Whale Wednesday: Highlighting the work of Craig George and Harry Brower Jr.🐋🌊 🌎🌊 During…
Whale Wednesday: Highlighting the work of Craig George and Harry Brower Jr.🐋🌊
🌎🌊 During the 2009/10 Around the Americas research expedition, the crew met and hosted Craig George aboard Ocean Watch. Craig had been sent to Barrow (now Utqiaġvik) by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to count whales in support of establishing a sustainable hunting quota. There, he met Harry Brower Jr., a whaling captain. Strange bedfellows indeed! As McCormick wrote in One Island One Ocean, “After all, Brower’s job was killing whales and George’s job was counting them.” Craig and Harry formed an unlikely and friendly relationship, eventually sharing offices and working together to sustain the whaling population and industry.
⚓️One Ocean was anchored in the same place Ocean Watch dropped anchor 15 years ago.
Sadly, when we anchored this time Craig George had left the planet, a memorial plaque gives the details. As we first walked ashore from One Ocean, a young man greeted us and introduced himself as Dale Brower, grandson of Harry Jr., and “related to every Brower in the community—hundreds of Browers in this community.” He then offered us a quick windshield tour of the town, ending with a ride to the airport- where we picked up our lead scientist, Grace Dalton.
Then called Barrow, now Utqiagvik, has a population approaching 5,000 - more than double what it was in 2009. Craig George was a big part of this community, as evidenced from a memorial to him on the most beautiful promontory along the waterfront.
- Written by Mark Schrader, Around the Americas captain⛵️
📸Images of Craig and Harry captured by David Thoreson on the 2009/10 AtA expedition
📖 Read One Island, One Ocean: Around the Americas Aboard Ocean Watch for more about these two and the 2009/10 AtA expedition.
