The Great Bear Rainforest: The Locals

Although we can attest to the rain in The Great Bear Rainforest, the bears remain an elusive mystery. Rumor has it that this is courting season and they hide in the sedge grass for their antics. But grizzlies are only one part of an ecosystem with many components.

Near the top of the food chain in the sea is the voracious ling cod. Ling cod are interesting. Like halibut they begin their lives as juveniles changing to males and remaining males until they are about 30 lbs when they change to female. A big female (up to 70 lbs) spawns nearly two million eggs a year which are guarded by the male. Although big ling are legal to harvest, we never keep them to preserve the fishery. It is not uncommon to catch a small rock fish and suddenly think that you have hooked the bottom only to pull up a giant ling. Both Deb and Ralph had that experience. One ling had a black cod in its mouth and the other a young ling. Neither ling nor halibut seem sentimental about family members. It really all about me.


On land wolves are second only to the grizzly in the food chain. Through scat DNA analysis it is known that wolves are capable of killing black bear. A wolf sighting is rare and special. Forgive the quality of the photo for wolves are elusive. This is a sea wolf and sea wolves have a hunting territory that covers many islands. Since their is no livestock they have not been hunted as have other types of wolves. They are proficient at surviving in the sea swimming from island. They hunt land animals and can catch salmon with ease.

To see wonderful bear and wolf photos go to

pacificwild.org

where our friend and master wildlife photographer, Ian, has a website. He and Karen, his wife, have been cited as the environmentalist of the decade with their important work on the central coast of British Columbia. The McAllisters are credited with providing the name The Great Bear Rainforest. Their work ranges from putting in hydrophones to record whales to organizing against super tankers coming through this pristine area - other routes are viable. An oil spill here would be a crime of monumental proportions.

While the bears are chasing one another and the wolves chase the bears, the birds are nesting. Occasionally they bring their babies out for us to glimpse. When they thought we are watching too intently, the mergansers parents hustled the family out of sight and a kingfisher watched.

Seals bask on rocks with their babies looking like overstuffed sausages slipping into the sea if you venture too close. They look much like a sad dog with their baleful, soft eyes.