又中又英｜Whale watching

Whale watching can be very enjoyable if rules are followed to protect whales. I have never joined whale watching tours， but once saw migrating whales in the Pacific Ocean from the shore when I lived in the US. Migrating whales are whales that migrate， or travel， from cold to warm weather every year. Thousands of gray whales leave the Arctic every winter for the warm waters in Mexico where they feed. They migrate back to the Arctic in the summer. Gray whales are gray in colour with white patterns.

Interest in whales in recent years has caused a whale watching boom. The word “boom” used this way means a sudden increase in popularity. The International Whaling Commission， which has about 88 member countries including China， was created in 1946 to conserve whales. It has a list of about 50 countries with rules for whale watching. That”s why I was shocked when the Hong Kong government did so little to protect a young， injured whale that got lost in Sai Kung. The whale had two wounds caused by boat propellers yet large numbers of Hong Kong sightseers took boat tours to get close to it.

The US has laws to protect whales. Guidelines say tour boats should stay 100 to 500 yards away from whales depending on the species and remain only a short time. Experts say sightseers were to blame for the death of the Sai Kung whale by coming too close to it， causing stress. The dead whale had a new propeller cut. The government and sightseers should have a guilty conscience for causing the whale”s death.

观赏鲸鱼可以是非常愉快的——若伴随着有保护鲸鱼的条例。我从未参加过观鲸团，但以前住在美国时，曾经有一次在岸上见到太平洋的migrating whales ——migrating whales 就是每年从寒冷的水域迁徙或移动至温暖水域的鲸鱼。每个冬天，成千上万的灰鲸（gray whales）会离开冰极，迁至墨西哥的暖水区，在那里觅食。到了夏天，牠们又会迁回北极。灰鲸（gray whales）是灰色的，身上带有白色斑纹。

近年对于鲸鱼的兴趣，掀起了一阵观鲸热潮（whale watching boom）。Boom在这里是指突然流行、蓬勃起来。国际捕鲸委员会有八十八个成员国，当中包括中国，是于一九四六年成立，目的是保育鲸鱼。它有一个名单，列举五十个国家的观鲸指引。因此我相当惊讶 ，一条年幼、受伤的鲸鱼于西贡海域迷失，香港政府所做的保护措施却那么少。那条鲸鱼有两处被船只螺旋桨造成的伤口，可仍有大量的香港观光客乘搭观光船就近观鲸。

美国有法例保护鲸鱼。有多项指引说明，观光船必须根据鲸鱼的种类，距离一百至五百码，而且只能逗留很短的时间。专家们指，西贡鲸鱼的死亡，要归咎于观光客太近距离观看，给牠施加压力。死亡的鲸鱼身上有一道新的螺旋桨伤口。政府和观光客好应感到愧疚，是自己招致鲸鱼死亡。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻