Surprising Cetaceans!

In the second half of January, Transient Orca and Northern Resident Orca were observed in a number of areas. On the morning of January 25, a group of 8-10 Transient Orca made their way into Indian Arm in North Vancouver. This group was then seen leaving Burrard Inlet in the early afternoon. Northern Resident Orca were observed for a number of days roaming between Bowen Island and Sechelt. On a few occasions, the Resident Orca were seen rubbing against rocks close to shore. A pod of Risso’s dolphins appeared off of Campbell River on January 20 and headed southward into Georgia Strait. They were last seen on January 24th in the Juan de Fuca Strait. You can learn more about Risso’s dolphins from the article in our Magazine Section and/or go to the Education section of our website.

Another surprise was a Fin whale that was in Puget Sound for a number of days and reported by many individuals; you can find out more about the Fin whale in our Magazine section. There were a couple of sightings of Humpback whales reported to us and a few pods of Pacific White-Sided dolphins were observed around Nanaimo and Powell River.

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.