Whale in action

[fluffysquid]

...you could briefly see the distinctive long narrow jaw. The flippers also I've noticed tend to be a good giveaway. They're so cute and stubby-looking, whereas the flukes are quite a bit broader than one would expect for a cetacean that size.

 

[TPOTH]

The whale definitely seems interested.

Now here's something that should be looked at... is it possible that the structures we're plonking on the seabed act as F.A.D. (Fish Attraction Devices) or artificial reefs. Upon typing this, i'm thinking "duh! of course they do!" but i wonder if any scientist has looked at the positive effects of those things in the deep sea... from hard substrate for sessile organisms to de facto protection from bottom trawling (i doubt the big companies who put those things on the seabed would be very happy if it all gets crushed by steel rollers). Man, that would be a wonderful project! I believe there is a enormous amount of video footage used for inspection only but that could be requested for a study like that. Besides i'm sure the owners of underwater structures would relish the eco-friendly tag such work is likely to yield... Been having the same thoughts about marinas and their role as nursery grounds for coastal species... I'll be quiet now, might hurt myself thinking too much...

TPTH

 

[Clem]

WOW.

I'd love to know just how that whale could so precisely judge when it needed to pull out of the dive: looks like it's got a scant few feet between itself and the mud. Wonder if it was visual cues or echolocatory ones that it was keying on.

They ought to stick hydrophones and simple sonar receivers on those rigs...might pick up a squidstunning pulse or two. (Wonder what that would sound/feel like.)

TPOTH, those are interesting thoughts about deep-sea structures as F.A.Ds.

Cheers,
Clem