The Inian Islands of Southeast Alaska
Twice each day, on the rising tides, water from the North Pacific Ocean flows into the protected waterways of Southeast Alaska, and twice each day, on the falling tides, it flows back out again. Because the tides are huge, the volume of water exchanged with each tidal cycle is enormous. On incoming tides, fish like herring arrive from their oceanic feeding grounds to spawn in protected waters, and salmon of five species pass through to reach the fresh water rivers and streams where they will spawn. Imagine a twice-daily conveyer belt bringing the bounty of ocean productivity to our shores. The strong tidal currents mix surface and bottom waters, bringing nutrients to the surface and fueling local productivity. The Inian Islands sit at the northern entrance into the Inland Passage: Cross Sound and the North Pacific to the west, Icy Strait and the Inside Passage to the east. It is a great place for marine wildlife, and here we spent our day.
George Island sits at this crossroad. Kayaks, Zodiac cruises, or walks: chose any two of three ways to explore the island and surrounding water. During World War II, there was concern that the Asian enemy would mount an invasion of North America through the Aleutian Islands and then eastward through Alaska and Canada. As a first deterrent, a large artillery piece was mounted on George Island facing Cross Sound. Fortunately, it was never fired in anger, but it still sits, rusting, on George Island. Our walks over the island allowed us to revisit that moment in Alaska's history.
Following lunch, we made a brief stop at the tiny, picturesque village of Elfin Cove. Its protected harbor has provided refuge for fishing boats exploiting the bounty of Alaskan salmon and halibut. No roads in Elfin Cove. The buildings are all connected by a boardwalk, and boats and airplanes on floats are the only ways in and out. It breeds Alaskan self-sufficiency.
Before the harvest of fish, of gold, of oil, people came to what is now Alaska to harvest furs, especially the rich and valuable fur of the sea otter. (It has been called "soft gold.") The National Geographic Sea Lion moved a short distance and we boarded Zodiacs. Within moments, we were seeing sea otters floating on their backs in the kelp. Unlike most marine mammals, sea otters use their fur rather than blubber as insulation. Beneath an outer layer of guard hairs, their underfur is incredibly dense and it needs constant grooming. They are constantly active. In striking contrast were the Steller's or Northern sea lions. We found them lounging on shoreline perches in heaps, waiting for the tide to turn and bring in the salmon that will be their evening meal. The bounty of salmon allows them to grow to a very large size, much greater than the California or Galápagos sea lions that we see elsewhere. This is not a breeding site; those are all on the outer coast. Here we were seeing (and listening to the bellows and snorts of) males - young males waiting until they have grown enough to compete for space in breeding colonies, and older males who are no longer able to compete with the young bulls. If he succeeds in holding a breeding territory for only one season, he will mate with multiple females and will have led a productive life.
