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

[Staci Kaye-Carr]

In case you missed the original articles about the gray whale in  
Marina Del Rey, they follow the update.

Marina Whale Heading
Towards Malibu

Updated: Sunday, 21 Jun 2009, 5:40 PM PDT
Published : Sunday, 21 Jun 2009, 5:40 PM PDT
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Marina_Whale_Heading_Towards_Malibu_20090621#

Marina Del Rey (myFOXla.com) - The young grey whale that appeared  
ready to spend the summer in Marina Del Rey has departed for parts  
unknown, wildlife officials said Sunday.

A Los Angeles County Baywatch crew said the whale swam out of the  
channel and headed north past Venice and Santa Monica just before  
sunset Friday.

The Baywatch boat, and a second boat operated by marine biologist  
Peter Wallerstein, followed the cetacean northwest as it was  
accompanied by a pod of about 50 bottlenose dolphins.

"The whale was swimming at a quick, steady pace, and stayed 400 yards  
offshore," Wallerstein said today. "Officials lost track of the whale  
as it swam into deeper water."

The whale first appeared June 2 at the manmade harbor, just north of  
Los Angeles International Airport. Baywatch, Coast Guard volunteers  
and others have been monitoring the animal to shoo-away any mariners  
or swimmers who got too close to it.

The observers said the whale appeared to spend its time eating crabs  
and scratching its belly on the sandy bottom.

>
> 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.
>
>
>
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