Dolphins mob Humpbacks and Orca hunt Porpoise
On at least two different occasions, Pacific White-Sided Dolphins were observed in close proximity to Humpback whales. Instead of being a friendly encounter, the dolphins appear to swarm and annoy the whale (similar to us when we are out at a park but flies are all around us). The dolphins may be surrounding the Humpback because a common food source may be present like a school of fish. It is also possible that the dolphins surround the Humpback as a form of play.
Transient Orca (mammal-eating) were in a number of waterways, as far south as Malaspina Strait and as far north as the top end of Johnstone Strait. Transient Orca work strategically together to catch their prey and they are very stealthy in the process. Photos captured on August 12 shows Transients hunting Harbour porpoises near Sentry Shoal with one Orca leaping fully out of the water in its chase. Rounding our report is one sighting of Dall’s porpoise.
Boaters, please use caution on the water. Effective June 1st, Federal laws require boats to remain at least 400-m away when viewing Orca and for other Cetaceans, laws require boats to remain at least 100-m from the whales/dolphins. Remember N.E.W.S. when you see a whale, meaning put your boat in NEUTRAL, ENJOY the view, WAIT till the whales are at a fair distance, and then SLOWLY leave the scene.
Note that the release of our regular publications will be interrupted over the next few weeks. Your reports of Cetacean sightings will be processed still, but at a slower rate, due to the changes of the availability of our volunteers. We will be working hard to catch up.
We acknowledge that our sightings map and archive map are not fully functional at this time, and we are working to resolve the issue.
WOWs works throught the year, so please continue to keep your eyes open, and report your sightings to us.
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Sightings
Open Data includes all sightings data, photos and videos, in a table you can filter and download.
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