Let’s Celebrate on World Whale Day!
World Whale Day is on February 21 this year! It is a day for individuals to really appreciate the intelligence, magnificence, and beauty of these marine mammals from the smallest porpoises to the largest whales. In the waters around British Columbia, over 20 different species of Cetaceans can be seen. Go to our Education section to learn more about some of these whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Also in our Education section is a sub-section with information about Threats to Marine Mammals. Learn about what is harming Cetaceans and what are simple acts one can do to help protect whales and dolphins.
Read our Magazine section to learn about a new baby Southern Resident Orca and a new whale specie identified in the Gulf of Mexico. See a video showing a Grey whale swimming with Risso’s dolphins. And learn interesting infomation about Cetaceans in the article “11 Cool Facts of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises”. Happy World Whale Day!
The Federal Government (DFO) 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.
Archive Explorer navigates 25,000+ Cetacean Sightings, images, videos and audio recordings. Please use the the funnel in our Map for access to our huge range of filters. Those wishing Research information in a spreadsheet format, please Click Here
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Archive Explorer dives into the Coastal Cetacean world. View Cetacean sighting locations, photos and videos:
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After a juvenile male humpback whale washed ashore on a remote beach along Calvert Island, British Columbia-the site of the Hakai Institute’s Calvert Island Ecological Observatory-in May 2019, the first order of business for scientists was to conduct a necropsy. Marine mammal specialists and a veterinary pathologist arrived to take measurements and tissue samples, with the intent of learning as much as they could about the seven-meter-long whale’s life and death. Once this was done, the question became what to do with the remaining flesh and bones….
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Three Gingko toothed beaked whales were spotted two weeks ago in the shores of North Cape, north of Cape Reinga, during a research trip conducted by the Far Out Ocean Research Collective….
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A massive whale has made some unlikely new friends. A boat off the coast of Catalina Island near Los Angeles, caught a glimpse of a gray whale swimming with dolphins….
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For one thing, the endangered and rarely studied Bryde’s (pronounced “broodus”) ranges across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, but the ones in the Gulf are homebodies, preferring to stay in the deep waters between Louisiana and Florida. They also behave differently. Instead of snagging fish near the surface like their far-flung cousins do, the Bryde’s whales of the Gulf appear to dine in deep water….
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The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will begin looking into the habitats of finless porpoises in the southern region of the west coast and the coastline along South Gyeongsang Province to collect baseline data….
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