5th and 6th Grade Whale Watch

     The fifth and sixth grades went on a trip to Rye New Hampshire. We got on a boat named Granite State. We went searching for whales. We didn't see any whales until when we were about three miles out into the ocean. We saw four humpback whales and one fin whale. The humpback whale has its name because when it dives down its back and fin curves like an upside down v. The fin whale can grow up to 88 feet long  and weigh up to 50 to 70 tons. It mostly feeds on small fish and krill. The fin whale is one of the largest whales in the world.

We also saw a pod of around one hundred Bottlenose
Dolphins jumping and twisting next to the boat. Bottlenose Dolphins can measure about 8.2 to 8.9 feet and weigh between 419 to 573 pounds. They swim above the tuna and this is a problem because when people go fishing with drift nets (which in some places is illegal) they normally want tuna. The drift nets spread for miles sometimes and the dolphins get caught in the nets. They struggle to get out and drown if they stay under long enough.