The gorgeous lush temperate rainforest.
After the bus ride we took an hour-long boat ride further north to the Neets Bay Hatchery to (hopefully) see black bears fishing for salmon. On the way we saw several harbour seals hauled out on a rock. There is a salmon ladder at the hatchery where many of the salmon swim up following the fresh water into large holding tanks where they are harvested and gutted to collect the roe. The hatchery releases 70.5 million chum eggs at Neets Bay in the summer and another 20 million chum eggs in the fall. They also provide about 50 million eggs that are released elsewhere. The dead fish are processed for pet food. At the observation platforms we watched as five or six different black bears (including a female and cub), had an easy time pulling salmon from the stream. They prefer the female salmon who are loaded with roe. Often, they will just gut them and suck up the protein-rich eggs. No one can explain why there are no grizzlies on this island. They are quite capable of swimming to it but for some reason don't. After an hour of viewing, we retraced our route via boat and bus arriving about ten minutes before the Noordam was set to sail. The rest of the day I relaxed on deck and worked in my stateroom on photos and the blog while listening to two of my favourites: XTC and the Eels.
ReplyDeleteHey Joe, I'm following your ship, the Noordam, on the app "Marine Traffic" and the Inside Passage which you folks are taking looks so remote (and, I would assume, stunningly beautiful). From the pictures you've taken so far on your first stop, your cruise is going to be well worth it. Looks like the next stop is either Wrangell or Juneau. Looking forward to your next entry.
That looks fun Joe. Will have to ask about the black bears when I see you. The pictures are great
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