[CINC] 10 grays including Flex seen in both east & west

[Marty Flam]

including four in Laguna San Ignacio.  Photo ID catalogs apparently downloadable. (Really big files).
 
http://lsiecosystem.org/2011/07/endangered-russian-gray-whales-cross-north-pacific-to-baja-mexico/
 
http://www.oceanicsociety.org/News-external/endangered-russian-gray-whales-visit-baja-mexico
 
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014356397_apusrarewhale.html
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/science-environment-14116557
 
Whale of a surprise
Last year, scientists attempted to put tags on 12 western gray whales in order to track their route to their breeding grounds, believed to be further south.
It was thought that if their migration route could be mapped, other conservation measures could be put in place, such as keeping them out of fishing gear.
In the end, only one tag was placed before time ran out - on a male that scientists dubbed "Flex".
Some weeks later, to the researchers' complete surprise, Flex started heading not south but north and east, ending up on the other side of the Pacific on the US west coast.
This is the area occupied by the separate - and much bigger - eastern gray whale population. Genetic studies show that the two populations do not generally interbreed.
"It was completely the opposite of what any of us had suspected," said Greg Donovan, the IWC's head of science.
"So then we started to look at photos from the catalogue of our animals off Sakhalin island, and compare with those taken down the Pacific coast of the US and further south.
"And we've now ended up with 10 animals that have been seen on both sides."
What that means for our understanding of the western gray whales, or for their conservation, is as yet unclear. Other tagging studies are planned this year that might provide more information.
The gray whale that found its way into the Mediterranean Sea last year, however, probably sheds no light on the issue, said Mr Donovan - it probably just got lost.
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