KC the Humpback and Others Return
The number of Transient Biggs Orca in our inside waters remains high with a number of family pods still joining up in their travels, play and feeding.
We’re pleased to say that our well known “local” Humpback BCY 0291, know as KC, which is short for Kelp Creature, has returned to some of his favourite Spring through Autumn foraging areas. We have monitored this whale from calf so it’s always a thrill to see him return having survived the vessel strike and last year’s entanglement. There are a few other Humpback Whales making appearances as they work their way around to some of the inlets.
Dolphins and Porpoise also made our list this issue as they still work to avoid the meat eating Orca, including going right into Cortez Bay. Rumour has it that some of the Northern Resident (fish eating) Orca have been seen near the top of Vancouver Island.
Last, but not least, the cutest in our report are the Sea Otters that also have returned to the upper Georgia Strait.
A reminder to all boaters and fishers: Please SLOW DOWN when you see whales. They can be spread out and seeing one in the distance is not a guarantee that there isn’t another whale, or more, closer to your path of travel. Please keep good watch as they can pop up unpredictably. For fishers, please make sure that your prawn and crab traps do not have floating line or loops as these are entanglement hazards. This year we have already had one vessel strike in Georgia Strait and a possible entanglement due to floating line.
We will be at the Lund Shellfish Festival Saturday, May 26th in the Lund, BC harbour. Stop by and say hello if you’re in the area.
We appreciate and thank you for your kind donations. Donations Page
Our Cetacean Web Camera YouTube Channel is live. We’re continueing to work on resolving transmission problems causing the intermittent bouncy images from the Beach Gardens Marina camera. Our second (backup) live stream mounted in Powell River appears when the Beach Gardens camera is down. We appreciate your patience.
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? Updated Job Postings are in the works for 2018, so stay tuned.
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John Calambokidis with the Cascadia Research Collective said the one-to-two-year-old female was first spotted Friday but washed up in Ocean Shores on Sunday.
He said a necropsy suggested the whale died after becoming entangled in crab fishing gear.
The Cascadia Research Collective says at least five whales have been reported entangled on the West Coast in the last month.
"Overall along the West Coast we’ve seen an uptick in entanglement-related death that spiked in 2015 and has remained elevated for the last few years," Calambokidis told Global News.
"For the last four weeks this is now the second humpback whale that we’ve had entangled and we’ve had three other grey whales."
Calambokidis said those numbers are likely a severe underestimation, as the majority of entanglements are unseen or unreported….
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The closures, which are meant to respond to sightings of the whales, will shut down the zones for a minimum of 15 days. However, the statement from LebLanc, says the closures will be in effect until further notice….
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The gigantic marine mammals are genetically distinct from whales found in the neighbouring Pacific and Antarctic Oceans, suggesting they are a separate group that lives permanently in the region.
While they are not as large as their Antarctic cousins, the New Zealand population can still reach lengths of around 22 metres….
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"It seems that some dolphins may be actively seeking nets as a way to get food," explained Robin Snape, a University of Exeter scientist who led the study….
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The whale skull discovered 34 million years ago from Antarctica indicates that baleens have acquired their cetaceans through a complex and gradual evolutionary process. It was previously thought that these animals developed their baleens in a more direct way….
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The incidents from earlier this month happened close to shore at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle.
Researchers at Sea Watch Foundation said such attacks are rare, and the cause of the aggressive behaviour had still to be fully understood….
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Southern Cross University Marine Ecology Research Centre founding director Peter Harrison said whales were moving earlier because their numbers had grown so large.
This season, about 33,000 whales are expected to make the 5,000km migration north from the Antarctic to Queensland’s warm tropical waters….
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Rescue workers recovered the stranded animal on a beach in Somerset a week before. It was maimed by brutal red gashes – from a boat’s propeller, they thought.
Investigators Rob Deaville and Matt Perkins are not so sure. Over the next two hours, they will try to uncover what killed this particular porpoise. They will also look for clues to a much bigger puzzle, one that involves all of marine life, answering questions like: what is the state of our oceans? What are the biggest threats? And what can we as humans do to help?…
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Huge bait balls of tiny fish attract an array of marine wildlife; in addition we have seen a diverse range of seabirds, such as skuas, northern gannets…
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