
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 5, 1995                   TAG: 9504050064
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                                LENGTH: Short

WHALE-WATCHING YEAR ENDS

An exceptionally good season for watching whales along the Virginia coast drifted into a remarkable early spring before ending Monday.

``Without question, it's been the best year we've had,'' said W. Mark Swingle, a biologist at the Virginia Marine Science Museum. ``And it's been an incredible year for spectacular behaviors.''

Since January, the museum has taken about 23,600 people on boat excursions to watch the young humpback whales spew salty Atlantic water into the air and slap their tails and flippers.

Whales have been spotted on more than 90 percent of the trips, compared to a dismal 10 percent last year, when colder-than-normal temperatures drove the whales south to the waters off North Carolina. As many as eight whales have been seen on a single trip this year.

But the excursions ended Monday as the number of sightings declined. ``It's getting harder and harder to find them,'' said Lynn Clements, a museum spokeswoman.

by CNB