[CINC] Grey whale in Marina del Rey, 2 articles

[Staci Kaye-Carr]

Grey whale in Marina del Rey

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/06/wayward-gray-whale-takes-a-breather-in-marina-del-rey-channel.html
June 8th 2009

Marina del Rey boaters are being asked to be extra careful while a  
wayward California gray whale on its way to northern waters takes a  
breather in the area.  Our colleague Ruben Vives has the details:

The whale, estimated to be more than 20 feet long, has been swimming  
and diving in the channel for almost a week now, said Peter  
Wallerstein, a spokesman for Marine Animal Rescue.

“It’s looking healthy, it’s swimming and diving,” he said.

Although the whale has made its way into the open sea in recent days,  
it keeps returning to the channel, Wallerstein said.

California gray whales migrate from the warm waters of Baja California  
(where they breed and give birth) to the cooler climes of Alaska every  
year between February and May.  "This one is probably a straggler,"  
Wallerstein said of the Marina's current visitor.

Wallerstein and a group of Marine Animal Rescue volunteers plan to  
track the whale as long as it remains in the channel to make sure it  
remains in good health.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/06/wildlife-officials-warn-boaters-against-getting-too-close-to-marina-del-rey-gray-whale.html

Wildlife officials warn boaters against getting too close to Marina  
del Rey gray whale
10:06 PM, June 9, 2009

A gray whale has been seen swimming in the Marina del Rey channel The  
gray whale that's taken up residence in the Marina del Rey channel has  
inspired curious onlookers to get up close and personal -- a little  
too close for wildlife officials' comfort.  Our colleague the L.A. Now  
blog explains:

It is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to get within  
100 yards of a large animal such as the 20-foot gray whale, said Joe  
Cardaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Marine Fisheries  
Service.

Infractions can be punished with a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in  
prison.

“Some people have been getting too close,” said Peter Wallerstein,  
founder of Marine Animal Rescue, which has been monitoring the whale.  
“If people want to see it, they should enjoy it from the shoreline.  
You can get a better view from the rocks.”

Wallerstein suspects the whale is a "straggler" on its way -- albeit  
slowly -- from the warm waters of Baja California to Alaska.  Most  
California gray whales make this trip between February and May, but  
who can blame it for wanting to spend a little quality time in the  
beautiful marina?

Wallerstein told L.A. Now that his group is monitoring the whale to  
ensure it it's in good health, which thus far it appears to be.  For  
the present, there are no plans to try to lure it back to the open sea.