whale enjoys having its tongue tickled by tourists in the San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico
The playful whales even swim under boats and lift them out of the water, thrilling tourists.
Local fishermen who lead the boat tours in San Ignacio, Mexico, have become so used to living with the whales they now refer to them as 'friendlies'.
Zoologist and television presenter Mark Carwardine, 51, photographed the whales while on a trip to the Central American country.
'Seventy years ago these whales were being viciously hunted and they fought back aggressively,' Mr Carwardine said.
'They would smash boats with their tails and leap on them, so they became known locally as devil fish.'
Since the late 1930s the species has been protected and numbers have gone from just 100 - placing them at risk of extinction - to 26,000.
Showing off: Tourists marvel as a grey whale splashes about in the waters of the San Ignacio Lagoon
'They know the local fishermen are no longer a threat and have become the friendliest whales in the world,' he said.
'They come up to these small fibreglass boats, which are a few metres long, and place their chins on the side to be scratched and tickled.
'They also encourage their calves to do the same. It is very much like a dog sitting at your feet near the fire.'
'I would never normally agree with touching wildlife but these whales demand to be touched - they really enjoy it and come to you.
Mr Carwardine has travelled to the region for the past 20 years.
'People are in tears and feel overwhelmed by the experience,' he said.
The whales arrive in the lagoons in late December or early January leave around May, when they head back up to the Arctic to feed.
They make the migration, which is a 12,500 mile round-trip, every year.
The calves are weaned on the Arctic feeding grounds and are left to make their own way back to the breeding lagoons the following year.
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Friday, July 30, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The last whale hunters of Indonesia
Meredith Birkett says: Photographer Luke Duggleby captured stunning and startling images of the centuries-old tradition of whaling in Indonesia.
At a May 2009 World Oceans Conference, the Indonesian government officially declared 3.5 million hectares of critical marine habitat in the Savu Sea for conservation. Though government representatives have assured that traditional whaling -- which has been supporting the surrounding communities means of living -- will not be banned in the area immediately outside the zone, concerns still remain. Lamalera is one of the last remaining Indonesian whaling communities and is categorized by the International Whaling Commission as aboriginal whaling.
The Indonesian village of Lamalera has hunted whales, sharks and dolphins for the last 500 years. Their method is to leap from a small wooden boat with a long harpoon made of bamboo and spear the animal. In this picture, the harpooner called Gregorious dives from the front of the boat to harpoon a large whale shark which he hits in the head. (Photo: Luke Duggleby / Redux)
Because of the size of the whale shark. which can grow as long as 40 feet, it must be cut up in to small pieces. Here they attempt to get the head in to the boat which takes all the crew members. (Photo: Luke Duggleby / Redux)
Two pilot whales are brought to the beach having been harpooned at sea. Once brought to shore the animal is divided in to parts and distributed to the community, partly for consumption and partly for exchanging with other inland communities for corn and rice. (Photo: Luke Duggleby / Redux)
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Sperm whale faeces offset CO2 emissions
Friday, June 18, 2010
Whistleblower aims to expose dark side of Japanese whaling
'Mr Whale' alleges widespread criminality among former colleagues on mother ship of Japanese whaling fleet
guardian.co.uk, Justin McCurry in Tokyo, Monday 14 June 2010 19.03 BST
'Mr Whale' wearing his Kyodo Senpaku whaling fleet uniform. Photograph: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Greenpeace
He once wielded a knife on the deck of a Japanese whaling ship, slicing apart the behemoths of the ocean in the name of "scientific research", while much of the rest of the world looked on in horror.
Now, as Japan pushes to overturn the 24-year ban on commercial whaling, the former whaler has come forward with allegations of widespread criminality among the men with whom he spent months in the freezing waters of the Antarctic.
Sent every winter to slaughter the mammals for research that Japan says is vital to our understanding of whale populations, the crewmen are instead seizing and selling prized cuts of meat to earn extra cash and, in at least one case, earn many more times their annual salary, says the whaler-turned-whistleblower.
He refers to himself only as "Kujira-san" (Mr Whale), a precaution necessitated by a genuine fear for his safety. But the personal risks will be worthwhile, he says, if it means the world learns the truth about the dark side of Japan's whaling industry.
"Even before we arrived in the Antarctic Ocean," he says of a recent expedition, "the more experienced whalers would talk about taking whale meat home to sell. It was an open secret. Even officials from the Institute of Cetacean Research [a quasi-governmental body that organises Japan's whaling programme] on the ship knew what was happening, but they turned a blind eye to it."
Kujira, who worked aboard the Nisshin Maru mother ship, saw crew members helping themselves to prime cuts of whale meat and packing them into boxes they would mark with doodles or pseudonyms so they could identify them when the vessel reached port. "They never wrote their real names on the boxes," he said.
Some whalers would take home between five and 10 boxes, he said, while one secured as many as 40 boxes of prime meat that fetches ¥20,000 (about £148) a kilo when sold legally. One crew member built a house with the profits from illicitly sold whale meat, he said. "Another used the money he earned to buy a car," he said. "They were careful to select only the best cuts, like the meat near the tail fin. I never dared challenge them."
Kujira paints an unpleasant picture of life at sea, although he is reluctant to divulge details for fear of revealing his identity.
Newcomers are badly treated by more experienced whalers, fuelled by a machismo culture that is disappearing from other parts of the fishing industry. "The treatment of junior crew has improved a lot elsewhere over the last 40 years," he said. "But the industry seems to be trapped in time."
He contradicted Japan's claims that the industry, which reportedly required government subsidies of almost $12m in 2008-09, is highly efficient. The fleet would sometimes catch more whales than necessary, he said, strip them of their most expensive parts and throw what was left overboard.
"I didn't think of the embezzlement at first. I just couldn't stand the waste. A lot of meat was being thrown away because we kept catching whales even after we'd reached our daily quota. I decided I had to tell someone what was happening."
Oddly, perhaps, for someone with his professional background, he sought help from Greenpeace. In 2008, the organisation launched a secret investigation into embezzlement by the crew of the Nisshin Maru, during which two activists, Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, intercepted a box containing 23kg of whale meat – worth about ¥350,000 – at a warehouse in Japan that they later presented as evidence.
After initially agreeing to act on their claims, prosecutors dropped the case and instead, Sato and Suzuki were arrested and charged with theft and trespassing.
Last week, prosecutors demanded an 18-month prison sentence for the "Tokyo Two", who were held without charge for 23 days and interrogated while strapped to chairs without their lawyers present. A ruling is expected in the next few months.
Kujira's allegations come as the International Whaling Commission [IWC] prepares to meet next week in Morocco to discuss a proposal that could end the moratorium on commercial whaling in return for whaling nations agreeing to smaller quotas. In the run up to the meeting, Japan has reverted to its preferred tactic of using aid to sway small islands and even landlocked nations to vote with it in the 88-member body.
Under the IWC moratorium, Japan is permitted to catch just under 1,000 whales – mainly minke – in the name of scientific research. Meat from the cull is sold on the open market and the profits used to fund future whaling expeditions.
Japan denies allegations of vote-buying, but has acknowledged that it invests heavily in the fishing industries of some IWC allies, and pays the expenses of delegates from poorer countries.
Kujira says Greenpeace's investigation has forced whaling crews to change their ways. "I heard from my sources that the theft of whale meat has stopped because of the media attention. But dozens of younger crewmen have left the fleet because they can no longer steal whale meat. They only joined the fleet because they knew they could make lots of money at the end of each trip. It was the only perk of a very tough job. The older whalers are just hanging on for their pensions."
The Institute of Cetacean Research has insisted that crew members take home only small quantities of whale meat as a reward for spending months working in some of the world's most inhospitable waters.
Kujira is trying to generate interest among Japan's media, which are reluctant to criticise the country's research culls while it defends itself against mounting international criticism of the annual slaughter.
Although he no longer works for the fleet, Kujira adds that he will continue to campaign behind the scenes, at great risk to his own safety, until the Japanese public learn the truth about the industry: "I dread to think what the other whalers would do to me if they knew who I was. They could do anything they wanted to me. I would be living in fear of my life."
A whale tale
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is bitterly divided over Japan's research whaling programme.
The country slaughters about 950 mainly minke whales every year in the name of scientific research, but critics say the culls are commercial whaling in disguise, since the meat is sold on the open market.
Under a proposal submitted by IWC chairman Cristian Maquieira, Japan would be permitted to resume commercial whaling for 10 years, but would have to adhere to strict quotas "significantly lower" than current ones.
One estimate says the move could spare more than 5,000 whales over the next decade. Two other whaling nations, Iceland and Norway, would also be able to take part in the experiment. The three nations have killed 35,000 whales since the IWC ban went into effect in 1986.
They would have to agree to other conditions, such as the presence of observers on ships, DNA registers of slaughtered whales and market sampling to detect illegal whaling.
Campaigners fear the proposal could lead to a return to large-scale commercial whaling and say the IWC should be forcing whaling nations to end the culls altogether.
There are large numbers of minke whales in the north Atlantic and western north Pacific, but the proposal would also permit limited catches of fin and sei whales, both listed as endangered.
The move is under discussion and would require the support by 75% of the IWC's 88 members to pass. Despite allegations of vote buying, Japan is currently some way short of acquiring the votes it needs.
Allegations: The Yushin Maru ship captures a whale. Japan has been accused of bribing small countries with cash and prostitutes to help end the ban on whaling
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Whale population in Indonesia decreases
Sperm whale faeces offset CO2 emissions
Sperm whales may put a gentle (and unwitting) brake on climate change
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sperm whale faeces offset CO2 emissions
Sperm whales may put a gentle (and unwitting) brake on climate change
In a somewhat unusual research project, scientists have found that sperm whale faeces may help oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the air.
Australian researchers calculate that Southern Ocean sperm whales release about 50 tonnes of iron each year.
This stimulates the growth of tiny marine plants - phytoplankton - which absorb CO2 during photosynthesis.
They note in the Royal Society journal Proceedings B that in the end, this also provides more food for the whales.
Phytoplankton are the basis of the marine food web in this part of the world, and the growth of these tiny plants is limited by the amount of nutrients available, including iron.
Faecal attraction
Over the last decade or so, many groups of scientists have experimented with putting iron into the oceans deliberately as a "fix" for climate change.
Not all of these experiments have proved successful; the biggest, the German Lohafex expedition, put six tonnes of iron into the Southern Ocean in 2008, but saw no sustained increase in carbon uptake.
But the Australian group calculates the natural fertilisation by the 12,000 or so sperm whales estimated to inhabit the Southern Ocean result in the absorption of about 40,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year - more than twice as much as they release by breathing.
The Lohafex expedition was the latest to probe iron fertilisation
Although 40,000 tonnes of carbon is less than one-thousandth of the annual emissions from burning fossil fuels, the researchers note that the global total could be more substantial.
There are estimated to be several hundred thousand sperm whales in the oceans, though they are notoriously difficult to count; and lack of iron limits phytoplankton growth in many regions besides the Southern Ocean.
So it could be that whale faeces are fertilising plants in several parts of the world.
Crucial to the idea is that sperm whales are not eating and defecating in the same place - if they were, they could be just abrosbing and releasing the same amounts of iron.
Instead, they eat their diet - mainly squid - in the deep ocean, and defectate in the upper waters where phytoplankton can grow, having access to sunlight.
Releasing the iron here is ultimately good for the whales as well, say the researchers - led by Trish Lavery from Flinders University in Adelaide.
Phytoplankton are eaten by tiny marine animals - zooplankton - which in turn are consumed by larger creatures that the whales might then eat.
The scientists suggest a similar mechanism could underpin the "krill paradox" - the finding that the abundance of krill in Antarctic waters apparently diminished during the era when baleen whales that eat krill were being hunted to the tune of tens of thousands per year.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Japan 'gave cash and call girls to rig whaling vote' in bid to end 24-year ban
Allegations: The Yushin Maru ship captures a whale. Japan has been accused of bribing small countries with cash and prostitutes to help end the ban on whaling
Japan has been accused of bribing small countries with cash and prostitutes to help end the ban on whaling.
Poor nations have 'sold' their votes on the International Whaling Commission to Japan in return for millions of pounds of aid, free travel, bribes and the services of call girls for ministers, it is claimed.
The IWC will vote later this month on ending a ban on commercial whaling that has been in place for 24 years.
Backing from several small nations – including Caribbean and Pacific islands and impoverished African states – could lift the moratorium and allow the hunting of thousands of whales, including the endangered fin and sei species.
Yesterday the British Government and environmental campaigners demanded that the IWC investigates.
Many of the tiny nations – who have a vote equal in weight to countries such as Britain and France – have no interest in whaling but joined the IWC at Japan's behest because it offered huge aid payments, it is claimed.
During an undercover investigation, a senior fisheries official from Guinea said Japan gave its minister a minimum of $1,000 (£680) a day spending money during IWC meetings, with the cash handed over in envelopes.
The average annual wage in Guinea is £680. Tanzania's IWC commissioner said 'good girls' were available for ministers during all-expenses paid trips to Japan.
He said he always turned down 'massages and comfort', but said Japan had given his country £80million in fisheries aid in the past two years.
An official from the Marshall Islands, a nation in Micronesia in the Pacific, said: 'We support Japan because of what they give us.'
The claims, which Japan denies, raise serious questions about the IWC's credibility, and there were swift calls for an investigation.
Britain's minister for the marine environment, Richard Benyon, said: 'These are serious allegations and I'm sure the IWC will wish to look at them more closely.'
Dr Nicky Grandy, secretary to the commission, said: 'We have no comment to make because this has not yet been raised with member governments. I do not know if it will be.'
Related Articles:
Whale population in Indonesia decreases
The Whale Whisperer: Astonishing bond between diver and Scar the giant sperm whale
Friday, May 28, 2010
Australia to mount legal bid against Japan whaling
BBC News, 28 May 2010 6:38 UK
Japan says its whale hunt is legal under the international convention
Australia has said it will begin legal action against Japan over its whaling in the Antarctic Southern Ocean.
The Australian government says it will lodge formal proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague next week.
Japan says its annual whale hunt is for scientific research.
But critics say this is a cover for commercial whaling which is subject to an international ban.
The Australian move comes ahead of a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Morocco next month, where agreement is being sought on a new approach to whaling, which would allow commercial hunting but with strict quotas.
Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett and Attorney-General Robert McClelland said in a joint statement that the move underlines their "commitment to bring to an end Japan's program of so-called scientific whaling".
'Disappointing'
There has been a moratorium on commercial whaling for 25 years, but a Japanese whaling fleet heads to the Southern Ocean each southern summer to harpoon hundreds of whales as part of what it calls lethal research, which is allowed.
Australia had tried to negotiate an end to these forays and had given Japan until November to stop this form of whaling. It then brought forward its plans to take the matter to court.
Conservationists have broadly welcomed the legal action, praising the government of Prime Minster Kevin Rudd for standing up to Japan.
But the BBC's Sydney correspondent Nick Bryant says that the Australian Greens have said it is essentially a political move from a prime minister who has been slipping in the polls to make good on a election promise made three years ago.
Japan is Australia's second biggest trading partner, and Canberra says it hopes the move will not damage their friendly relations.
The Japanese fisheries ministry has described the legal action as "very disappointing".
"We will continue to explain that the scientific whaling that we are conducting is lawful in accordance with Article 8 of the international convention for the regulation of whaling," said the ministry's deputy press secretary Hidenobu Sobashima.
Mr Sobashima said the issue "shouldn't jeopardise the overall good relations between Japan and Australia".
The Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the two countries have agreed to treat the matter as "an independent legal arbitration of a disagreement between friends".
THE LEGALITIES OF WHALING
- Objection - A country formally objects to the IWC moratorium, declaring itself exempt. Example: Norway
- Scientific - A nation issues unilateral 'scientific permits'; any IWC member can do this. Example: Japan
- Aboriginal - IWC grants permits to indigenous groups for subsistence food. Example: Alaskan Inupiat
- Culture clash over Japan whalingWhales - 'resource' or 'right'?
Monday, May 24, 2010
Porpoises in southern Dutch delta
Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 24 May 2010 - 11:01am
Porpoises have established themselves in the waters of the Oosterschelde delta area in the southern province of Zeeland.
The Dutch Dorsal Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature held a count of the animals in the Oosterschelde on Saturday. Porpoises normally live in the open sea and the organisations say it is unique to find them established in the partially enclosed waterway.
Nine ships sailing slowly from west to east were able to sight 15 porpoises on Saturday. In September, a total of 37 including five calves were spotted. The scientists say this does not necessarily mean the population has decreased as September’s weather conditions made the animals easier to see.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Whale population in Indonesia decreases
English.news.cn 2010-05-03 13:24:26
JAKARTA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Whale population in the waters of Indonesia's Lamalera has been decreasing in the last three years, supposedly caused by the mammal's movement, Kompas daily quoted residents as saying on Monday.
Traditional fishermen in Lamalera of East Nusa Tenggara province's Lembata regency, said that the decrease resulted in declining whale capture.
According to Martinus Hulu, a tribeman of Lelaona in Lamalera, whales captured in 2007 were about 30, decreasing to 20s in 2008 and two in 2009.
"So far this year we only had captured two in March," said Martinus on Sunday.
Katarina Beto Key, another resident of Lamalera, said the decreasing capture was a concern as people rely on the whale capture to support their economic needs.
People usually capture spermwhale or Physeter macrocephalus.
The Representative of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Lembata regency, Februanti, said that she was not sure about the cause.
"We need a deeper analysis. However, it might be caused by natural factor or whale movement," she said.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tokelau declares whale sanctuary in South Pacific
The tiny New Zealand territory of Tokelau has declared a whaling sanctuary in its waters.
The new 290,000 sq km (112,000 sq mile) sanctuary brings the number in the South Pacific region to 11.
Tokelau's leader, Foua Toloa, said South Pacific countries had a "common responsibility" to protect its whales.
The sanctuary will have no immediate impact on whaling, but conservationists say it will strengthen the 1986 worldwide moratorium on whale hunting.
"Tokelau's decision to declare its exclusive economic zone a sanctuary for whales is based on our firm belief that we share a common responsibility in the Pacific for the protection of these species," Mr Toloa told a meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium in New Zealand.
"Whales don't recognise national boundaries and Tokelau would be remiss if we failed to support our Pacific island neighbours in the quest to help recovery of the whales in our region."
Scott Baker, a US member of the consortium, said the establishment of the sanctuary sent "a very strong messages to the global community and particularly to the whaling nations that they are in a minority".
Commercial whaling has been frozen by an international moratorium since 1986, but some 3,000 whales are killed every year by Norway, Japan and Iceland under loopholes in the legislation.
Japan kills several hundred whales each year for what is termed scientific research. Most of its hunting takes place in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary in the Antarctic.
Tokelau's territory is just 12 sq km (4.7 sq miles) and lies halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
It has a population of 1,500 and has been administered from Wellington since 1926.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Indonesian Greenpeace Calls For Fair Trial For Whaling Activists in Japan
Jakarta Globe, February 08, 2010
A small group of Greenpeace activists have held a protest outside the Japanese Embassy in the Indonesian capital to call for a fair trial for two fellow activists.
Greenpeace campaigner Hikmat Soeriatanuwijaya says the activists were arrested in 2008 in connection with their efforts to uncover alleged corruption in Japan’s whaling program. Their trial is scheduled to begin next week in Japan.
Japanese police arrested the two on suspicion of stealing whale meat the environmentalists said had been illegally siphoned by whalers from government-backed hunts.
Soeriatanuwijaya said Monday that the arrested activists did nothing wrong and called on Japan to give them a fair trial.
AP
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Whale Whisperer: Astonishing bond between diver and Scar the giant sperm whale
Peering solemnly nose-to-nose at each other, this is the Whale Whisperer and his friend - Scar the 10-year-old giant of the sea.
These spectacular images show Andrew Armour bonding with the colossal sperm whale in the warm Caribbean waters off the island of Dominica.
Taken on the weekend, the photographs offer stunning insight into the lives of other pod members travelling with Scar.
Friends: Andrew Armour and Scar the sperm whale consider one another solemnly as they swim in the waters off Dominica last weekend
In one picture a large group of 'socialising' whales come together - giving the impression they are meeting up for a chat.
And in another they arrive in a perfectly formed procession - almost like they are part of an underwater military march.
The jaw-dropping series of images show how a decade spent befriending the gentle giant allows Andrew, 45, to stroke and gracefully swim alongside the 32-foot mammal.
Whale watch operator Andrew, from Dominica, said: 'Our bond began in 2000 when my wife Rhona found him injured out at sea when he was just a calf. We think he might have been attacked by pilot whales but we are not sure.
'His head and dorsal fin were injured and he came to our boat, perhaps seeking some comfort. The most we could do was pet him and his injuries left him with some scarring.
That feels nice: Scar's eyes are closed as Andrew swims alongside him petting him
'From then on he and another young female would approach us whenever they saw our boat. We could even call him over.
'Now he recognises me when I am swimming. I feel like he even knows my voice. I can get very close with him because we trust each other. I even clean lice off him and he lets me do it.
'Other whales in the area don't tend to stay in the same place when humans are around but Scar seeks interaction and seems to enjoy being petted.'
More than a decade later, Andrew is now able to invite other snorkellers and divers along to share in the incredible experience.
Last week he took underwater photographers Eric Cheng, 34, from San Francisco, California, and Tony Wu, 42, from Tokyo, Japan, to witness his amazing encounters with Scar and other sperm whales in his pod.
It meant observers Eric and Tony were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with the huge animal themselves.
Social functions: Other sperm whales in the pod with patches of dead skin flaking off them. Sperm whales often exfoliate by rubbing against one another
'When Tony and I first encountered Scar we had to continuously move out of the way to prevent the large whale from rubbing up against us,' said Eric.
'Soon enough, we overcame the worry that is natural when confronting one of the world's largest carnivores in its native environment.
'We stroked and scratched Scar, who twitched and rolled over repeatedly in what appeared to be enjoyment.
'It's dangerous to anthropomorphise animals - even intelligent ones - but it was absolutely clear in this case that Scar wanted the interaction.'
Anthropomorphism is the human habit of likening animal behaviour to human behaviour.
Eric continued: 'Scar can be now be approached by humans, but it is important to remember his still a wild animal and needs to be treated with respect.'
Just hanging out: Four of the whales suspend themselves upside down in the water
Captivated Tony and Eric spent three days photographing Scar and other members of the pod under the watch of experienced Andrew.
'Each day, the number of whales in the group varied,' said Eric.
'The most we have seen at one time is 13. The pods are made up of adult females, their calves, and male and female juveniles.
'When sperm whales socialise, they often come together head first. Every whale seems to be in physical contact with every other whale, and in addition to the psychological bonding contact may reinforce, their constant rubbing is also a handy way for them to remove dead skin.
'The area around each social group was filled with sheets of dead sperm whale skin, which resembles black plastic bags.
'Also striking was the repeated sonar clicks the whales used to communicate. During social encounters, the sound of rhythmic clicking was overwhelming. It felt like our bodies were shaking.'
Dominica is a small, volcanic island in the southern Caribbean and is less than two hours by plane from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Sperm whales live in the waters around the island all year round.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What are you doing here? Amazing underwater photos show beluga whales meeting divers at Arctic rehabilitation farm
MailOnline, by LIZZIE SMITH, 6:02 PM on 18th January 2010
It's like no fish this beluga whale has ever seen before.
Deep in the Arctic ocean, daylight obscured by layers of ice and snow, the majestic animal has just come face to face with a scuba diver.
In the midst of the freezing waters of northern Russia's White Sea, the belugas seem fascinated by the humans - and vice-versa.
The encounter is taking place at a special whale sanctuary designed and built by marine biologists from St Petersburg University.
Up close: A beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, eyes a diver a few feet away as it swims under ice at the Arctic circle Dive Center in the White Sea, Karelia, northern Russia
The 'natural farm' acts as a nursery for breeding whales, as well as acting as a rehabilitation centre for former performing animals before they are set into the wild.
The natural bay under the ice means that the whales are protected from the strong currents of the wider ocean and left to breed in peace, while also leaving them free to roam as they wish.
These wild whales are not endangered, but are considered to be threatened by pollution and loss of habitat.
Occasionally, guests at the local Arctic Circle Dive Centre can swim with the friendly giants, and get close enough to touch.
Arctic diver and photographer, Franco Banfi, 58, who captured these shots said: 'When a whale comes up to us and swims by, it looks you right in the eyes. Obviously we don't know what they think, but they are very curious creatures.
Close encounter: A scuba diver braves temperatures of -10C to approach the whale
'Sometimes, I'm sure they're trying to figure out what we are and where we came from.
'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page.'
But while the beluga, or white whale, is built for these harsh surroundings, the diving team face extremely tough conditions to get close to the gentle creatures.
Before each dive the team have to create holes in the three-foot-deep ice using a hand saw, just to get through to the sea below.
Once they're in they have to swim around in heavy layers of clothes to keep alive in the -10C waters.
Open wide: The whale tries to eat the camera, unsure of what it is
And it's definitely a case of choosing the short straw for one volunteer who gets to stay above ground in -30C winds, making sure the ice hole doesn't freeze over and trap the group.
'Photographing a story in very cold water can turn into a logistical nightmare,' admits Franco.
'But, if we are well trained, the underwater part of things is not really as harsh as you might think.'
'When we come out on land, temperatures can get down to -10C or -20C and things will instantly freeze, so we can barely move.
'Cold itself will not hurt the equipment, but it may slow down some of its functions as well as our own.
Safe: The animals in the natural farm are a mix of wild animals and former performing animals, who are allowed to rehabilitate in the safe environment before being released into the ocean
'Because of the ice-layer and snow cover, there is not sufficient light to shoot with ambient light and batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather.'
Franco added that he was keen to show the beauty of the undersea world to those who can't face the icy deep themselves.
'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page,' he said.
'I want to see these amazing animals in a way that only a few people have seen and I want to share it with others.'
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