Numerous Humpback Whales are still foraging all over the inside waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland shores. They don't appear to be in any hurry to depart to breeding grounds, or have we become both feeding and breeding grounds now? We heard that there were a number of them also at the entrance to Jervis Inlet, but did not have a specific date/time/location of the sighting, so it is not in this report.
Resident Orca, both Northern and Southern were reported below Campbell River foraging together with Pacific White Sided Dolphins along the Vancouver Island shoreline. There appears to be more food for them all farther out from the mainland and also in some of the inlets where fish are still running.
Many of you realize that we do rescues of coastal wildlife as well as marine mammals, but never expected to rescue Luna. While checking on the Orca, T101s off Powell River there was a howl from uninhabited Harwood Island. At first glance it looked like a wolf which would be very unusual. Moving a bit closer to the sandy spit, this dog started swimming straight to the boat. She was determined to be rescued! No, she was not dumped, nor did she fall off a boat in the rough water we had a few days before. A fair bit of sleuthing and thanks to all on Facebook who managed to get the word out quickly, the owners were found in 24 hours. We're happy to say that although she had swollen paws and a few scrapes, a few days rest and antibiotics is doing the trick. Luna, which is truly her name, is going home, one extremely sweet, lucky dog. My cat will be extremely happy.
We'd like to pass on that Luna had a harness on when she got lost which likely got caught in some of the dense bush on the far side of the island. She didn't have it on when we pulled her on board. She has a tatoo, which vets and SPCA do routinely to reunite pets with their owners. The tatoo is not useful if you change phone numbers, move, or give your pet away and don't update the information. With more boaters taking their pets on board, there have been a number of dogs, most often, lost overboard this year. Make sure you contact all surrounding SPCAs, other pet finding services and Social Media immediately. Although Coast Guard is not big on keeping the info on pets lost in waterways, they will.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Resident Orca, both Northern and Southern were reported below Campbell River foraging together with Pacific White Sided Dolphins along the Vancouver Island shoreline. There appears to be more food for them all farther out from the mainland and also in some of the inlets where fish are still running.
Many of you realize that we do rescues of coastal wildlife as well as marine mammals, but never expected to rescue Luna. While checking on the Orca, T101s off Powell River there was a howl from uninhabited Harwood Island. At first glance it looked like a wolf which would be very unusual. Moving a bit closer to the sandy spit, this dog started swimming straight to the boat. She was determined to be rescued! No, she was not dumped, nor did she fall off a boat in the rough water we had a few days before. A fair bit of sleuthing and thanks to all on Facebook who managed to get the word out quickly, the owners were found in 24 hours. We're happy to say that although she had swollen paws and a few scrapes, a few days rest and antibiotics is doing the trick. Luna, which is truly her name, is going home, one extremely sweet, lucky dog. My cat will be extremely happy.
We'd like to pass on that Luna had a harness on when she got lost which likely got caught in some of the dense bush on the far side of the island. She didn't have it on when we pulled her on board. She has a tatoo, which vets and SPCA do routinely to reunite pets with their owners. The tatoo is not useful if you change phone numbers, move, or give your pet away and don't update the information. With more boaters taking their pets on board, there have been a number of dogs, most often, lost overboard this year. Make sure you contact all surrounding SPCAs, other pet finding services and Social Media immediately. Although Coast Guard is not big on keeping the info on pets lost in waterways, they will.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Humpback Whale, Crescent, fluking off of Rebecca Rocks
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Society News & Events
Real Time Monitoring Station Live Update:
Our live camera feed is at YouTube Channel Live Link. We still have transmission problems causing the intermittent bouncy images from the Beach Gardens Marina camera which would translate to static for our hydrophone (underwater listening) stream. We continue to work on a resolution. You may also have noticed that we have a second live stream that appears when the Beach Gardens camera is down. This is a lesser quality camera we have as a backup mounted in Powell River. We still managed to have a couple of whale sightings from both cameras.
Thank You to all our hardworking volunteers and contributors! We'd also like to welcome our new volunteers who have started training.
Our team of online Volunteers continue to do a great job in making sure all your sightings reports are mapped and published regularly. Would you like to join us?
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Sightings Update
ISSUE SIGHTINGS MAP 2017-041
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
TRANSIENT BIGGS KILLER WHALES
Sat Oct 28 2017
16:00 • Biggs Orca ◦T101s◦ heading south 2 mi off the west side of Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait. ▫ Leaving the Scene
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales, T101s, heading south by Mitlenatch Island
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 - 7 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales, T101s, heading south by Mitlenatch Island
Sat, 28 Oct 2017 - 7 items
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
15:18 • 5 Biggs Orca ◦T101s◦ heading south Oyster Bay, Georgia Strait.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
14:00 • est. 8 Biggs Orca moving slowly, heading south south of Campbell River, Discovery Passage. ▫ On Scene
12:40 • est. 5 Biggs Orca bow riding, heading south April Point, Discovery Passage. ▫ On Scene
Tatia MacGregor, Campbell River, BC
Fri Oct 27 2017
14:30 • 5 Biggs Orca ◦T101s◦ hunting, heading north by Harwood Island Spit, Malaspina Strait. The pod was split up on either side of the strait. Rescued a lost dog off the spit. Found owners, her name is Luna.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
12:37 • 5 Biggs Orca heading north passed the Humpbacks Myrtle Point, Malaspina Strait.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
Wed Oct 25 2017
10:42 • 1 Biggs Orca in front of Powell River, Malaspina Strait. One male.
Steve & Susan Grover, Powell River, BC
10:39 • Biggs Orca travelling, heading north off Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait.
Sherri Wretham, Powell River, BC
10:10 • 6 Biggs Orca moving quickly, heading north-west between Rebecca Rocks and Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. Orca pod was moving quickly about 3 km in front of the Powell River viewpoint from shore. 2 juveniles in pod and a lone male trailing behind the main group. ▫ Observed from Shore
Steve & Susan Grover, Powell River, BC
Tue Oct 24 2017
13:20 • 4 Biggs Orca heading south way off Blueback Beach north Nanaimo, Georgia Strait. Three adults and one younger. Saw them for 15-20 minutes as they cruised by.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Patrick Beaton, Nanaimo, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales heading south off of Blueback Beach
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 - 2 items
Patrick Beaton, Nanaimo, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Transient Bigg's Killer Whales heading south off of Blueback Beach
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 - 2 items
Patrick Beaton, Nanaimo, BC
13:19 • 1 Biggs Orca heading north south of Cape Mudge, Georgia Strait.
Garry Henkel, Aboriginal Journeys Whale and Grizzly Bear Tours
Sun Oct 15 2017
13:23 • est. 4 Biggs Orca travelling, heading north past Beach Gardens Marina below Grief Point, Malaspina Strait. One big fin and 3 or more small ones.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
10:30 • 2 Biggs Orca heading north off Bowen Island, Collingwood Channel.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Allan Daldy, Bowen Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Killer Whales off of Bowen Island in Collingwood Channel
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 - 1 items
Allan Daldy, Bowen Island, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Transient Biggs Killer Whales
Killer Whales off of Bowen Island in Collingwood Channel
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 - 1 items
Allan Daldy, Bowen Island, BC
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
NORTHERN RESIDENT KILLER WHALES
Thu Oct 26 2017
13:46 • NRKW Orca foraging, off Kitty Coleman Beach Park, Georgia Strait. Concerned citizen texted that 2 boats were running on top of a number of Dolphins and Orca. ▫ Second Hand
Radio, overheard or call out
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
SOUTHERN RESIDENT KILLER WHALES
Fri Oct 27 2017
18:00 • SRKW Orca off Cape Mudge, Georgia Strait. ▫ Second Hand
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
UNIDENTIFIED KILLER WHALES
Fri Oct 27 2017
09:20 • 4-5 Orca about 2 km from Little River, Georgia Strait. They were some distance north of the ferry route just splashing around. ▫ From Ferry
Myrt Brewster, Powell River, BC
Thu Oct 26 2017
18:23 • est. 20 Orca off Cape Lazo, Georgia Strait.
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
HUMPBACK WHALES
Sun Oct 29 2017
13:33 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north between Texada Island and Hornby Island, Georgia Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
12:12 • Humpback Whales bubble netting, at the top of Deer Passage.
Radio, overheard or call out
02:01 • est. 4 Humpback Whales tail lobs, in different locations in Qualicum Bay, Georgia Strait. Could hear very loud crashing into the water and walked down to the beach to investigate. They are blowing and tail slapping, in different locations of the bay consecutively. They have been very active close to the shore for the past 2 hours - midnight and still active at 2am. We have had sea lions or seals in the area the past 2 days. Guessing by the large sound of the splash and tail slaps that they are large and possibly Humpbacks. Incredible to witness. ▫ Observed from Shore
Tasha Leclerc, Qualicum Beach, BC
Sat Oct 28 2017
16:57 • 1 Humpback Whales Coho / Kiddie Point, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
15:29 • Humpback Whales Coho / Kiddie Point.
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
13:10 • 4 Humpback Whales doing circles, heading Unknown Direction between Ford Cove and Shingle Spit, Lambert Channel. We heard their blows from the seaside trail and could spot them through the trees, we hurried down to the beach and watched them for over half an hour. They surfaced frequently. Lots of blows. Saw flukes occasionally.
They travelled back and forth through Lambert Channel, first travelling north west, then once they got as far as shingle spit they turned around and travelled the opposite direction. Turned around again out past Fords Cove. ▫ Observed from Shore
Willow Mcconell, Hornby Island, BC
13:00 • 1 Humpback Whales near Tree Island, Stuart Channel. in the fog.
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
11:01 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north Willow Point, Georgia Strait. On Vancouver Island side almost abeam the light house.
Dean Parsonage, 50 North Aventures
Fri Oct 27 2017
14:32 • 2-3 Humpback Whales foraging, between Denman Island and Hornby Island, Lambert Channel. Actively feeding with the birds.
Bill Coltart, Pacific Pro Dive
12:57 • 2 Humpback Whales 200 meters off Cortez Reef, Georgia Strait.
Jerry Weldon, Eagle Eye Adventures
12:14 • 3-6 Humpback Whales heading south just past Myrtle Point, Malaspina Strait.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
08:30 • 2 Humpback Whales heading west by Blubber Bay, Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ From Ferry
Myrt Brewster, Powell River, BC
Thu Oct 26 2017
17:29 • 4-6 Humpback Whales out by Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
16:30 • 1 Humpback Whales travelling, heading north between Black (Albion) Point and Myrtle Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Witnessed a number of blows before it dove and we saw the tail flukes. ▫ Observed from Shore
Liz Kennedy, Powell River, BC
11:58 • 1 Humpback Whales halfway between Powell River Viewpoint and Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait.
10:17 • Humpback Whales heading south between Powell River Viewpoint and Grief Point, Malaspina Strait. About 1000 ft out between viewpoint and grief pt.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Wed Oct 25 2017
15:16 • 1 Humpback Whales travelling, heading north seen from Lang Bay, Malaspina Strait.
Michael Stewart, Powell River, BC
14:00 • 3 Humpback Whales below Texada Island across from Myrtle Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Huge blows lit up in sunshine.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
13:23 • Humpback Whales travelling, heading south-west from Beach Gardens Marina sped towards Texada Island, Malaspina Strait. Difficult to find with jumpy camera a feed.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
12:57 • 3 Humpback Whales travelling, heading south at Grief Point, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
12:15 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south close in to Powell River south of Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait.
Jack McGuire, Powell River, BC
12:05 • Humpback Whales travelling, heading south Powell River Westview Harbour towards Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait.
Brenda Currie, Powell River, BC
10:39 • 2 Humpback Whales tail slaps, close to Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Fins and tail slapping.
Sherri Wretham, Powell River, BC
09:13 • 2 Humpback Whales travelling, heading south-east from Rebecca Rocks angling towards Coho / Kiddie Point, Malaspina Strait. Headed towards Coho Point.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales heading southbound near Grief Point
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 - 5 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales heading southbound near Grief Point
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 - 5 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Tue Oct 24 2017
16:04 • 2 Humpback Whales heading west heading away from Rebecca Rocks off Texada Island, Georgia Strait. Same two as previously sighted off Rebecca Rocks.
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
16:00 • 3 Humpback Whales just above Whale Passage, Calm Channel.
16:00 • 1 Humpback Whales Browns Bay, Discovery Passage.
Radio, overheard or call out
14:56 • 2 Humpback Whales out from Rebecca Rocks heading toward Vivian Island, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Leaving the Scene
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
13:26 • Humpback Whales resting, between Grief Point and Myrtle Rocks, Malaspina Strait.
Terry Brown and Jude Abrams, Lund, BC
11:52 • Humpback Whales 600 metres out from Powell River Viewpoint, Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
11:52 • 3 Humpback Whales doing circles, off Blubber Bay, Malaspina Strait.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
11:00 • 1 Humpback Whales resting, heading south-east at Beach Gardens Marina below Grief Point, Malaspina Strait. One humpback whale was off the South Harbour breakwater at Powell River at 11 am and swam southeast past the viewpoint. In our sailboat we approached the whale between Beach Gardens and Texada Island where whale rested, until we lost sight of whale around 2 pm. ▫ On Scene
Terry Brown and Jude Abrams, Lund, BC
10:23 • 1 Humpback Whales heading north off Westview, Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
Janet Southcott, Powell River, BC
09:21 • 2 Humpback Whales Powell River side of Rebecca Rocks headed toward Harwood Island, Malaspina Strait.
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales off of Rebecca Rocks headed towards Harwood Island
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 - 7 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Two Humpback Whales off of Rebecca Rocks headed towards Harwood Island
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 - 7 items
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
08:14 • Humpback Whales heading south-east off SW side Bowen Island, Collingwood Channel.
Allan Daldy, Bowen Island, BC
Mon Oct 23 2017
17:24 • Humpback Whales heading south out from Powell River Viewpoint, Powell River, Malaspina Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
12:07 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south toward Crescent Bay west side of Texada Island, Georgia Strait.
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
09:30 • Humpback Whales between Powell River Viewpoint and Powell River Ferry terminal, Malaspina Strait. Just blows so far.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
09:27 • Humpback Whales in front of Powell River Ferry terminal, Malaspina Strait.
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
Sun Oct 22 2017
16:00 • 1 Humpback Whales foraging, between Major Rock Islet and Lund, Malaspina Strait. The humpback travelled back and forth in front of Diver's Rock between Major Islet and Lund foraging with both shallow and deep dives. We observed one breach. We left the scene at 5:30pm. ▫ Observed from Shore
SIGHTING MEDIA
SIGHTING MEDIA
Terry Brown and Jude Abrams, Lund, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale between Grief Point and Myrtle Rocks
Sun, 22 Oct 2017 - 1 items
Terry Brown and Jude Abrams, Lund, BC
SIGHTING MEDIA
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale between Grief Point and Myrtle Rocks
Sun, 22 Oct 2017 - 1 items
Terry Brown and Jude Abrams, Lund, BC
14:47 • Humpback Whales to the right of Harwood Island Spit, Powell River, Malaspina Strait. Saw blows and a tail.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
12:00 • Humpback Whales off Harwood Island Spit, Powell River.
10:57 • 4 Humpback Whales breaching, off Kinghorn Island, Desolation Sound.
Eric Green, Powell River CCG
09:11 • 2 Humpback Whales now closer to Coho / Kiddie Point, Malaspina Strait.
08:56 • Humpback Whales near the light by Blubber Bay, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Fri Oct 20 2017
16:08 • Humpback Whales to the left of Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Saw a blow then a tail.
15:50 • 1 Humpback Whales heading toward Harwood Island Spit from Sliammon, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
15:28 • Humpback Whales NW of Powell River Mill (Pulp & Paper), Malaspina Strait.
14:09 • 2 Humpback Whales by Grant Reefs, Georgia Strait.
12:24 • 2 Humpback Whales foraging, near the light at the SE corner Copeland Islands, Malaspina Strait. ▫ With a few sea lions.
Graham Evans, Stowaway Sailing Adventures
Thu Oct 19 2017
17:44 • est. 3 Humpback Whales Harwood Island and Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. Spotted big blows through the scope. ▫ Observed from Shore
Barry Rice, Powell River, BC
10:10 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north between Harwood Island and Powell River, Malaspina Strait.
Susan MacKay, Wild Ocean Whale Society
Sun Oct 15 2017
13:09 • est. 2 Humpback Whales moving slowly, heading north-east, Howe Sound, Queen Charlotte Channel. One is a juvenile. Diving. ▫ On Scene
John Church, Gambier Island, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale off of Hornby Island
Fri, 1 Sep 2017 - 4 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whale off of Hornby Island
Fri, 1 Sep 2017 - 4 items
Micheline Macauley, Texada Island, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales travelling north-east in Howe Sound
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 - 1 items
John Church, Vancouver, BC
SPECIES SUPPLEMENT
Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales travelling north-east in Howe Sound
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 - 1 items
John Church, Vancouver, BC
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
PACIFIC WHITE SIDED DOLPHINS
Thu Oct 26 2017
18:23 • est. 70 PWS Dolphins off Cape Lazo, Georgia Strait.
Peter Hamilton, Lifeforce
17:55 • est. 6 PWS Dolphins heading south near Myrtle Point, Malaspina Strait.
Jim Southern, Powell River, BC
13:46 • PWS Dolphins foraging, off Kitty Coleman Beach Park, Georgia Strait. Concerned citizen texted that 2 boats were running on top of a number of Dolphins and NRKW. ▫ Second Hand
Radio, overheard or call out
Fri Oct 20 2017
08:25 • est. 20 PWS Dolphins moving slowly, heading south close to shore Powell River Viewpoint, Malaspina Strait.
Michelle Pennell, Powell River, BC
Jump to: Biggs Orca | NRKW Orca | SRKW Orca | Orca | Humpback Whales | PWS Dolphins | Species Unsure
SPECIES UNSURE
Sun Oct 22 2017
16:30 • est. 1 Species Unsure breaching, Neck Point, Nanaimo, Georgia Strait. We saw a few blows and a bit of breaching off Neck Point in Nanaimo. Animal was quite dark. probably a humpback. There may have been more than one. It was pretty far out in the Strait. ▫ Observed from Shore
David Hargrave, Nanaimo, BC
NEW! WOWs Sightings Archive Explorer
Recommended for desktop browsers and newer mobile devices
Dive into over 5,000 Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings reported in our Sightings Updates with the WOWS Sightings Archive Explorer
Archive Explorer takes readers into the Cetacean world of the BC Coast. Easily view all Cetacean sighting reports together with all sighting photos and videos:
• View species such as Humpback, Grey Whale or Dalls Porpoise
• Follow the endangered Southern Residents Orca in the Salish Sea
• Search for encounters with T002C2 Tumbo
• Goto Port Alberni to watch a close-up video of Orca in the harbour
• Track the T010s Transients as they hunt and travel the inside passage
• Check-Out "KC", the ever popular Humphack and track his whereabouts this past August
• Goto one of 12,000 named locations on the BC and WA State coast
• Print custom sighting reports and maps (Coming Soon)
Explore this powerfull new research tool with the Archive Explorer Help page
Note: The Cetacean Sightings Archive is also available in database format together with sighting photo and video links for viewing, query and download here
Send your Comments and Questions to: Archive Explorer Feedback
Dive into over 5,000 Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings reported in our Sightings Updates with the WOWS Sightings Archive Explorer
Archive Explorer takes readers into the Cetacean world of the BC Coast. Easily view all Cetacean sighting reports together with all sighting photos and videos:
• View species such as Humpback, Grey Whale or Dalls Porpoise
• Follow the endangered Southern Residents Orca in the Salish Sea
• Search for encounters with T002C2 Tumbo
• Goto Port Alberni to watch a close-up video of Orca in the harbour
• Track the T010s Transients as they hunt and travel the inside passage
• Check-Out "KC", the ever popular Humphack and track his whereabouts this past August
• Goto one of 12,000 named locations on the BC and WA State coast
• Print custom sighting reports and maps (Coming Soon)
Explore this powerfull new research tool with the Archive Explorer Help page
Note: The Cetacean Sightings Archive is also available in database format together with sighting photo and video links for viewing, query and download here
Send your Comments and Questions to: Archive Explorer Feedback
The Magazine
REGIONAL
National Post, ON
Fisheries Minister Dominic Leblanc says Canada will move to match a U.S. requirement that all boats stay at least 200 metres away from southern resident killer whales.
Leblanc told reporters outside the House of Commons he heard loud and clear from scientists at a symposium on the whales in British Columbia earlier this month that more needs to be done — not just to protect them but also to help recovery efforts to boost the population.
There are only about 78 southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, the series of waterways off the southern coast of B.C. and northern coast of Washington state that includes the straits of Georgia, Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound.
Scientific evidence shows noise from large ships and whale-watching tour boats is one of the biggest threats to the whales as it disturbs their ability to use sound to locate food sources.
Times Colonist, BC
Southern resident killer whales are at risk of extinction if drastic measures are not taken to increase their food supply and reduce underwater noise caused by boats, a new study finds.
The population of orca that inhabit the Pacific coast of Canada and the U.S. are “balancing on a knife-edge” and under current conditions have a 25 per cent chance of being wiped out in the next 100 years, according to the peer-reviewed paper published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
“What this study does is it really shows the power of human actions to dictate the future of these whales,” said Misty MacDuffee, one of the authors of the report and a biologist with the Sidney-based Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “If we are able to reduce noise and increase chinook availability, we can change their trajectory from declining to increasing.”
The research, completed by an international team of scientists from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., evaluated the threats to resident killer whales’ survival based on 40 years of data and simulated various combinations of these threats to predict future scenarios....
The Georgia Strait Alliance, BC
The federal government’s southern resident killer whale Symposium, held as part of the Oceans Protection Plan this week in Vancouver, failed to identify concrete actions to ensure the recovery of the endangered killer whales, according to seven environmental organizations.
“Threats to southern residents are well-documented and to support recovery we need to be implementing tangible measures immediately,” says Christianne Wilhelmson, Executive Director of Georgia Strait Alliance. “We were encouraged that the federal government spoke of having to make difficult decisions; however, we did not hear any specific steps or measures that will be taken in the short term. Now is the time for the federal government to show strong leadership to protect critical habitat because orcas can’t wait.”
The southern resident killer whale population has had two deaths this year, seven in 2016, and calves have not been born since 2015. Today, there are 76 remaining, a very small population that is inherently vulnerable to the risk of extinction. This population of whales relies on B.C.’s southern coastal waters from May to October.
David Suzuki Foundation, BC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says oil pipelines have no place in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest. Opponents of the approved Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion to the West Coast and the cancelled Energy East pipeline to the East Coast argue pipelines and tankers don’t belong in any coastal areas. Research led by the Raincoast Conservation Foundation confirms the threat to marine mammals in B.C. waters from a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic is considerable.
After examining potential impacts of a 15,000-cubic-metre oil spill in B.C. waters on 21 marine mammals, researchers concluded most individuals would be at risk and a few local populations wouldn’t survive. Baleen whales, for example, are highly susceptible to ingesting oil because they breathe through blowholes, filter and eat food from the ocean surface and rely on invertebrate prey. Oil residue can stick to the baleen, restricting the amount of food they consume.
Resident and transient killer whales, sea otters and Steller sea lions were most likely to see a drop in population levels from an oil spill. Killer whales are especially vulnerable because of their small populations, low reproductive rates, dietary specialization, long lives and complex social structure. The 76 southern resident killer whales off the B.C. coast, Canada’s most endangered marine mammal, are particularly threatened by oil spills, as well as ship strikes and underwater noise that hinders their ability to feed and communicate.
If Trans Mountain’s Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion proceeds and an oil spill occurs, the study estimates it would affect between 22 and 80 per cent of these whales’ critical Salish Sea habitat...
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
The Telegram, NL
The trial of a tour boat skipper accused of disturbing a whale near Cape Spear two years ago will continue in provincial court in St. John’s today.
Walter Reddick, 64, has been charged under the Fisheries Act with unlawfully disturbing a marine mammal in connection with an incident alleged to have happened Aug. 5, 2014. Tour company Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours has also been charged, and will be tried separately.
It marks the first time the charges have been laid in this province....
CBC NS
Scientists at an annual meeting for North Atlantic right whales estimate the species has a little over two decades left to survive unless changes are made immediately.
The North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium's annual meeting was held in Halifax on Sunday, and all of the scientists spoke with a sense of urgency about the fate of these whales.
This summer, at least 15 right whales died in Canadian and U.S. waters and scientists at the conference stressed that human activity is the primary cause of death for all right whales.
"The sense of urgency for me is finding out that the population that's with us today, a lot of the breeding females may be gone in two decades. And that's a really short period of time for us to do something about this," said marine ecologist Mark Baumgartner from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution...
The Globe and Mail, ON
As the North Atlantic right whale nears the end of a year of dangerously high mortality, federal ocean regulators are calling for it to remain listed as endangered, according to a report released Friday.
Less than 500 of the right whales exist, and scientists have said at least 15 of them have died since the spring off the coast of U.S. and Canada. Many of the deaths were attributed to vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's five-year review of the species states that the right whales are experiencing low reproduction, declining abundance and changes in the availability of food.
The review includes recommendations to protect the species...
Hakai Magazine, BC
In the first part of the 20th century, industrial whalers hunted a range of species to near extinction. But almost 100 years later, many of those populations—humpbacks, blue whales, southern right whales, and others—are still hurting. And even after 100 years of protection, many of these whale populations will still be less than half the size they were before the whaling era.
That’s the finding of a new study on southern hemisphere baleen whales. Researchers estimated how the populations of five whale species will change by the year 2100 by calculating various data, including: numbers from the historical whale catch; past and present population estimates; and estimated future abundances of phytoplankton and krill, the whales’ primary food sources....
Newstalk 160, BC
The Green Party of Canada is applauding the Senate's Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans after senators voted this morning to send Bill S-203 back to the upper chamber for third reading.
The bill calls for an end to the captivity of whales and dolphins in Canada.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has committed to sponsoring the bill when it reaches the House of Commons...
Discover
In November 2013, a four-year-old captive beluga whale moved to a new home. She had been living in a facility with other belugas. But in her new pool, the Koktebel dolphinarium in Crimea, her only companions were dolphins. The whale adapted quickly: she started imitating the unique whistles of the dolphins, and stopped making a signature beluga call altogether.
“The first appearance of the beluga in the dolphinarium caused a fright in the dolphins,” write Elena Panova and Alexandr Agafonov of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The bottlenose dolphins included one adult male, two adult females and a young female. But the animals soon got along, er, swimmingly. In August 2016, one of the adult female dolphins gave birth to a calf that regularly swam alongside the beluga.
The researchers were curious about what the new pool-mates were saying to each other....
Lost Angelese Times, CA
Scientists studying dolphins dining off the California coastline have found that the marine food web is starting to look a little threadbare. The length of food chains in that web appears to have gotten shorter in response to environmental changes — such as those caused by El Niño events.
The findings, published this week in the journal Science Advances, highlight a useful method for examining the ways climate change is affecting the structure of the world’s ecosystems.
As human-caused climate change continues its rapid pace, and as the oceans warm and acidify, it’s altering which marine species can survive. That means that key species in a food web may start to decline – which can have serious effects on this complex and delicate network.
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