[stan_sipple]

If global warming makes whales lose weight what about Al Gore and Michael Mooore?

[badgerlandjim]

"We'd better harvest a few extra, they're sayin' the whales are pretty scrawny this year."

[wbill]

Swartz has studied the pacific whale population since 1977 and last saw a major whale die-off in 1999 when an El Nino warming cycle left traditional northern feeding grounds barren and claimed one third of the population.

Wait a minute....weren't we just in an ElNino cycle, like, last year? Is it still going on?

This time is different, I guess. AlGore hadn't made his movie in 1999.

[PzLdr]

Then why are there so many fat people at the beach?

[OB1kNOb]

SAVE THE WHALES! COLLECT THE WHOLE SET ! (sorry)

[hunter112]

With the seas changing Swartz hopes the mammals can adapt.

This "scientist" should turn in his credentials. The way a species "adapts" is not that individual organisms figure out a way to get by, but that those whales that ARE adapted for a warmer climate survive and pass on their genes, while the non-adaptive whales die, and don't reproduce.

I think it's much more probably overfishing that has caused this, there's a much clearer manmade link to that, then there is to global warming.

[avacado]

"Scientists on the US Pacific coast are increasingly observing emaciated gray whales in what they fear is a sign that global warming is wreaking havoc in the whales' Bering Sea summer feeding grounds."

"Scientists on the US Pacific coast are increasingly observing emaciated gray whales in what they are going to blame on global warning to get more grant money."

[pikachu]

I wonder how much of the Gray's problems is due to the fact that they are well over the number marine biologists say is the optimal number whales. More whales, more competition for scares resources, and you get skinny whales.

Or maybe they all went bulemic after seeing Madonna last weekend at AlGores^TM's concert.

[dead]

Sexy gray whales! Global warming rocks!

[norton]

""The gray whales are migrating later, not going as far north, and are producing fewer calves,"

Judging from human response to external stimulii - I'g guess the water was too cold farther north.

Serious interjection:

This guy did a photo survey of individual whales and came up will all the other - unsubstantiated - horrors?

"gray whales have patrolled the oceans for 30 million years, and have survived two ice ages. With the seas changing Swartz hopes the mammals can adapt."

Sounds like it worked OK before.

"Scientists have yet to determine just how much harder the gray whales are working to subsist, but the signs of emaciation are clear, according to Swartz...We have yet to find any indications of disease in the population"

Maybe a longer lens?

[stm]

Obesity is the leading killer of gray whales aged 5 and up. The numbers don’t lie, the gray whale population is getting fatter. This is a good thing.

[RockinRight]

For a second, I thought it said GAY whales.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Obviously, the answer is to install HUGH giant screen TVs underwater and develop undersea Dorito feeding stations. While that may be enough to keep the whales busy for a while, surely their attention span will “drift” and we’ll have to develop fluke-actuated consoles for them to play undersea videogames. Ultimately, the big winners will be those furniture companies that can create 600 foot long undersea sofas. The big squishy cushions shouldn’t be that hard, though.

[chessplayer]

“Current State of the Bering Sea”

http://www.beringclimate.noaa.gov/bering_status_overview.html