Whales Clock In : Watch Is On as Baja-Bound California Grays Pass in Review

The southern migration of the majestic California gray whale, believed to be the longest annual trek of any marine mammal, is under way along the coast of Southern California, and marine observers are promising a bountiful whale-watching season.

Operators of whale-watch charters say sightings have been at least as numerous as in previous years and can be expected to increase as the migration progresses.

Spouts and thrashing flukes often can be seen from many vantage points on shore, such as the bluffs at Dana Point and cliffs in parts of Laguna Beach.

State Department of Fish and Game marine biologist John Scholl said Monday that the huge mammals seem to use ocean floor contours as well as certain landmarks ashore to navigate, and that may account for their approach sometimes to within 400 yards of the beaches.

Closer encounters can be had from several sportfishing vessels that make trips every day out of Newport and Dana Point harbors.

An estimated 13,000 of the marine giants, up to 50 feet long and weighing up to 45 tons, are moving southward in small groups --known as pods--making their way from their summer feeding grounds in the cold Bering Sea to the warm coves and lagoons along the Baja California coast.

It is a 6,000-mile journey one way, and it will start all over again in the other direction in March, said Scholl.

Calving in Mexican Lagoons

During the summer, he said, whales feed on huge quantities of small crustaceans and shrimp called krill, scooping them off the bottom and sifting them through their baleen--sheets of a horny material attached to the upper jaw in place of teeth. Much of the whales’ breeding takes place in the Bering Sea also.

The warm Mexican lagoons offer warm, calm waters, Scholl said, and it is there that most of the calves are born, generally weighing about 1,000 pounds and measuring about 18 feet in length.

The gray whale population is believed to have been about 30,000 in the mid-19th Century but had been whittled to less than 6,000 by 1961, largely due to commercial whaling activities, Scholl said. More recently, under protection of international laws that are observed by most countries, their numbers have been increasing.

Whale-watching trips are being conducted daily until March out of Dana Wharf Sportfishing docks, with departures at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. In Newport Harbor, there are cruises every day at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. from Davey’s Locker, and on weekends and holidays from Newport Landing sportfishing docks. Daily trips will start at Newport Landing in February, spokesman Scott Francis said, adding that “there are plenty of whales out there now, but not too many passengers, probably because of the weather.”

Beginning Feb. 16, the annual Festival of the Whales will be held at the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point Harbor for four weekends, featuring cruises, demonstrations and educational programs.