5th ANNUAL WHALEFEST MONTEREY to be held at Old Fisherman’s

1. 5thANNUALWHALEFESTMONTEREYtobeheldat Old Fisherman’sWharf Whale Watching Capitalof theWorld!™ Inspire -Educate -Explore –Empower &ProtectOur BeautifulMonterey Bay NationalMarineSanctuary Monterey,CA,November 05,2014 -Overthepastyear,thousandsofwhalewatchershaveenjoyedviewing avarietyofhundredsofwhales,orcas,dolphinsand pelicanswhocontinuetofeastona “krillandanchovybuffet” intheMontereyBay,inMonterey, California.Averyspecial festival, WhalefestMonterey,celebratesits5thyearhighlighting communityeffortsand buildingmoreawarenessabout theMontereyBayNationalMarineSanctuary,helping toeducate,inspire, empowerand protect it.Don't missafreefuninteractivefamilyevent for allagesthatcelebratesthemigrationof thegraywhales,theMontereyBay,andOldFisherman'sWharf, whilebenefiting manylocalandnational marineorganizations. OnSaturday,January24thand Sunday,January25th,2015from10:00AM–5:00PM,theMontereyOldFisherman'sWharfAssociation(www.montereywharf.com) will hold the5thANNUALWHALEFESTMONTEREYatandaround Old Fisherman’sWharf,Monterey, CA,the “WhaleWatching Capital of theWorld™.

2. Throughouttheyear,theMontereyBayofferssightingsof15 speciesofwhales,10 speciesofdolphinsand 2speciesofporpoise,6 speciesof pinnipedsand 1 speciesofFissiped (seaotter).Visitors totheMontereyBaycanenjoyviewing sixBaleenWhales thatincludeBlueWhales,Fin Whales,SeiWhales,HumpbackWhales,GrayWhales,MinkeWhalesand NorthPacificRightWhales (rare). Thereare alsoeight toothedwhalesthatincludeSpermWhales,Baird’sBeakedWhales, Curvier’sBeaked Whales,PygmySpermWhales,DwarfSpermWhales,Stejneger’sBeakedWhales,Blainville’sBeakedWhalesand Hubb’sBeaked Whales.TheMontereyBayalsofeatures9dolphinspeciesincluding Orcas(KillerWhale), Northernright whaleDolphins,Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Risso’sDolphins,BottlenoseDolphins,Short-beakedCommonDolphins,Long-beakedCommonDolphins,Striped Dolphins,ShortFinPilot WhalesandtheFalseKiller Whale(rare). • Therearetwoporpoise speciesincluding HarborPorpoisesand Dall’sPorpoises.ThereisoneFissiped,theSouthernSeaOtter.Thereare alsofour OtariidPinnipedsincluding GuadalupeFurSeals,NorthernFurSeals, CaliforniaSeaLionsandNorthernSeaLions(StellerSeaLions).There are alsotwoPhocid Pinnipeds,including HarborSealsand Northern Elephant Seals.(Source:MontereyBayMarineLifeStudies). • Among thehighlightswill beasymposium withlecturesand documentariesrelated tooceanandmarine lifeconservationpresented attheMuseumofMonterey,StantonCenter (MoM) Auditorium and theWharfTheatre,musicaland theatricalperformanceswithamaritimetheme,and many educational displaysby participating organizations. • Thousandsofattendeesareexpected againthisyear that rangefromlocalfamiliesand schoolchildrenwhowant tolearnmoreaboutourmaritimeenvironment tovisitorsfromnearand farwhowanttoexploretheannualwhalemigration. Theevent will alsofeatureasciencecreditprogramfor studentsfromuniversitylevel toschoolchildren.Weatherpermitting,whalewatchingtourswillbeoperating fromtheWharf,and Wharfrestaurantswill beservingavarietyofsmallbites. • The two dayswillfeature awidearrayof funandinformativeactivities including: • A60-foot modelgraywhale(attendeescanclimb inside) • Livemusicalperformanceswill beprovided byNickFettis&HisOrca-stra,andanumberoflocalbandsplayingrock,reggae,andjazz. • Whalewatching tripsonMontereyBaywill run all dayfromthe wharf,weatherpermitting,including anAmerican CetaceanSocietyBenefit WhaleWatching Cruiseat8:00amonSunday,January25th. • Award-winning documentariesand lecturesbyworldrenowned scientistswill focusonthePacificCurrent System. • Expertpanelistsincludingscientistsand businessleaders. • “Seacreatures”fromSavetheWhaleswillbeinteracting withattendeesand providing marine and event information. • BeachandstreetcleanupsbyTheWahineProject and byMarineLifeStudies(TakeIttotheStreets)andSave OurShores. • SharkandHumboldtSquidwillbedissected. • MockWhaleDisentanglement demonstrations.