Puffin Report 061708

Captain's Blog

June 17^th : Yesterday on the water was proof that you never know exactly what you're going to see out on one of our tours. Along with seeing some of the Orcas and Humpback Whales that will be here through the summer, several of our boats were lucky enough to see some Gray Whales. If you look in your wildlife book they will probably tell you that these 40-45 foot creatures should be well on their way to California by now, but lucky for us, the Whales didn't get around to reading that book; they were too occupied feeding on the nutrient rich waters near Cape Resurrection and making a lot of lucky passengers very happy.

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Whales in the news

Cetacean Serenade? A recent study by an Australian research group suggests that the songs sung by male Humpbacks - previously thought to be intended to ward of other males -- are actually intended to woo potential female mates. Besides providing us all with an opportunity to think of potential titles for these ballads - Swim By Me? - and stage names for these under water crooners - Whalen Jennings? -the new research highlights how much we still have to learn about these remarkable animals, and how important it is to continue to keep them safe.  Full story

Humpback Comeback: A recent study on the population of Humpback whales has determined that this species of playful and majestic giants­ - that was once pushed to only 1,400 animals due to commercial whaling - has made a substantial comeback and has climbed to a much healthier population of over 20,000. Continued government protection, public and private sector conservation initiatives - such as the TOUR GREEN carbon offset program that Kenai Fjords Tours is a part of­ - and continued diligence from all of us to keep the seas clean will ensure that these numbers stay high and that we can all enjoy these animals for a long time to come both on and off of our tour boats.  Full story

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This Day in Whale History

June 17^th 1982: The ROBSON BIGHT wildlife preserve was established along the North East coast of Vancouver Island. This has become a safe haven for a variety of marine species, including Orca Whales, some of whom are also guests in Kenai Fjords during the summer. This is one of many national marine preserves, both in the United States and abroad, that have contributed to the increased health of the types of beautiful wildlife that we are lucky enough to see every day up here.

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Getting to know Kenai Fjords Tours Employees and Kenai Fjords Wildlife

Every summer thousands of people from across the world travel thousands of miles to get to Seward, Alaska to visit beautiful Kenai Fjords National park. But people traveling on vacation are hardly the only ones migrating to and from the area. Here's a look at some of the people that come up here to work for Kenai Fjords tours, as well as some of the wildlife that comes up here to enjoy the Alaskan summer.

	Kenai Fjords Tours Employee	Kenai Fjords Wildlife
Full Name	Daniel Pierce Paul	Phocoenoides dalli
Name they go by	Dan	Dall's Porpoise
Interesting fact about their name	My original family name was "Polivinchek."	I'm named after famous naturalist, W.H. Dall.
Where are you from?	New York City, by way of Chicago.	As far east as Japan, and as far south as California.
What brought you here?	I wanted to see the midnight sun, and I really like that song by The Velvet Underground that talks about Alaska.	The water here is full of fish. I like fish.
What's your favorite food up here?	Halibut Burritos	Herring and other fish.
What is your favorite thing to do in Alaska?	River Rafting	Riding the bow wakes of passing boats.
What is your favorite part of the park?	Aialik Glacier	Resurrection Bay, near Rugged Island.
What is something we wouldn't guess about you?	I have been to 18 different baseball stadiums.	I'm the second fastest marine mammal, second only to the Orca, and I can go as fast as 35 MPH

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