Wayward Whale Watch In California

Biologists Are Using Whale Sounds To Lure 2 Humpbacks Out Of Sacramento River, But Tactic Isn't Working

(CBS/AP)  Biologists tried to lure two lost and injured whales back down a river toward the Pacific Ocean, 90 miles away, by playing the recorded songs of humpback whales Thursday — but it was not working.

It was the first direct attempt to send the mother and baby whale back to sea after they appeared in the deepwater Port of Sacramento on Sunday. They have since attracted thousands of curious onlookers.

Scientists said it could take weeks to get the whales back where they belong, where the Pacific's salty water and ample food will speed their recovery. Both were wounded during their inland detour, most likely by a ship's propeller.

Researchers began playing the sounds of humpback whales as the tide started going out at midmorning, but the whales swam away from the sound. Hours later, the whales had not left the scene.

A similar procedure worked in 1985 with a humpback nicknamed Humphrey, which swam in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for nearly a month before returning to the Pacific.

But biologists said this situation is more complicated because it involves a mother and calf that are much farther into the delta than Humphrey was. Scientists also said they do not know how the whales' injuries might affect their behavior.

"It's brand new territory. It's not like we're applying something we have a lot of experience with in the past," said Pieter Folkens, a biologist with the Alaska Whale Foundation who was part of the rescue effort. "We really can't have high expectations of a positive outcome. We're certainly doing our best."

The whales, first spotted Sunday in the lower Sacramento River, likely were on their northward migration from Mexico up the California coast when they were sidetracked, biologists said. Because they are at the end of their hibernation season, they have less blubber to rely on for fuel than they would later in the summer or fall.

The recordings being used are of Alaskan whales that might be part of a different population, making Thursday's efforts even more complicated, scientists said.

'It's kind of like speaking Chinese to somebody from Boston, but at least you recognize that it might be another member of the same species," Folkens said.

If the sound recordings are not enough, wildlife officials said they would try to use boats to herd the whales in the right direction, said Frances Gulland, director of veterinary science at the Marine Mammal Center, which has taken the lead on the attempted rescue.

"The injury on the female is about two feet long, six inches deep, and has sharp edges typical of a propeller wound. We don't think it's life-threatening," Gulland said. "The calf has a wound that looks a little bit more severe than the female."

The calf's wound is difficult to assess, however, because it is on the animal's underside, below the water line, Gulland said.

Although the injuries appear to be growing larger, the whales likely will not need treatment if they can be returned to their natural sea water habitat, which is cleaner than the fresh water in the shipping channel, researchers said.

One concern for the whales' trip is the murky water and many estuaries of the delta, a vast network of rivers and canals that drains two-thirds of California's land mass. Scientists fear they could lose track of the whales and said they were considering marking them with locator tags.

Shipping and small boat traffic were halted in the basin, which is 30 feet deep and 200 feet wide. The next ship was not expected to dock for another week, giving authorities time to try to escort the whales back to the Pacific, said Teresa Bledsoe, administrative clerk at the Port of Sacramento.

[noaanhc]

There is very little we can really do exect hope they find their way back to the ocean.We must let nature rule,even though it may seem so cruel and so harsh,but this is the way things must be for in the wild only the strongest will survive.

[drinuk]

These Whales are really sad about Melinda, they need her to sing to them just once more.

[tncotr]

Has anyone checked to see if maybe the whales don't want to leave due to their injuries? Most animals/mamals when hurt go off by themselves in part so they are not preyed upon. Considering that there is a mother whale involved she may just be trying to keep her baby safe until it heals. Has anyone contacted people who specialize in whale behavior, like sea world who actually train whales? We may have to build a salt water pen for them until they heal.