Books

LAGOON TIME, a Guide to the Gray Whales and Natural History of San Ignacio Lagoon - Written By Steven Swartz, published by the Ocean Foundation, Lagoon Time is the first complete field guide to the gray whales and natural history of the San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It includes the history of the lagoon, gray whale behavior, and descriptions of the diverse botanical and avian wildlife of the area. Lagoon Time is a popular, first-hand account of the experiences and discoveries made by Mary Lou Jones, Steven Swartz and their colleagues during their initial study of gray whales wintering in Laguna San Ignacio between 1977 and 1982. Their initial studies were the first systematic research on gray whales that utilize the lagoon as a winter aggregation and breeding area, and contributed to the establishment by the Mexican government of a unique marine reserve for gray whales and other marine wildlife.

The latest information on 31 species that live in or visit Canada’s west-coast waters: 25 cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and 6 carnivores (seals, sea lions and the Sea Otter); their general biology, including how they feed, communicate, reproduce and behave in the marine environment, including distribution, habitat, social organization, exploitation by humans, conservation status and much more.

This beautiful blank journal is just waiting to be filled with your memories of watching whales. The cover features a colorful orca design by Sue Coccia of EarthArt International - a must for every whale lover!

Amazon review: “An action-packed environmental thriller” --Kirkus Reviews “A swift-moving story of adventure and redemption” --Wayne Ude, Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Ben Singleton and his wife, Frances, operate OrcaSpeak, a Pacific Northwest orca protection organization. A ferry crash occurs at a local dock when a peaceful protest against fossil fuels organized by eco-activist Donal Hopkins is sabotaged by a violent teammate.

The era of orca captures from 1964 to 1976 did great harm to Southern Resident orcas in many ways, some documented in the language of their ESA listing as an endangered population. The experiences the whales went through would be harder to document, but it must have been devastating for them. The responses of the whales to the captures is part of the story told in Puget Sound Whales for Sale. Human dramas and personal stories from those who were involved in the captures from all angles is woven in the history as well, and the most reliable and well-researched facts can be found here too. Author and certified marine naturalist Sandra Pollard traces the story and destinies of the many Southern Resident orcas captured for public display worldwide between 1964 and 1976. During this time, the endangered Southern Resident orcas lost nearly one-third of their population. Drawing on a wide range of interviews and archival material, this important volume recounts the people whose determined efforts ultimately succeeded in ending the captures.

"As “War of the Whales,” by Joshua Horwitz, makes convincingly clear, the connection between naval sonar and deadly mass strandings of whales is scientifically undeniable. Whales of all kinds — but especially the remarkable and deep-diving beaked whales — regularly wash up dead or dying following naval sonar use around the world...But as the “War of the Whales” lays out in a strong and valuable narrative, the stakes are quite high. The question, after all, made its way from the shores of the Bahamas, Greece, England and Madeira to the U.S. Supreme Court." -Washington Post