Month: July 2022

ARE WHALES FISH?

By Erica Seeley

Living in an underwater environment requires some adaptations to make life easier. Because of this, most marine and freshwater animals look similar. A streamlined body for low water resistance and webbed or paddle shaped limbs used for steering and propelling are key adaptations seen in a large majority of aquatic animals. Whales and fish do look similar and even live in the same water. But are they the same? Are whales fish? The answer is a big NO. The same thing goes for bats and bees. Both have wings used for flying, but they are nothing alike.

For starters, whales are mammals, just like us! They give birth to live young and even have belly buttons and hair! They breathe oxygen from the air using their lungs which are connected to the blow holes on the top on their head. In general, fish don’t have lungs and instead use gills to take oxygen directly from the water in which they live. This means they don’t have to come up and breathe air at the surface. The way they swim is also very different. Fish swim using a side-to-side motion of the tail. Whales move their tails up and down to propel themselves through the water. With all that being said, the dissimilarities don’t stop at physiology and body mechanics.

Let’s go back a few billion years, shall we? All life began in the ocean. It started with tiny microbes and single celled organisms which evolved into small plankton-like animals which then evolved into bigger animals. Eventually, animals started moving partially onto land while others stayed in the water. Fish evolved from animals that never made the switch to land. Whales on the other hand, evolved from land mammals that moved back into the water. In fact, the closest living relative to whales are hippos, followed by deer, pigs and other hooved animals. It is believed that whales evolved from a land-dwelling animal called Pakicetus (See picture) around 50 million years ago after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Whales share many similarities with the land animals mentioned above. They have lungs, chambered stomachs and even a pelvic bone! Although whales don’t have back legs, the presence of a pelvic bone suggests that they once did. There are many adaptations of fish that whales lack including a lateral line system (used for sensing water movement), swim bladder (used primarily for buoyancy), gills (used for extracting oxygen directly from the water) and scales.

To summarize in scientific terms, whales share many analogies (similar function, different origin) with fish. An example of this is the flippers and fins on whales and fish. Both are used for steering and propelling while swimming however whale flippers contain bone while fish fins lack bones. Whales share many homologies (same origin, different function/appearance) with land mammals. An example of this is the nostrils on a hippo and the blow hole of a whale.

Ultimately, whales and fish are ‘flippin’ fantastic in their own right and have both evolved separately to be perfectly suited for their aquatic homes.

References
Johnson, Norman & Lahti, David & Blumstein, Daniel. (2012). Combating the Assumption of Evolutionary Progress: Lessons from the Decay and Loss of Traits. Evolution: Education and Outreach. 5. 10.1007/s12052-011-0381-y.

The Origin of Whales (evolution)

 

DULSE

DULSE INFORMATION AND RECIPES

Dark Harbour, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick

Dulse is a leathery and flat algae, of a deep rose to reddish purple colour.
Dulse is generally harvested by hand at low tide and then spread out to be dried. With sustainable harvesting, they leave a portion behind to regrow, similar to cutting grass.  Harvest season in this area is June to September. Dulse is fast growing especially in mid summer, and can be picked twice a month during the full and new moon.

Dulse is an excellent dietary supplement. One handful provides 100% of the recommended B6, 66% of B12, and high in Floride, Iron, Vit A and C, magnesium and Potassium. It is actual relatively low in sodium!

Grand Manan Dulse is known to be the best Dulse in the world! Thoughts are that the 6 metre high cliffs at Dark Harbour creates a shadow to reduce sunlight and results in darker, thicker and more flavourful Dulse.

It can be eaten as is or mixed into recipes as flakes or a powder.
Try eating Dulse like potato chips in front of the hockey game!
It can also be added to soups.  When pan fried, the smoky flavour can be a reminder of bacon.
Dulse can be roasted in the oven for a crispier and milder flavour.
Add to smoothies, salads, sandwiches, on top of scrambled eggs or popcorn.
Endless uses!

Add Dulse to your sandwich for the best DLT.  Dulse, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich!

In Saint Andrews by-the-sea, we find Dulse at the Spice Box and the local grocery store.

On board the Tall Ship Jolly Breeze, guests can try a piece of Dulse, although admittedly, it can be considered an acquired taste and some gets spit out overboard!

DULSE RECIPES:

NUTRITIOUS MASHED POTATOES
1 medium potato
25 g butter
0.5 – 1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and Pepper
750 ml (1.25 pint) milk
25 Grams Dulse (chopped and soaked in water 5-10 minutes).

DULSE SLAW
Need : 25g Dulse
50g raisins
175g white cabbage (shredded)
1 medium carrot (grated)
2 shallots (finely chopped)
Dressing : 4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp apple juice
Salt and Pepper
Soak dulse for 5 – 10 mins in a bowl of water.
Put raisins in a small bowl with warm water for 5 mins, to allow to plump.
Put shredded cabbage, grated carrot and finely chopped shallots into a large mixing bowl.
Drain raisins and add to bowl.
Drain dulse, chop and also add to bowl.
In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together and then pour over and coat the salad thoroughly.
Season and mix again and serve.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER DULSE
Cumin Roasted Cauliflower with Dulse (serves 4-6)1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 2 inch florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup  (pressed together) dried dulse sea vegetable
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl toss the cauliflower with olive oil.  Add sea salt and cumin and mix well.
rrange cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 20 minutes, stirring twice during cooking time.
While cauliflower is roasting, run dulse under cold water while holding the leaves in your hands.  When all is moistened, turn water off and squeeze out excess moisture.  Chop dulse fine on a cutting board.
Remove cauliflower from oven, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle with chopped dulse and toss.  Top with chopped green onions and serve while  hot. Unbelievably good!   Joanne Carney

‘Thar She Blows’! Whale blow identification

WHALE BLOW IDENTIFICATION

Whales can be identified just from their blows, even from a mile away! The different whales have different shapes and heights of their blows.

FIN WHALE: Also known as the Finback whale or Common Rorqual baleen whale.
Very tall and thin column shaped blow up to 6 Metres high.
When feeding, they blow five to seven times in quick succession, but while traveling or resting will blow once every minute or two. On their terminal (last) dive they arch their back high out of the water, but rarely raise their flukes out of the water. They then dive to depths of up to 470 m (1,540 ft) when feeding or a few hundred feet when resting or traveling.

HUMPBACK WHALE:
Shorter bushy, balloon shaped blows that are nearly as wide as they are tall and up to 3 Metres high.
Dives between breaths typically do not exceed five minutes during the summer but are normally 15–20 minutes during the winter.
On average we find on our tours that a Humpback will go down for a dive ranging between 4-7 minutes while feeding and then come up again for about 6-8 breaths and repeat the process
Humpback whales have been known to hold their breath for up to an hour-but we are sure glad they don’t this very often!

MINKE WHALE:
The blows of the Minke whale reach about 2-3 Metres high.
Minke whales breathe air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. At rest, minke whales spout (breathe) about 5-6 times per minute.
They received their common name from a Norwegian novice whaling spotter named Meincke, who supposedly mistook a minke whale for a blue whale.

Locally, we call them ’Stinky Minke’. The term “stinky minke” is a nickname minke whales earned for their odour of rotten fish. Perhaps some chemical in fish or krill also makes it into whales’ bloodstreams, giving their exhalations fishy odours. It is a really ‘special’ experience to smell the breath of a Minke whale from downwind!

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE:
The Right Whale is known for the V-shaped blow caused by the widely spaced blowholes on the top of the head. The blow rises 5 m (16 ft) above the surface.

 

‘Thar she blows!’.

Why can you see the whales spout when it breaths?   
In baleen whales, the blow holes are in pairs. It is homologous with the nostril of other mammals, and evolved via gradual movement of the nostrils to the top of the head.
Guests can see plumes of mist shoot out of a hole in its head from a mile away at times. Contrary to popular belief, that’s not seawater. It’s actually a cocktail mix of hot air and bacteria.
As a whale breaches the surface, it opens its blowhole and then forces warm air from the lungs into the cold atmosphere. The temperature change triggers water vapour in the whale’s breath to condense into water droplets.The same phenomenon happens when you exhale on a cold day.
Scientists collected samples from 26 humpback whales. Within the spouts, they discovered 25 microbial species. The species were different from what was in the seawater indicating that they came from the whale’s respiratory tract. This is the first step in understanding respiratory disease in whales.