Many Humpback whales have been sighted around Powell River. Some of them were observed to be travelling in pairs while others were travelling in a group of four. Various behaviours were displayed by the Humpback whales, including breaching, tail slapping, pectoral slapping, and feeding by bubble nets. A few sightings of Humpback whales have also been reported in the lower Georgia Strait. It is expected that the whales will leave our waters in the next few weeks and migrate South where they will stay for the Winter months. Enjoy them while they are still here and keep sending in your sightings!
Ivan Ng, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Ivan Ng, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Humpback Whale BCZ0338 off Klahanie Drive, North of Powell River
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
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Society News & Events
Mark your calendar: WOWs Founder Susan MacKay will be speaking on 'Our Cetaceans', 7 pm, Tuesday Nov 15, 2016 at Pender Harbour High School. Susan will delve into the identification, sounds and interactions of some of the species of whales & dolphins (cetaceans) we see frequently in our local inside waters. This multi-media presentation is open to everyone & all are welcome thanks to Pender Harbour Wildlife Society. We look forward to seeing you there.
Our team of Volunteers continue to do a great job in making sure all your reports are mapped and published regularly.
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to the non profit wild ocean whale society
Sightings Update
SIGHTINGS MAP 2016-037
Jump to: Biggs Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins
TRANSIENT BIGGS KILLER WHALES
Mon Oct 31 2016
17:25 • 2 Biggs Orca heading North off Rebecca Rocks toward Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait.
Liz and Ted Douglas, Powell River, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales with their noses up
Fri, 4 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales with their noses up
Fri, 4 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
Jump to: Biggs Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins
UNIDENTIFIED KILLER WHALES
Fri Oct 28 2016
12:01 • 12 Orca milling, about a mile offshore of Little River, Georgia Strait. Spread out.
Jared Towers, NIMMSA
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Unidentified Killer Whales
Killer Whales travelling and breaching together
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Unidentified Killer Whales
Killer Whales travelling and breaching together
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Unidentified Killer Whales
Killer Whales hanging out off of Cortes Island in the summer
Wed, 9 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Unidentified Killer Whales
Killer Whales hanging out off of Cortes Island in the summer
Wed, 9 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
Jump to: Biggs Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins
HUMPBACK WHALES
Tue Nov 08 2016
11:48 • 4 Humpback Whales foraging, East of Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
08:52 • 2 Humpback Whales North of Rebecca Rocks. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Mon Nov 07 2016
11:51 • 2 Humpback Whales slapping pectorals, three-quarters of the way to Rebecca Rocks from Powell River, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
11:51 • 2 Humpback Whales off the South-West tip of Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
09:38 • 1 Humpback Whales breaching, between Powell River and the South-West tip of Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Sun Nov 06 2016
14:53 • Humpback Whales near Grilse Point on Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales near Grilse Point
Sun, 6 Nov 2016 - 8 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales near Grilse Point
Sun, 6 Nov 2016 - 8 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
14:06 • Humpback Whales breaching, off Blubber Bay on Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. Same group from in front of Powell River. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
12:16 • 1 Humpback Whales heading South abeam Cape Mudge Lighthouse in the middle of Discovery Passage.
John Lewis, Discovery Marine Safaris
10:05 • 3-4 Humpback Whales in front of Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait. Grouped together just out from the Viewpoint. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
09:56 • est. 4-5 Humpback Whales foraging, in front of Powell River towards Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. We watched them off and on for about 2 hours as they appeared to be feeding off Westview between the Viewpoint and the wharf. The distance from shore was at least 1 km at the furthest and about half that when they came in closer. I'm quite sure I saw 4 whales and another possible. One whale looked smaller through the scope and stayed fairly close to a larger animal all the time. There were no breaches or fin slapping when I was watching but they appeared to move with purpose at the surface sometimes as though they were following food. I never saw a tail fluke signally a deep dive and they only stayed down for about 5 minutes between blows. ▫ Observed from Shore
Steve & Susan Grover, Powell River, BC
Sat Nov 05 2016
12:34 • 4 Humpback Whales off Rebecca Rocks, Georgia Strait. Towards Vancouver Island. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Thu Nov 03 2016
09:30 • 2 Humpback Whales foraging, heading North-West North of Active Pass. One mile offshore. ▫ From Ferry
Doug Martin, Port Moody, BC
Mon Oct 31 2016
13:44 • 2 Humpback Whales heading South by Pocahontas Bay on the East side of Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
08:45 • 1 Humpback Whales off NW tip of Texada Island, Georgia Strait. ▫ From Ferry
Liz and Ted Douglas, Powell River, BC
--:-- • 8 Humpback Whales by Bella Bella, Seaforth Channel.
Bill Coltart, Pacific Pro Dive
Sun Oct 30 2016
14:39 • 2 Humpback Whales just off of the tip of Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
12:19 • 1 Humpback Whales heading North-West off of Rebecca Rocks, Georgia Strait. Large whale, fluked. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Sat Oct 29 2016
17:15 • 3-4 Humpback Whales breaching, on the West side of Rebecca Rocks. Approximately 20 breaches. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
13:01 • 5 Humpback Whales ◦BCY0160 Heather;BCY0409 Yogi; BCY0458 Raptor◦ taking long dives, heading North-East off of Galiano Island, Georgia Strait. Two separate groups were together and were about 500 meters apart. ▫ On Scene
Karina & Emilian Nica, Vancouver, BC
Fri Oct 28 2016
15:58 • 4 Humpback Whales bubble netting, angling towards Vivian Island from Harwood Island Spit, Malaspina Strait.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
15:13 • 4 Humpback Whales off Harwood Island Spit, Malaspina Strait. The whales are in a very tight group. ▫ Second Hand
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
14:30 • 4 Humpback Whales just off the North side of Harwood Island Spit.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
4 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Sliammon including BCZ0338, BCY0057 Niagra, BCX0022 Houdini and her calf
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 - 9 items
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
4 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Sliammon including BCZ0338, BCY0057 Niagra, BCX0022 Houdini and her calf
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 - 9 items
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
13:22 • 2-3 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Sliammon, Malaspina Strait.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
4 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Sliammon
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 - 10 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
4 Humpback Whales between Harwood Island and Sliammon
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 - 10 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
12:00 • 2 Humpback Whales moving slowly, heading North off of Cape Roger Curtis on Bowen Island, Georgia Strait. Mother with a calf. Would come up for air about 4-5 times, and then disappear for 5-10 minutes. Then would reappear not too far North of where it was before. ▫ Observed from Shore
Marian Bantjes, Bowen Island, BC
08:30 • 2 Humpback Whales heading West off Race Rocks, Strait of Juan de Fuca. Mother and calf.
Heather Smith,
Thu Oct 27 2016
17:45 • 2 Humpback Whales further out Georgia Strait. Blow lit up by sun shining thorugh a sucker hole. ▫ Observed from Shore
17:45 • 2 Humpback Whales between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
17:25 • 3-4 Humpback Whales between Rebecca Rocks and Harwood Island. 3-4 blows observed. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale BCY0291 KC in Rock Bay back in September
Sat, 29 Oct 2016 - 2 items
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale Watching
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale BCY0291 KC in Rock Bay back in September
Sat, 29 Oct 2016 - 2 items
Jack Springer, Campbell River Whale Watching
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales putting on a show during the summer
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 5 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales putting on a show during the summer
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 5 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
Jump to: Biggs Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Tue Nov 08 2016
14:15 • PWS Dolphins heading North in front of Powell River, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins being playful during the summer
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 2 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphins being playful during the summer
Mon, 7 Nov 2016 - 2 items
Colin Griffinson, Pacific Yellowfin Charters
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphin porpoising through the water
Thu, 10 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Pacific White Sided Dolphins
Pacific White Sided Dolphin porpoising through the water
Thu, 10 Nov 2016 - 1 items
Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures
SIGHTINGS HEAT MAP 2016-037
The Magazine
REGIONAL & WEST COAST
CBC BC
Killer whale advocates in British Columbia describe a federal petition submitted in the U.S. to create a safe foraging zone for southern resident killer whales as "a bold move that needs to happen."
This week the Orca Relief Citizens' Alliance filed a federal petition that asks for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a 26-square-kilometre buffer zone in Washington State, along the western shore of San Juan Island in the Salish Sea.
Vessels in the zone would be required to reduce their speed to the point where they create no wake, which would reduce underwater noise which disturbs orcas.
"This [non-government organization] in the U.S. has shown real leadership and that we need to follow suit in Canada," said Misty MacDuffee, a biologist with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
The area, which is in the Haro Strait, along the ...
Times Colonist, BC
Hopes for the recovery of southern resident killer whale populations have cooled one year after a “baby boom” for the endangered species.
The Center for Whale Research announced the death of J28 on Friday, saying it would also likely mean the death of her calf, J54.
There are now 80 southern resident killer whales, down from 85 in January.
“Mothers are dying and babies are dying, so it’s unrealistic to expect anything positive,” the centre’s Ken Balcomb said at a press conference in Seattle.
He said the circumstances of the orca’s death point to an alarming trend in the southern resident population: Mother whales don’t have enough food, leading to lower birth rates, maternal health problems and death.
Researchers believe the 24-year-old mother died as a result of birthing complications. The male calf was born in December 2015, at the tail end of the baby boom.
J28’s condition began deteriorating in January and she was emaciated by July
Drones Over Dolphin Stampede and Whales off Dana Point and Maui
Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point, California
From 2014, this impressive video reminds us all of why we are so in awe of the Cetacean world.
Captain Dave Anderson of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point, California, at great personal risk, has recently filmed and edited a 5-minute video that contains some of the most beautiful, jaw-dropping, footage ever taken with a drone from the air of a huge mega-pod of thousands of common dolphins stampeding off Dana Point, California, three gray whales migrating together down the coast off San Clemente, California, and heartwarming close-ups hovering over a newborn Humpback whale calf snuggling and playing with its mom as an escort whale stands guard nearby, filmed recently in Maui.
According to N.O.A.A. Southern California has the greatest density of dolphins in the world. We have pods up to 10,000 strong stretched out for miles like the wildebeests of Africa. Over 400,000 common dolphin alone. We also have the largest concentration of blue whales on earth.
Capt. Dave explains, "This is the most beautiful and compelling five minute video I have ever put together. I...
CANADA
Journal Pioneer, PEI
Troy Perry, with the Canadian Coast Guard said someone came to the door of the local base and reported seeing a small dolphin, possibly in distress by the Summerside Yacht Club.
A crew set out to find the dolphin and used their boat to guide it back to open water beyond the breakwater.
Perry said that's where the dolphin appeared to reunite with its family....
Huffington Post, WWF Canada
The world's oceans cover 70 per cent of the planet's surface and produce more than half the oxygen that sustains all life, but they're suffering, according to the Living Planet Report 2016.
The report's Living Planet Index shows a 36 per cent overall decline of ocean species between 1970 and 2012 and identifies overexploitation as the biggest threat to ocean species, followed by habitat loss and climate change. Almost one-third (31 per cent) of fish stocks globally are harvested at unsustainable levels, an increase since the last Living Planet Report in 2014.
This degradation of habitat threatens human lives and livelihoods as well ...
CBC The Nature of Things
VIDEO - What kind of intelligence is behind dolphin communication, and will humans one day be able to have a conversation with them? Click the image above to play this episode.
INTERNATIONAL
AFP, France
The world's whaling watchdog concluded a typically discordant meeting Friday with defeats for both the pro- and anti-whaling camps, and the organisation's very purpose called into question.
After a week marked by a classic standoff between whaling nations Japan, Norway and Iceland on the one hand and mainly Western and South American countries on the other, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) agreed on the need for introspection.
The commission, which turns 70 this year, "has been in a stalemate due ....
It's not every day you get to see so many dolphins off the coast of Ireland.
HER, Ireland
VIDEO - The Irish Coast Guard boat “Sean A Dunne” were today joined up by some unexpected visitors in the form of a school of Bottlenose Dolphins.
The Coast Guard crew of four were on routine exercise in the Irish Sea off Donabate, Co Dublin in what was flat calm clear conditions. The dolphins joined the crew surfing the bow waves of the Coast Guard boat before retiring back to deeper waters."
Science Daily / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Researchers have known for decades that whales create elaborate songs, sometimes projecting their calls for miles underwater. A new study, however, has revealed a previously unknown element of whale songs that could aid this mode of communication, and may play a pivotal role in locating other whales in open ocean.
Business Scoop, NZ
Greenpeace New Zealand has teamed up with researchers at the University of Auckland in an effort to discover more about the critically endangered Mui dolphin, including where they go in winter.
The project was launched yesterday, and the team have already spotted three Māui – almost 5% of the entire global population.
Best estimates show there are only about 63 left, and ...
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