Humphrey in Bay, Taking Things Easy

Humphrey, the wayward and sometimes playful whale, led scientists and other rescue personnel on a merry chase in San Francisco Bay today, no longer responsive to taped whale sounds that had piqued his curiosity.

“He’s rolling around in circles near the Richmond Bridge and apparently is not responding to our tapes,” said Hal Alabaster of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We’ll just have to keep on trying and hope he responds.”

The tapes, emitting sounds of whales, were played for Humphrey for the first time Sunday and the response was a dash of more than 50 miles down the Sacramento River to within three miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Changed Direction

But as nightfall engulfed the Bay Area, Humphrey, who took the wrong turn into the bay on Oct. 11 and wandered upstream into the Sacramento Delta near Sacramento, stopped progress toward the sea and turned in a northeasterly direction, which took him beyond the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

“That’s where he is now,” Alabaster said. “I’d estimate he’s eight to nine miles from the ocean. Still, we are delighted because he’s now in salt water and in no danger of hurting himself.”

Alabaster said that if Humphrey continues to ignore the taped whale sounds, which are played in a transponder trailing in the water from behind a boat, “we’ll have to think of something else.”

Abundance of Boats

San Francisco Bay, one of the world’s busiest port areas, bristled with boats involved in the Humphrey chase and watch. The Navy alone had almost 20 patrol boats in the water. Their primary job is to block Humphrey from going back upstream, where he stayed in the warm and salt-free waters of the Sacramento River and delta for more than three weeks while officials feared for his life.