Dolphins – Orca – Humpback – Minke Updates to April 13

From the US Based Orca Network:
Again, an astounding variety of species reported in the past two days! Several Transient orca reports in WA and BC, including a large pod in the San Juans, another sighting of the Humpback whale in Puget Sound, a Minke at Hein Bank, Porpoise and sea lions in Saratoga Passage.

And thanks to Cascadia Research and the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network for working with us the past several days to respond to a dead Gray whale that was discovered on a remote beach on Whidbey Island Saturday evening.  We typically have several strandings of emaciated Gray whales in Puget Sound each year – those that are just too thin and weak to make the full migration back north, that  don’t seem to be aware of the feeding areas frequented by our “local” North Puget Sound whales that come back to feed for several months each year in Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound.