Sea Mammals Tale

21/03/2016

With my earlier siesta and the bracing sea air doing its trick I thought it would be a good opportunity to again try and learn something about our environment. I stood to the rear of the deck and watched the watchers. A line of them at the rails punctuated with one space, staring out the endless green grey waves, dusted with a sparkle of sunlight as they crested. Then there crouching in the gap, his face pressed to the rails was, the Naledi, Terrenci. He couldn’t be seen by the surrounding people, they were being misdirected by Priness who squatted behind him. The diamond pattern of her mohawk now standing up, its shape visible in her fur to its point at the small of the back, it oscillated in time with her ethereal hypnotic chant. It was an instinctive ability in the Naledi but still necessary to be taught, from one generation to the next. The capability to emit sound waves, at a frequency that the human brain converted from audio electrical pulses to visual ones. The skill that had to be learnt, was to take the visual image that the humans saw and distort it to the one the Naledi wish them to see. In this case it was still that empty gap in the railings. She was tugging at Terrenci’s waistcoat, trying to get him to leave as the concentration needed was quite exhausting. She would be a little indulgent of the mesmerised Terrenci. For a creature who had spent a lifetime in an underground Geodome, a generous gift being a tub full of water, the sight of this vast ocean would be mesmerising. 

So why alone could I delight in seeing the pleasure of seeing Terrenci’s experience, that would be because I’m the author. I left my characters to it and got into a conversation with Lucy, who is not an author, but a veteran whale watcher. 

What she said was both fascinating and disturbing, explaining how they plough these ferry routes from March to September as the Bay of Biscay plots the line between the deep chasms of the Atlantic Ocean and the shallow continental shelf. It is here that the Phytoplankton bloom develops at certain times of the year creating the feeding ground for fish and following them large numbers dolphins sharks and whales. On the north coast of Spain a deep canyon is the breeding ground for giant squid growing up to 40 feet in length, which are the staple diet of beaked whales and although just mammals like ourselves, have been recorded to dive 3000 m and hold their breath for over two and a quarter hours. I then asked about the impact on these fellow mammals by mankind and wasn’t surprised to learn how overfishing of sand eels is causing breeding problems for puffin’s and harbour porpoises. Or that extensive fishing of anchovies which are then used as fish food on fish farms to produce less fish than was originally fished to feed them. There is a downloadable Good Fish Guide (https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/search ) not related to cooking, but produced by the Marine Conservation Society to guide us towards the most sustainable fish we can eat. The construction of wind farms could however be more hopeful, although during the construction the acoustic impact of loud pile drivers interferes with the hunting methods of dolphins and porpoises, once complete these concrete structures provide ideal environment for the schooling fish. Since fishing is also banned in these areas early research appears to indicate they provide an opportunity for these mammals to flourish. 

The most alarming aspect moreover, was the effects of humankind’s pollution. Primarily this comes from discarded plastic in the sea, in the rivers and now apparently down our sinks. Plastics are consumed by the smallest creatures and the level of toxicity increases as it goes up the food chain. It is a fact that the killer whale population of Scotland has not bred for 20 years and it is believed they will never breed again. An autopsy on a female killer whale washed up on the beach showed the toxins chemicals and PCBs in her blubber, were to such a high level that it has made her infertile. A population of whales off the coast of Canada very rarely have a surviving firstborn calf, as the mother will offload the high levels of these toxins accumulated in her blubber through her milk. Now this had me thinking as I looked down at my rotund midriff, these are not the only mammals who are eating fish and so what is the difference between them and us. Is it the same case for us at the top of the fish food chain, is it impacting on our fertility and our health and I wonder what research has been done into this. It is frustrating that the solution is so simple, it only requires us not to use unnecessary levels of plastic such as single-use items, plastic knives and forks, straws, plastic water bottles and to ensure as much of what we do use is recycled. Of course that doesn’t stop manufacturers producing face scrubs with microbeads of plastic, that simply wash down the plug hole. We could use granules of walnut kernels , Inc on other face scrubs that are just are as effective. There is also all the products we use in the kitchen, it’s worth a look on their information, often stipulating it will hurt the fish in your aquarium yet there is no similar concern for pouring it down the sink where it will have the same effect on your pet fish’s cousins and siblings. So thank you Lucy for making me reflect on my expanding waistline and the declining fertility rates of humans, it makes me want to let out a big cheer for the charge on plastic bags.

Chilled to the sole and frozen to the bone I thought it was time to return inside and get a well needed meal of fish and chips, the chips I now found easier to swallow. Not content with the amount of free Internet data I had eaten (PCB free) I decided it was time to Skype some people including my friend battling cancer. He was out collecting a prescription but it gave me an opportunity to reflect with his partner on the advance of his shocking disease. Cancer had been an unwelcome visitor my life before, my father-in-law, a favourite uncle at the same time as my father, all passed away at the hands of this menace. This time however is quite different. I recall times when someone has mentioned their friend has cancer, and in a superficial way you pass on your sympathy but then pass on to another subject. This time is up close and personal as I don’t believe there is anyone to whom I’m closer outside my own family, we could have been brothers and growing up were often mistaken for them, almost inseparable. As our lives progressed, distance may have changed the frequency of our interaction but not our closeness. Our families also grew close, during regular caravan holidays. So for my friend who is still in full swing of life it is far more than a physical disease, it crushes who he was and wreaks havoc on people close to him, pitching them onto a rollercoaster ride of emotion. My pal is an incredible musician and for the moment it has also robbed him of that wonderful talent stealing the essence of who he is. All the security you have in your lifestyle and predefined plans for your future are suddenly stripped away, it leaves a chasm of uncertainty and insecurity. Built into the fabric of his character is the need to protect the ones he holds most dear, his children. Even this has been stolen from him as a every ounce of strength is channelled into overcoming the onslaught of this disease. I can tell you that by the end of our conversation neither of us was dry eyed.

I am anxious about what lies ahead on this journey, but today’s events have reaffirmed that I need to travel and encapsulate what I find on my adventure travels.