Sightings & Sentinel
Actions ReportS

The PWWA uses the PWWA App, a private wildlife sightings app used by PWWA captains, naturalists, and crew members throughout Washington and British Columbia, to record our wildlife sightings and sentinel actions. The PWWA App is also utilized by researchers, ferry captains, professional ship pilots, emergency response vessels, the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Mammal Desk, and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Cetacean Desk. Each year, data collected through the PWWA App is compiled into an annual Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report detailing wildlife sightings and sentinel activity in and around the Salish Sea.

Below are some highlights from our PWWA 2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report.

2024 Whale Presence

In 2024, the PWWA App received 43,258 reports of whales and other wildlife in and around the Salish Sea. Bigg’s killer whales were the most frequently documented whale by PWWA App users, seen on 339 days of 2024. Humpback whales were reported on 304 days, followed by gray whales on 205 days, minke whales on 136 days, and salmon-eating Northern Resident killer whales on 110 days. Endangered Southern Resident killer whales were reported on 151 days, but PWWA tours do not focus on Southern Residents, and 83.0% of Southern Resident reports in 2024 were made by researchers, shore-based observers, or vessels from a distance of greater than 1/2 nautical mile (1,013 yards) in Washington state.

2024 Sentinel Actions

Of 1,351 sentinel actions documented in 2024, 923 (68.3%) involved directly contacting other vessels. Recreational vessels, ferries, and cargo ships were the vessel categories contacted most frequently by PWWA members last year, and the PWWA was successful in slowing, stopping, and/or diverting vessels transiting in the presence of whales in at least 75.5% of vessel-related sentinel actions.

PWWA members also performed 398 debris removals, retrieving harmful items such as balloons, plastic bags, and derelict fishing gear, and 30 sentinel actions categorized as “other”. These other sentinel actions included reporting injured or entangled animals to authorities, and educating fishers and drone operators of current regulations and restrictions.

2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report

Want to take a deeper dive into our 2024 wildlife sightings and sentinel actions? The 38-page PWWA 2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report is full of graphs, charts, and highlight photos from the 2024 whale watching season. Click here to check it out!

Previous Sightings & Sentinel Actions Reports

Curious about previous whale watching seasons? You can access prior PWWA Sightings & Sentinel Actions Reports below.