Rare White Orca
June is Orca Awareness Month. Here in British Columbia, we are lucky to have 3 ecotypes of Orca: Residents, Transients, and Offshore. Of interest lately is a young Transient Orca that is white coloured and a member of the T046s pod. Scientists have a few possible explanations on why the whale is white and have not ruled out that the whale’s skin can revert back to its normal colours as the whale gets older. Transient Orca were observed in various inland waterways and in Georgia Strait going as far as Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast. Transient Orca usually eat seals, porpoises, and dolphins, and they are different from the Resident Orca who eat fish, such as salmon.
Many Humpback whales were observed in upper Georgia Strait, Sutil Channel, and Discovery Passage. Some whales were breaching and a few were observed to be lunge-feeding. One Humpback was bubble-net feeding. In bubble-net feeding, the whale swims in a circle underneath its prey (e.g. schooling fish) while blowing air out of its blowhole. The rising air forms a net of bubbles surrounding the prey and the whale swims upward within the bubble-net to eat its prey. Two Grey whales were observed in Baynes Sound and makes us wonder if there are more Grey whales within Georgia Strait. Rounding our report are a number of pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphin and a few pods of porpoises. The dolphins are found regularly in Nodales Channel, Dent Rapids, and Frederick Arm. Of note is two Dall’s porpoise that were swimming and interacting with a pod of Pacific Whited-Sided dolphins
Boaters, please use caution on the water. There are Cetaceans out there. 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 animals. 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.
WOWs works throught the year, so please continue to keep your eyes open, and report your sightings to us.
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