Summer Sightings of Cetaceans!

There have been many sightings of Humpback whales during the past week. Some of the Humpbacks were just milling around while many other Humpbacks were active and breaching. The full body of a Humpback whale can be seen as the whale breaches and you may be awestruck by its size! Transient Orca were observed in various waterways and a few pods were seen hunting their prey. A Minke whale was reported in Saanich Inlet; Minke whales are solitary and are difficult to track as they change directions often. There are a few Minke whales that have high site fidelity, and tend to remain around Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea during the summer. Rounding our report are sightings of Pacific White-Sided dolphins and a couple sightings of Harbour porpoises.

The Federal Government (DFO) issued the following statement about watching Orca in the wild: “Vessels must stay at least 400 m away from all killer whales in southern British Columbia coastal waters between Campbell River and Ucluelet, including Barkley and Howe Sound. This is in effect year-round until May 31, 2023. If killer whales approach any vessel, boaters should place their engine in neutral and wait for the animals to pass.”

For all other areas of B.C. outside of the area indicated above, a minimum distance of 200-m must be maintained when viewing Orca. When viewing other species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, a minimum distance of 100-m must be kept.

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