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 TradeThe Long Battle for the Whales: Page 2 Off the coast of Scotland, where Minke Whales are protected, they approach boats and lift their heads above water, eyeing the boat and its occupants (Chadwick 2001). They have been seen leaping out of the water in apparent games that went on for more than an hour. Recently one was rescued after stranding on rocks. The Scottish rescuer said: "Off it went until it was almost out of sight. Then it returned. We were worried it would go onto the shore. But it swam away, and we decided the animal just came back to say thanks and cheerio. That's when we started to worry the poor thing might be going to Norway next" (Chadwick 2001). These whales have been swimming around boats and scuba divers along the Great Barrier Reef since the early 1980s, and some ecotours offer Minke-watching (Chadwick 2001). Some of these whales stay close to boats and divers for up to 11 hours, and while they seem silent in northern waters where they are killed, here they communicate in grunts, growls and "boi-oi-oings" (Chadwick 2001).
Whales have shown friendliness toward one another as well as toward humans who dive with them. An encounter between Blue Whales in the 1970s was witnessed by researchers on a vessel off the eastern Canadian coast. They spotted four Blue Whales: "Two pairs of whales coming from opposite directions met, churning the water as they rolled and dove about one another in what seemed, to human eyes, a tumultuous greeting. During the commotion one of the whales breached a third of its length . . ." (Vontobel 1975). This must have been a truly unforgettable sight and an indication that these whales communicate and form bonds with one another. Within the past decade, Blue Whales have increased somewhat. In the Pacific, they have recently begun congregating in or near a marine sanctuary off California's Santa Barbara Islands, where scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are studying them. Almost 2,000 whales are regularly seen here, creating excitement for whale watchers and scientists alike.
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