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Chapter 5:- Freeing the Fin
Grandpa Jim bent down and said, "I don't think it will be much longer Keara. It looks like they have already cleared away a lot of the net."
Ethan said, "It is really wrapped around that pec. What does pec mean again?"
Before Grandpa Jim could answer, Keara jumped into the conversation, "Pec stands for pectoral fin. The pec is like an arm on a person or a wing on a bird. They need them to swim, and sometimes they slap them in the water." Keara and Ethan both thought about the power of the pec slaps they had seen other whales doing. The pecs on a humpback whale were big, and very strong.
Keara, Ethan, and their grandfather all peered at the sight in the water. Captain Juan came up from below the surface of the water and took several deep breaths. Then he turned and dove back down under the water. Keara figured he must be cutting away the net from the bottom of the pec. Christina had swum around the fin and was working on the side nearest the whale's massive head.
As they watched from the boat, Christina turned and made eye contact with the whale. The huge eye looked right back at Christina. The moment was electric. Even from far away it was clear the whale was communicating with Christina. Ethan shivered as he thought of just how big the animal was, and how small the people were. If the whale wanted to it could easily hurt them, even without meaning to the whale could be a danger.
Christina patted the whale's head and turned back to her work. She sawed away at the tough rope which made up the fishing net.
Keara knew the local villagers in Puerto Lopez relied on fishing to survive. Grandpa Jim had walked with them along the beach as the fishermen came back into the harbor with the day's catch. The brave men went out into the open ocean in tiny boats and fished during the dark night. Keara wouldn't want to be out here at night!
Their grandfather had also told she and Ethan that nets were a real problem for whales, dolphins and other creatures the fishermen did not want in their nets. The nets were a real problem because anything could get caught in them, not just the fish the villagers wanted to eat and sell.
Grandpa Jim talked to them about the pingers his foundation had been buying and giving to fishermen to put on their nets. The pingers were supposed to help the dolphins sense the nets and avoid them while fish like tuna would still swim right into the net. Dolphins were smart, so were whales though. Keara wondered how
come this whale got caught up in a net. She asked Grandpa Jim this question.
"Well it's hard to say Keara but since she has a baby with her, she may have been protecting her baby from the net. There is no way of knowing. All we know is that the nets are a necessity for the people here on the coast, but they are a constant problem for whales, dolphins, and other creatures."
While she and Ethan thought about this sad fact their faces went from sad to happy. All the sudden they realized the whale's fluke was free. The whale was waving the pec around in the air. There was no sign of the fishing net any longer!
"Yeah, yeah!! Hurrah!!" Ethan and Keara shouted and hugged each other. Grandpa Jim joined the group hug but he also nudged the throttle of the boat so the boat would ease forward.
Ethan realized the people were still in the water with the massive whale and he thought about the pec slaps they had seen before. The whale could crush his friend Captain Juan!
Grandpa Jim bent down and said, "I don't think it will be much longer Keara. It looks like they have already cleared away a lot of the net."
Ethan said, "It is really wrapped around that pec. What does pec mean again?"
Before Grandpa Jim could answer, Keara jumped into the conversation, "Pec stands for pectoral fin. The pec is like an arm on a person or a wing on a bird. They need them to swim, and sometimes they slap them in the water." Keara and Ethan both thought about the power of the pec slaps they had seen other whales doing. The pecs on a humpback whale were big, and very strong.
Keara, Ethan, and their grandfather all peered at the sight in the water. Captain Juan came up from below the surface of the water and took several deep breaths. Then he turned and dove back down under the water. Keara figured he must be cutting away the net from the bottom of the pec. Christina had swum around the fin and was working on the side nearest the whale's massive head.
As they watched from the boat, Christina turned and made eye contact with the whale. The huge eye looked right back at Christina. The moment was electric. Even from far away it was clear the whale was communicating with Christina. Ethan shivered as he thought of just how big the animal was, and how small the people were. If the whale wanted to it could easily hurt them, even without meaning to the whale could be a danger.
Christina patted the whale's head and turned back to her work. She sawed away at the tough rope which made up the fishing net.
Keara knew the local villagers in Puerto Lopez relied on fishing to survive. Grandpa Jim had walked with them along the beach as the fishermen came back into the harbor with the day's catch. The brave men went out into the open ocean in tiny boats and fished during the dark night. Keara wouldn't want to be out here at night!
Their grandfather had also told she and Ethan that nets were a real problem for whales, dolphins and other creatures the fishermen did not want in their nets. The nets were a real problem because anything could get caught in them, not just the fish the villagers wanted to eat and sell.
Grandpa Jim talked to them about the pingers his foundation had been buying and giving to fishermen to put on their nets. The pingers were supposed to help the dolphins sense the nets and avoid them while fish like tuna would still swim right into the net. Dolphins were smart, so were whales though. Keara wondered how
come this whale got caught up in a net. She asked Grandpa Jim this question."Well it's hard to say Keara but since she has a baby with her, she may have been protecting her baby from the net. There is no way of knowing. All we know is that the nets are a necessity for the people here on the coast, but they are a constant problem for whales, dolphins, and other creatures."
While she and Ethan thought about this sad fact their faces went from sad to happy. All the sudden they realized the whale's fluke was free. The whale was waving the pec around in the air. There was no sign of the fishing net any longer!
"Yeah, yeah!! Hurrah!!" Ethan and Keara shouted and hugged each other. Grandpa Jim joined the group hug but he also nudged the throttle of the boat so the boat would ease forward.
Ethan realized the people were still in the water with the massive whale and he thought about the pec slaps they had seen before. The whale could crush his friend Captain Juan!
