Puffin Report 062608
Captain's Blog - June 26th
What's happening in Kenai Fjords National Park?
Sea Lion Survey
A team from the National Marine Fisheries Service will be in Seward over the next three weeks monitoring the populations of Stellar Sea Lions that live in Kenai Fjords National Park. These researchers will be looking into behavioral and ecological patterns that might be helpful in figuring out how best to protect these playful endangered species. If you're not a part of Lowell Fritz's research team, don't fret; you can still get out and see the Sea Lions, including the new litter of pups that are still under a month old. Just come out on any one of our tours. Whether it's out at the Chiswell Islands on our National Park Glacier Tours, or on the cliffs of Resurrection Bay Wildlife Tour on a shorter tour, research on the positive effects of Sea Lions on our guests' spirits is being conducted every day. Come join in!
What's happening in Seward?
The Seward Halibut Tournament is entering its last week. The current leading fish is a 319 pounder; think you can beat it? While certainly an impressive haul, it's nothing next to the anglers that we get to watch every day on our wildlife cruises. Humpback Whales can eat as much as 2000 pounds of fish per day, and their baleen makes for a wider, stronger net than anything you could bring aboard a ship. Thankfully for the tournament competitors, Humpbacks don't eat large fish, focusing on, plankton instead, so they are disqualified from the event. But if you want to see a different type of fishing, or if you want to take it easy after a hard day of trying to catch the winning fish, come out on one of our boat tours and see the kinds of experiences we've been reeling in every day.
| | Kenai Fjords Tours Employee | Kenai Fjords
Wildlife |
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Full Name
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Kory Paul Piorkowski
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Eumetopias jubatus
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Name they go by
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Korky
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Steller Sea Lions
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Interesting fact about their name
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I was named after Three Dog Night singer, Cory Wells.
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I'm named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a famous German Naturalist who spent extensive time in Alaska. |
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Where are you from?
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I was born in Tucson, Arizona, and grew up in Madison, Ohio.
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I can be found as far south as California, as far west as Russia, and throughout Southern Alaska.
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What brought you here?
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I came for the mountains, the chance for adventure, and the opportunity to wear my risky business sunglasses 24 hours a day.
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The rocky islands and cliffs on Kenai Fjords make great pullout points when we're resting, and the waters are rich with food.
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What's your favorite food up here?
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Deep fried Halibut
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Herring and Pollock.
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What is your favorite thing to do in Alaska?
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Climb the mountains (especially Mt. Marathon) and slide back down.
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Spend the day in the sun, relaxing on the cliffs and rocks in large groups after a long night of hunting. |
| What is your favorite part of the park? |
Holgate Glacier
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Grotto Island.
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What is something we wouldn't guess about you?
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My favorite singer is Frank Sinatra.
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In the 19th century my whiskers were sold for a penny a piece as pipe cleaners. |
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