Swimming in Circles in S.F. Bay : Whale Lured to Within 4 Miles of Golden Gate

BENICIA, Calif. —  An underwater sound-generating device lured Humphrey the wandering whale almost all the way back to the open sea and safety Sunday, but he stopped just four miles short of the Golden Gate Bridge--and began swimming in circles.

The big humpback had followed the taped sounds, said to consist of “little beeps” made by whales of his species when feeding, for 50 miles downriver and into San Francisco Bay. But at 9:15 p.m., the big mammal turned back toward Richmond and could not be coaxed any farther.

“He moved away from the Golden Gate Bridge and swam back two or three miles toward Point Richmond,” said rescue spokesman Hal Alabaster. “He was sighted there by a tanker about six miles from the Golden Gate.”

Alabaster also noted that two tiny radio transmitters implanted in the whale’s blubbery hide by crossbow on Saturday had fallen off a few hours later so keeping track of him was again difficult.

The rescue effort was terminated for the night, but 10 Navy river patrol boats were stationed at the Richmond-San Rafael bridge in hopes of spotting Humphrey during the hours of darkness. The rescue team said it plans to search for him by plane today, and will decide on its next steps based on where he is found.

The whale’s sudden refusal to take the final plunge toward freedom came after a day of unprecedented success for the whale-rescuers.

Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the small boat “Bootlegger” had led the 40-ton mammal to within four miles of the Golden Gate Bridge before losing it after dark near Angel Island.

“He’s in love with our boat,” said Bernie Krause, an audio specialist aboard the “Bootlegger” who broadcast the recording under water. “We’re playing feeding sounds. He seems hungry.”

The whale’s arrival in San Francisco Bay marked the first time in three weeks that it swam in salt water--considered by marine biologists to be vital to the animal’s health. Humphrey had been in fresh water since he blundered into the river 24 days ago.

It was also the first time that rescuers played recordings of other humpbacks in an attempt to lure Humphrey back to the Pacific Ocean--a change in tactics from the unpleasant noises previously used to drive the whale downstream. The decision to try using the tapes was made last Thursday during a meeting of scientific experts in Sacramento.

Sighted Near Richmond

After 8 p.m. Sunday, the whale was sighted near Richmond but efforts to coax it into moving again were unsuccessful. At about 9:30, the rescue operation was halted for the day.

Leaders of the rescue operation were elated with their success in leading the animal much farther than they expected, but disappointed they came so close to the Golden Gate Bridge without luring the animal through.

“It’s a heck of a fine day because we never expected to bring the whale down this far,” said Charles Fullerton, regional director of the National Marine Fisheries Service and head of the rescue operation.

The rare humpback, one of 10,000 in existence, entered San Francisco Bay on Oct. 10 and swam up the Sacramento River to a small slough about 70 miles from the ocean.

Swam Back Up

Rescuers drove it out of the slough and down the Sacramento River, but called off the operation for six days last week after the whale swam back up the river during the night.

The whale began the day in the San Joaquin River about five miles east of the Antioch bridge. It was the farthest the whale had gone up the San Joaquin, placing it more than 55 miles from the Golden Gate.

More than 40 vessels lined up behind the whale to herd it downstream, including 10 U.S. Navy river patrol boats, two Army troop transport carriers and several dozen private boats.

But unlike previous rescue efforts, the fleet never had to herd the animal by banging on metal pipes because of the success of the tape recording.

Enters S.F. Bay

The “Bootlegger,” intermittently playing the whale noises underwater, led the whale down the San Joaquin River, under four major bridges and out into San Francisco Bay at about 6:30 p.m.

Moving at a steady pace of more than 3 1/2 knots, the whale swam westward through Suisun Bay, the Carquinez Straits and San Pablo Bay before reaching San Francisco Bay.

The idea of playing the sounds of humpback whales had been widely discussed, but tapes of feeding noises did not become available until several days ago.

“This is the first time we’ve used humpback sounds of any kind,” Krause said.

The sounds were played sparingly so the animal would not become so used to the noise that it ignored it.

Signs of Aggression

At first, the whale showed signs of aggression toward the “Bootlegger,” lifting its head part way out of the water, Krause said over the two radios used to communicate between boats.

But after that, the whale seemed to like the noise, at one point approaching within two feet of the boat.

“It is remarkably successful,” said Sen. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) a coordinator of the rescue operation who rode in one of the lead vessels much of the day. “Every time we turn the transmission off, he tends to wander.”