Whales Look Around Too!

A behaviour observed in Cetaceans is spyhopping. Spyhopping is when a Cetacean is able to rise to the surface vertically and raise its head out of the water, such as the Orca in our cover image. This behaviour allows the Cetacean to have a quick look around its surrounding, and in some cases may assist in foraging or hunting. Among the species of Cetaceans here in BC, Orca and Humpback whales have been observed to spyhop.

The majority of sightings in this report are of Humpback whales, and some of them were observed breaching. Of note is one sighting of a Minke whale in Cordero Channel. Minke whales usually travel on their own and rarely spend extensive time at the surface. They also tend to change directions frequently so it can be difficult to track a Minke whale. Our report includes a few sightings of Orca, Pacific White-Sided dolphins and Harbour porpoises.

In our magazine section, read about a skeleton of a Bryde’s whale estimated to be about 5000 years old and watch a video about the different hunting methods among the eco-types of Orca around the world.

The Federal Government (DFO) has issued the following statement about watching whales in the wild: “To address disturbance in the presence of whales, a mandatory 400-metre vessel approach distance for all killer whales is in effect starting June 1, 2020 in all southern British Columbia coastal waters between Campbell River and just north of Ucluelet. The Marine Mammal Regulations continue to remain in effect year-round, including maintaining a minimum 200 metre approach distance from all killer whales in Canadian Pacific waters other than described above, and 100 metres for other whales, porpoises and dolphins OR 200 metres when the animal is in resting position or with a calf.”

WOWs works throught the year, so please continue to keep your eyes open, and report your sightings to us.