Whale watchers have been asking why whales breach for as long as people have been watching whales. Theories have ranged from the whales dislodging ectoparasites to showing off to other whales or simply having fun.

This is why I find joy in travelling with individuals like Cartwright. Her latest research provides an excellent explanation as to why whales, especially youngsters, breach so often (Listen to Cartwright explain her latest theory in the CBC radio segment below)

When we stopped for a day in the small town of Sitka, Alaska, we joined another small boat tour, hoping to get close enough to some sea otters to observe them. They are generally considered ‘abundant’ in the waters around Sitka, and within the first 30 minutes of leaving the harbour, we found a group of 22 adults with at least 15 pups. 

They were rafting in a thick kelp bed, floating like corks. Moms had their babies safely resting on their bellies as they floated belly-side up. It looked like a social kindergarten-care group! We saw lots of face rubbing and grooming of their babies.

We stayed a fair distance away, as our guides didn’t want to spook them, but we were close enough to see them well with binoculars. 

Sea otters are considered keystone species. Without them, there is no predation on sea urchins, which eat the giant kelp, so this important plant species vanishes. Ultimately, fisheries decline. Because the otters were ruthlessly hunted to near extinction in the past, their return is very exciting, both from an ecological and aesthetic perspective.

Now, the estimated population is 150,000 in Alaska, 2,000 in California, and 2,500 in Canada, and increasing by 17 per cent a year!