Transient Orca and Humpbacks

16:40 • est. 4 Biggs Orca moving slowly, heading north-east in Satellite Channel. South of Cowichan Bay. ▫ Observed from Shore

16:08 • Biggs Orca off Booker Point, East Redonda Island, Homfray Channel. ▫ Leaving the Scene

16:00 • Biggs Orca ?T101s? almost out of Toba Inlet.

13:06 • Biggs Orca ?T002Cs? heading south passing Refuge Cove, West Redonda Island, Lewis Channel.

12:02 • est. 5-6 Biggs Orca hunting, heading south off Patey Rock, Saanich Inlet. Heading toward Swartz Bay. ▫ Observed from Shore

18:11 • est. 10-12 Biggs Orca heading south three miles south of Halibut Bank, Georgia Strait.

17:46 • Biggs Orca ?T137s? heading south off Little River, Georgia Strait. Near ferry route.

17:20 • Biggs Orca ?T101s? heading north in Dogfish Bay, Quadra Island, Sutil Channel.

16:49 • Biggs Orca heading south around Kitty Coleman Beach Park, Georgia Strait.

16:46 • est. 6 Biggs Orca heading east by Cape Mudge Red Can Buoy off Wilby Shoals, Georgia Strait.

16:39 • Biggs Orca ?T002Cs? in Teakerne Arm.

16:35 • Biggs Orca travelling, heading south toward Cape Mudge Red Can Buoy off Wilby Shoals, Discovery Passage. Stopped bucking tide.

15:33 • Biggs Orca foraging, heading north from the Cape Mudge Lighthouse, Discovery Passage. ▫ Leaving the Scene

15:03 • Biggs Orca ?T101s; T102s? at Cape Mudge Lighthouse, Georgia Strait.

14:56 • Biggs Orca off Cape Mudge Lighthouse. Four heading north up Discovery Passage.

14:54 • Biggs Orca off Cape Mudge Village on Quadra Island, Discovery Passage.

13:59 • Biggs Orca travelling, heading south-west toward Cape Mudge Red Can Buoy from Francisco Point, Georgia Strait. Last one on scene.

12:00 • Biggs Orca foraging, in Coulter Bay, Sutil Channel. Bigger group of Orca. ▫ Leaving the Scene

11:04 • Biggs Orca travelling, heading west close to Coulter Island toward Plunger Passage, Sutil Channel.

09:52 • Biggs Orca ?T101s? travelling, out of Evans Bay, Sutil Channel.

09:47 • Biggs Orca on the way out of Evans Bay.

08:51 • Biggs Orca in Evans Bay.

19:08 • 3 Biggs Orca close to the shore at Olebar Point, Gabirola Island, Georgia Strait.

18:31 • est. 10 Biggs Orca off Rebecca Rocks, Malaspina Strait. They keep changing directions. Might be feeding a long way out.

18:11 • 5-6 Biggs Orca by Cyril Rock, Malaspina Strait.

12:07 • est. 10 Biggs Orca heading south passing Walter Point tight to East Redonda Island, Waddington Channel.

11:06 • Biggs Orca heading north, Waddington Channel. After some time, they moved southward,. ▫ On Scene

09:43 • 2 Biggs Orca in Pendrell Sound. ▫ Second Hand

09:42 • Biggs Orca heading north, Waddington Channel. ▫ Second Hand

17:00 • Biggs Orca heading south between Mystery Reef and Grant Reefs, Malaspina Strait.

15:09 • 7-9 Biggs Orca ?T002Cs? heading south across from Savary Island heading towards DInner Rock, Malaspina Strait. Another pod with T002Cs.

09:50 • 5 Biggs Orca heading south off Sarah Point, Malaspina Strait.

09:00 • est. 8-10 Biggs Orca circling prey, off Sarah Point. Once we were at a distance from the pod, we motored off towards Hernando. As we turned to look at the pod, one of the larger whales were riding in our wake, fairly close to the boat. ▫ From Power or Sail Boat

17:21 • Biggs Orca moving slowly, off Martin Islands, Desolation Sound. Heading into Desolation Sound.

17:02 • Biggs Orca between Martin Islands and Mink Island, Desolation Sound.

13:30 • NRKW Orca foraging, between Broken Islands and Eve River, Johnstone Strait.

16:30 • 3 Humpback Whales moving quickly, heading south at the north end of Penn Islands, Sutil Channel.

15:15 • 3 Humpback Whales in Drew Passage. Angled at South Rendezvous Island. ▫ Leaving the Scene

11:59 • 3 Humpback Whales bucking the tide and milling, in front of Sonora Lodge on Sonora Island, Yuculta Rapids. Been there for about one hour already.

11:02 • 2 Humpback Whales between Grant Reefs and Mystery Reef, Malaspina Strait.

10:47 • 1 Humpback Whales heading north off Read Point, Read Island, Sutil Channel.

09:59 • 2 Humpback Whales heading west in the center of Evans Bay, Read Island, Sutil Channel.

08:39 • 2-3 Humpback Whales by Cape Mudge Green Can Buoy, Georgia Strait.

16:43 • 1 Humpback Whales nose pointed towards Savary Island, Baker Passage.

16:29 • 3 Humpback Whales travelling, heading south in Coulter Bay, Sutil Channel.

16:04 • 1 Humpback Whales along the shore at Carrington Bay.

14:54 • Humpback Whales off Cape Mudge Village on Quadra Island, Discovery Passage.

14:49 • 3 Humpback Whales at Penn Islands, Sutil Channel.

14:40 • 2 Humpback Whales travelling, heading east at Breton Islands toward Viner Point, Sutil Channel.

13:18 • 2 Humpback Whales travelling, by Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

12:51 • 5 Humpback Whales 3 miles off Kitty Coleman Beach Park, Georgia Strait.

12:28 • 4 Humpback Whales doing circles, off the Cape Mudge Green Can Buoy, Georgia Strait.

11:04 • 2 Humpback Whales close to Coulter Island, Sutil Channel.

10:59 • 2 Humpback Whales taking long dives, heading south-east out of Evans Bay toward Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

09:56 • 1 Humpback Whales at South Rendezvous Island, Calm Channel.

09:52 • 3 Humpback Whales between Mitlenatch Island and Baker Passage, Georgia Strait.

09:52 • 1 Humpback Whales in Evans Bay, Sutil Channel.

09:11 • 2 Humpback Whales at Centre Islet, Sutil Channel.

08:57 • 2 Humpback Whales travelling, heading south toward Subtle Islands, Sutil Channel.

08:52 • 2 Humpback Whales by Viner Point, Sutil Channel.

17:20 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south near Von Donop Inlet.

16:25 • 2 Humpback Whales ?BCZ Apollo? heading north in Carrington Bay.

16:23 • 2 Humpback Whales just north of Subtle Islands, Sutil Channel.

15:37 • 2 Humpback Whales resting, mid-channel between Vivian Island and Kitty Coleman Beach Park, Georgia Strait.

15:06 • 1 Humpback Whales between Coulter Bay and Carrington Bay, Sutil Channel.

15:06 • 5 Humpback Whales resting, above Carrington Bay, Sutil Channel.

12:35 • 4 Humpback Whales heading north southeast of Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

11:52 • 2 Humpback Whales doing circles, on the west side of Henry Point, Malaspina Strait.

11:26 • 1 Humpback Whales half mile west of Halibut Bank, Georgia Strait.

11:23 • 2 Humpback Whales south of Dent Rapids. On Sonora shore.

10:55 • 2 Humpback Whales heading east east side of Hill Island heading for Cortes Island, Sutil Channel.

10:51 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north passing Sonora Lodge on Sonora Island, Yuculta Rapids. From “Codfather”. ▫ Second Hand

10:44 • 2 Humpback Whales west side of Hill Island, Sutil Channel. Very close to shore. ▫ Leaving the Scene

10:34 • 2 Humpback Whales heading east north side of Subtle Islands, Sutil Channel.

10:16 • Humpback Whales south-west corner of Twin Islands, Baker Passage.

10:08 • 2 Humpback Whales west side of Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

09:42 • 2 Humpback Whales south of Hole in the Wall, Calm Channel.

09:34 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north towards Lund from Mace Point, Malaspina Strait.

08:59 • 2 Humpback Whales by Whale Passage, Sutil Channel. Mom and calf inside the scallop farm.

17:30 • 3 Humpback Whales by Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait.

17:06 • Humpback Whales at Grant Reefs, Georgia Strait.

16:34 • 1 Humpback Whales north of Plunger Passage about 50-m off Cortes Island, Sutil Channel.

16:08 • 2 Humpback Whales south of Hill Island angling towards Burdwood Bay, Sutil Channel. ▫ Leaving the Scene

15:48 • 1 Humpback Whales bucking tide, off Stuart Island, Bute Inlet.

15:41 • 6-7 Humpback Whales spread out, between Hill Island and Von Donop Inlet, Sutil Channel. In groups of twos or threes.

15:11 • Humpback Whales heading north past Kellsey Point, Stuart Island, Yuculta Rapids.

14:04 • 2 Humpback Whales heading south west of Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

13:04 • 2 Humpback Whales south of Hill Island, Sutil Channel.

11:05 • 3 Humpback Whales heading south-west off Quartz Bay heading towards Carrington Bay, Sutil Channel. ▫ Leaving the Scene

09:25 • 2 Humpback Whales heading north between Whaletown and Heriot Bay, Sutil Channel.

09:21 • 1 Humpback Whales north of Whale Passage, Sutil Channel.

08:58 • 3 Humpback Whales in Quartz Bay, Sutil Channel.

18:30 • 4 Humpback Whales off Center Islet NW of Subtle Islands, Sutil Channel. Two north of the Island and two east of the island.

17:18 • 5 Humpback Whales ?BCZ Apollo; BCX0565 Nick; BCZ0338 Geometry? at the north end of Sutil Channel. ▫ Leaving the Scene

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

15:47 • 2 PWS Dolphins between Hernando Island and Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait. Woke Sea Otter up.

15:30 • 15 PWS Dolphins foraging, at Chatham Point, Discovery Passage. Mid channel.

15:10 • est. 6 PWS Dolphins travelling, heading west in Hole in the Wall.

15:03 • est. 5 PWS Dolphins off Cape Mudge Village on Quadra Island, Discovery Passage. Mixed around with Orca and Humpback whales.

15:03 • 5 PWS Dolphins at the Cape Mudge Lighthouse, Georgia Strait.

14:43 • est. 6 PWS Dolphins in Evans Bay, Sutil Channel.

11:14 • PWS Dolphins off Chatham Point, Discovery Passage. ▫ Radio Report

12:00 • 8 PWS Dolphins in back-eddy behind the wave at Cooper Point, Quadra Island, Okisollo Channel. A Sea Otter was observed with dolphins.

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

SPECIES SUPPLEMENT

15:44 • 1 Other Species between Hernando Island and Mitlenatch Island, Georgia Strait. Sea Otter sleeping on its back.

12:00 • 1 Other Species in back-eddy behind the wave at Cooper Point, Quadra Island, Okisollo Channel. A Sea Otter was observed with dolphins.

REGIONAL

A group of residents in Haida Gwaii helped a beached newborn whale return safely to the water.

A caretaker at Samson Lodge located in Naden Harbour spotted the young minke whale on the beach around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The caretaker went to Queen Charlotte Lodge to find others who could help.

They waited for high tide to come in at around 2:30 p.m., eased the whale into the water and watched it swim off.

According to a staffer at Queen Charlotte Lodge, the whale was so young its umbilical cord was still attached.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada was called but didn’t arrive until after the whale was back in the water.

As of Sept. 19, another Southern resident killer whale, J-52, – a 2 and a half-year-old male born during the so-called "baby boom" of 2015-16 – is deceased, presumably from malnutrition.

His nursing ended more than a year ago, and his life was dependent upon salmon that have become in short supply this summer.

He was last seen alive near the west entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Sept. 15, and photographs taken at the time reveal severe "peanut-head" syndrome associated with impending death.

Young J-52 was accompanied by his mother (17 and a half-year-old, J-36) and an adult male (26-year-old L-85, potentially his father) at least five miles away from the other members of J and L pods that were foraging within a mile or two of the coastline from Camper Creek to Bonilla Point, west of Port Renfrew, British Columbia.

The observation of this event was at sunset, and the young whale appeared very lethargic while barely surfacing as the two adults were swimming around in circles and not feeding while attentive to the young whale. The center’s staff estimated J-52 was within hours, if not minutes, of death at the time, and he was not present during the J pod foray into Puget Sound on Sept. 19, though his mother and L-85 were. The mother did not appear overly emaciated on either occasion, but she is lean and seems distressed. These animals exhibit emotion and death of an offspring brings it on.

All of the Southern resident killer whales, observed this summer, appeared skinny and small compared to the transient killer whales in the Salish Sea that have abundant prey resources (seals and other marine mammals). Timing of food availability is everything, especially in critical phases of growth or gestation.

With the passing of J-52, three of the six whales born in J pod during the baby boom, which began in December 2014 with the birth of J-50, have now died; and, two mothers (J-14, J-28) and a great-grandmother (J-2) in the pod have also died….

The southern resident killer whales of the northeast Pacific are in trouble. Despite having special protections from both the Canadian and American governments, there are only 78 of these salmon-eating whales left. And as recent research shows, the southern resident population is set to slowly atrophy and ultimately disappear. On top of habitat degradation, climate change, and other challenges, the whales have another problem: they’re not having enough babies.

In a recently published paper, University of Washington biologist Samuel Wasser and his colleagues report that from 2008 to 2014, nearly 70 percent of southern resident killer whale pregnancies failed, either in miscarriage or with the calves dying immediately postpartum.

Normally, killer whales give birth roughly every five years. With 30 reproductive females in the group, that should mean six births a year on average. But in the six years studied, there were only two or three a year, or none at all.

In general, it’s difficult to say how common miscarriages are. For humans, many …

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Cetacean bycatch has been a major conservation and animal welfare concern in the EU for decades, but moves are afoot to potentially water down protections for such sensitive marine species. Sarah Dolman, Sarah Baulch and Jo Swabe argue that better monitoring and mitigation measures in new legislation could help to eliminate this problem.

Animals in the world’s oceans have faced an ever-increasing cacophony in recent decades. They’re inundated with sonar intended to keep countries safe, air gun charges that help energy companies find new sources of oil and gas, and the sounds of the 60,000 commercial ships that ply the seas at any given time.

A new film called "Sonic Sea" by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Imaginary Forces catalogs the growing risks that noise poses to whales, dolphins, and porpoises and what scientists and conservationists are doing about it. It’s up for the Best Science in Nature prize at the 2017 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival beginning Sept. 24 in Jackson, Wyoming. ….