Northern Resident Orca in Georgia Strait

During the past week, some of the Northern Resident Orca (NRKW) made their way into Georgia Strait as far south as the mouth of the Fraser River (July 16th). Then, they slowly made their way northward passing Sechelt and Pender Harbour on July 18th. On the following day, the NRKW were observed first in Baker Passage and they continued to travel northward into Sutil Channel. The NRKW is a healthy/stable population with over 300 individuals. In contrast, the population of Southern Resident Orca (SRKW) is of concern with about 75 individuals. A recent news article indicated that the SRKW have not been seen for a number of months which is unusual for the summer time. This may be an indication of the lack of prey (mainly salmon) availability for them in the area.

Many Humpback whales are in various inland waterways and channels. Some of them were breaching, foraging, and were active at the surface of the water. Other Humpback whales were milling and resting. Rounding our report are numerous sigtings of Pacific White-Sided dolphins and 3 sightings of Dall’s porpoises. Many pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were large and estimated to include over 100 members.

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