NOTES / PETE THOMAS : Channel Islands Offering a Rare Whale of a View

For Captain Fred Benko and those aboard the 88-foot Condor, the Fourth of July weekend began with a bang, and the spectacular show--cetacean style--shows no signs of letting up.

“It’s been like a fireworks display,” Benko said. “There was one after another blue whale spout on the horizon, backlit against the setting sun.”

Benko, who runs out of Santa Barbara’s SeaLanding, was referring to a two-day fishing trip to the Channel Islands that began last Friday. Dozens of blue whales, along with humpbacks, treated his passengers to a show of a lifetime, breaching and spy-hopping within a short cast of his boat.

Their appearance in the Santa Barbara Channel is no fluke. The whales paid a long-term visit in 1992 and again last year to feed on abundance of krill--tiny, shrimp-like creatures--that had taken up residence in the channel.

Since the krill are back in force, so are the whales, and it seems likely they will stick around a while. SeaLanding is the closest port from which to reach the whales--a few hours’ ride--so Benko has begun running regular whale-watching trips to view the majestic blues--the largest creature known to man--and humpbacks, as well as the dolphins and porpoises that, Benko says, have turned the channel into a “watery wonderland.”

Reached Monday on his boat, Benko said via cellular phone that he had several humpback whales performing around his boat and that he had just left behind a huge pod of dolphins.

He had only 12 passengers, he said, because people are not yet aware of the whales’ presence in the channel.

One of his passengers was Robert Brunig, director of Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

“I came out with my daughter and a couple of her friends, and they’re all smiles,” Brunig said. “It’s really a shame that more people aren’t aware of or taking advantage of this unique opportunity.”

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More women are becoming involved in outdoor activities these days, and as long as you refer to them as women--and not ladies--you’ll get along with them fine. Maybe.

“Call her a hunter, a shooter or an outdoorswoman, but don’t call her a ‘lady.’ Especially in Texas,” warned a news release from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

According to the NSSF, a woman in Texas, while addressing a group involved in a “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” program, referred to the participants as ladies.

“They had been enjoying the presentation until she dared to call them ladies,” said Christine Thomas, director of the program. “Suddenly the formerly enthusiastic audience started groaning, booing and hissing at her.”

According to Ann Ballard of the Houston-based national Women’s Shooting Sports Foundation, “The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has instructed their people not to use the term ladies--they must always use women instead.”

Odd, then that the WSSF uses the title “Ladies Charity Classic” for its popular national series of women’s shooting events.

Added Ballard: “I also think it’s a bit odd that we refer to a woman as the ‘chairman’ of the Ladies’ Charity Classic Committee. But then I don’t like ‘chairperson’ or ‘chairwoman’--and I certainly wouldn’t want to be called the ‘chair’--that’s something you sit on.”

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is crediting a second consecutive year of heavy rains and years of wetland conservation efforts by public and private groups for a surprisingly sharp increase in breeding duck populations.

An annual survey of breeding grounds revealed an estimated 35.9 million ducks, an increase of more then 10% from 32.5 million last year. The overall count was the largest in 15 years.

Three species--canvasbacks (771,000), redheads (888,000) and gadwalls (2.8 million) reached all-time highs.

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Sign of the times: According to a survey by the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, people born before 1930 are apt to react nostalgically to natural scents such as the ocean, pine, hay or roses.

Backpacker Magazine, reporting the findings of the study, says that those born after 1930 are more apt to respond nostalgically to artificial odors such as airplane fuel, chlorine, mothballs, exhaust and mosquito spray.

Briefly

HUNTING--Rabbit season opened Saturday and runs through Jan. 28, 1996 for cottontail, brush, pygmy and snowshoe rabbits. (jackrabbit season is open year-round). Because of the abundant winter rains that improved habitat, prospects for all species are good. “Under such ideal conditions, rabbits are doing what they’re famous for--reproducing,” DFG biologist Sam Blankenship said. Legal shooting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. The limit is five animals per day in all but Lassen, Modoc, Shasta and Siskiyou counties, where the daily limit is 10.

FISHING--Catalina was the place to be over the weekend. The Toronado out of Long Beach Sportfishing on Friday started things off when its anglers bagged 52 white seabass to 40 pounds. The Freedom out of 22nd St. Landing in San Pedro got 45 on Saturday. The seabass bite seems to have petered out some since, but an abundance of barracuda is keeping anglers busy, both at the island and along the mainland.

Cabo San Lucas: Striped marlin and an occasional blue are the primary targets, but dorado and tuna are showing more every day. Fishing is still far from fantastic, however.

East Cape: An 187-pound yellowfin tuna was landed after a three-hour fight by three East Coast fishermen out of Palmas De Cortez. Besides tuna, marlin, sailfish and “tons of dorado” are keeping things exciting in the region.

La Paz: A 401-pound blue marlin highlighted the week. It was landed aboard a Mosquito Fleet boat. A larger marlin was reportedly lost after a 10-hour fight. Striped marlin, dorado, tuna and sailfish are all in the area.

Loreto: Dorado are the main attraction and with good reason: The fish are abundant just offshore and some are pushing 40 pounds.

MISCELLANY--The Pomona Gun Show and Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday at Fairplex, L.A. County Fairgrounds in Pomona. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and juniors 12-18; $4 for children 6-12 and free for kids under 6. . . . Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is offering a workshop entitled Sharks Near the Shore, exploring the natural history of local coastal sharks, Saturday from 1-4:30 p.m. Details: (310) 548-7563. . . . Barry Reynolds, author of Pike on a Fly, will give a fly-tying demonstration and slide show for the Downey Fly Fishers and interested public July 11 at 6 p.m. Details: (310) 425-7936.