Killer Whales, Plenty of Humpback Whales and More

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09:35 • 2 Humpback Whale off the Blubber Bay light Texada Island, Malaspina Strait.

10:42 • 3 Humpback Whale heading South off Harwood Island in Malaspina Strait.

11:35 • 2 Humpback Whale South of the mill at Powell River. ?BCY0027 (Maude), BCX1258 (Crescent)? ▫ Observed from Shore

Updates: 
It’s been a very hectic year so far and the last five months in particular have been loaded with many updates and upgrades as we migrate much of our work to our official society name. Rest assured, we are still Whales and Dolphins BC. The following is a brief summary: 

Sightings Reports: 
This has been the largest upgrade which started in June, 2015 with our IT Specialist, Eric Schwartz volunteering to help out with out maps and mapping. The simple words ‘help out’ is a complete understatement! He has taken Whales and Dolphins BC / Wild Ocean Whale Society to a world class level. The following is a condensed version of the numerous long hours working: 

June – July 2015: 
 – Standardize the layout from sightings information collected to enable mapping the data 
– Create and publish location Maps where every sightings report could be viewed individually or grouped for each specific Sightings Report Issue 
– Link Media photo files into the Sightings worksheet 
– Archive reports data into a central database; this is all the information that you see in each published issue 
– Set up documentation and training for the updated process of data collection and Sightings Report preparation 

August – September 2015: 
– Start migrating many of our functionality to work under our Society name 
– Fine tune methodology, documentation and training information 
– Update Media linking to enable audio and video to be included within the data files for the Sightings Reports 
– Start scheduling training and setup of volunteers under our Wild Ocean Whale Society name 

October – November 12, 2015: 
– Include a Heat Map in the Sightings Updates 
– Work with volunteers to set them up and start training 
– Design and publish our new Sightings Reporting Form and Email 
– Migrate email subscribers to our in house service 
– Design and publish our new email Subscriber request form and link email template 
– Prepare and provide complete and open on line access to our Archives to researchers and the public 

Collaborate with Founding Director, Susan MacKay throughout this whole process to ensure the information requirements are met and data flows with as few hiccups as possible to the public. 

Additional Important Highlights: 
Throughout all of this setup, learning, testing and overall transformation, we also had many other people involved in our efforts to date: 

Information Tables:Campbell River, Willow Point, Sayward, Powell River, Lund, Sechelt 

Fundraising: 
March 2015, Burger and Beer Night 
June 2015, Early Bird Draw for our 2015 Raffle 
July 2015, Final Draw for our 2015 Raffle 

Live Streaming Web Camera and Hydrophone Systems: 
With our Fundraising efforts having fallen short by approximately 50% of the necessary costs to purchase the equipment and complete installation of even the first location, the scheduling of all aspects of this have been postponed until such time as sufficient funds are available. Donations would be greatly appreciated. 

Presentations: 
Powell River: Multimedia presentation by Susan MacKay on Whales and the Food Chain 

New Society Logo: 
Jos Krynen, Eagle Eye Adventures designed and presented us with a wonderful new Society logo design. 

Volunteers are needed to assist with the preparation of our Sightings Report Updates: 
Our work is done on line through internet based collaboration tools thereby allowing more than one person to work on the preparation and compilation of submitted sightings at the same time. This also allows for flexibility of time and hours. Our published reports are slated to be regular weekly releases. With enough volunteers, we would share the load and could allow for scheduling of only a few hours at a time. 

Analysts: 
– location is not a factor 
– computer is a requirement 
– internet is a requirement 
– knowledge of using a spreadsheet is extremely helpful 
– a bit of familiarity with our Coastal waterways is helpful 

Editors: 
All Editors need to understand the process and first start as Analysts 

Review Editors: 
– review the Analysts’ work 
– check map locations 
– send completed information for Media insertions 

Media Editors: 
– prepare photos – size and crop 
– convert raw video and audio submitted to a usable format 
– categorize and prep all media for insertion 
– insert media in a prescribed format into the current issue

Click the title to open a Video of Three Humpback Whales in Texada Island’s Blubber Bay in the rain. Video is best in HD mode.

Click the title or image to read how a team of Vancouver Island skeleton articulators have taken on the task of cleaning the giant Blue Whale skeleton at UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Click the title or image to read novelist and nature writer Brenda Peterson’s piece on the link between the survival of the Southern Resident Orca, access to Chinook Salmon, and efforts to remove Dams from the Snake River, a tributary of the Columbia River…

Click the title or image to read David Lisau of the University of Aberdeen discusses cetacean strandings and our current understanding of these tragic events

Click the title to watch Video and read a scientists explanation for the amazing video of Orca punting a seal high up into the air

Click the title to read about a major change in US Navy Pacific Fleet Training policy designed to protect cetaceans, or watch the video examining Orca J-Pod and other cetacean aversion of Navy ships

Click the title to read the article describing how cyber attacks are being aimed at Japanese web sites following the annual Taiji dolphin hunt

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