PWWA 8/13/24 PWWA 8/13/24

BIGG’S KILLER WHALE SIGHTINGS UP IN 2024

A large group of Bigg's killer whales. *Photo: Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching (PWWA)*

Bigg’s Killer Whales Drive Increased Salish Sea Whale Sightings in 2024
Humpback Whales Also a Daily Sight in Local Waters

SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - August 13, 2024 - Local sightings of Bigg’s killer whales, also known as orcas, are up in 2024 according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and Orca Behavior Institute (OBI), buoyed by a five-month streak of Bigg’s killer whales being reported every day in the Salish Sea.

OBI, a local research group that compiles whale reports from professional whale watchers, regional sightings groups, and community scientists throughout Washington and British Columbia, recently shared that Bigg’s (mammal-hunting) killer whales have been reported in the Salish Sea every day since March 12, 2024.

“It’s quite the streak,” says Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA. “Knock on wood, but the season has been very good for viewing killer whales so far.”

July was particularly noteworthy, with 214 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales last month alone. “That’s a 70% increase over the 124 unique sightings we had in July 2023”, shares Monika Wieland Shields, director of OBI. OBI defines a “unique sighting” as a sighting of a distinct group of Bigg’s killer whales on a specific day. While the same group of whales may be reported by multiple sources, OBI only counts each group once per day.

A group of Bigg’s killer whales. *Photo: Jane Wilson, Ocean EcoVentures (PWWA)*

LARGE GROUPS AND NEW CALVES

PWWA whale watch vessels documented several large groups of Bigg’s killer whales last month, some numbering more than 20-30 individuals. One particularly large gathering contained 41 different killer whales from various families all traveling together. Bigg’s killer whales feed on marine mammals, primarily seals, sea lions, and porpoises, all of which are abundant year-round in Washington waters. This bounty of prey has allowed the Bigg’s killer whale population to grow steadily in recent years. According to Bay Cetology, another local research organization, 14 Bigg's killer whale calves have been officially added to the population so far this year - eight born in 2024 and six born in recent years but not documented until 2024. These additions bring the coastal Bigg’s killer whale population to roughly 380 individuals. In contrast, the region’s other killer whales, the Southern Residents, rely on salmon and are endangered, numbering fewer than 75 individuals. Local whale watch tours do not focus on Southern Residents.

Bigg’s killer whales are not the only species delighting whale watchers this season. Humpback whales, which measure the length of a school bus, are also being seen on a daily basis according to the PWWA. A few hundred humpbacks come to the Salish Sea each year to feed on small fish and krill before migrating south in winter.

“We’re fortunate to live in a place where the question isn’t, ‘Will we see whales?’ but rather, ‘Which whales will we see?’”, says Gless. “Nothing in nature is 100% guaranteed, but here in the Salish Sea, the chance of seeing whales is really high.”

A Bigg’s killer whale breach. *Photo: Mollie Cameron, Sooke Coastal Explorations*

Breaching Bigg’s killer whale T137A “Jack”. *Photo: Alli Montgomery, FRS Clipper (PWWA)*

Humpback whales are also being seen daily in the Salish Sea. *Photo: Sebastian Velasquez, Vancouver Whale Watch (PWWA)*

PWWA 4/24/24 PWWA 4/24/24

First Humpback Calf of 2024 Spotted in Salish Sea

“Black Pearl” and her 2024 calf. *Photo: Clint William, Eagle Wing Tours*

First Humpback Mom and Calf of 2024 Spotted in Salish Sea

Famous Humpback Whale “Big Mama” Also Sighted Nearby

VICTORIA, BC & SEATTLE, WA - April 24, 2024 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) announced today that the first humpback calf of the 2024 whale watching season has arrived in the Salish Sea. The calf, likely just three- to four-months old, and its mother, BCX1460 “Black Pearl”, were first seen near San Juan Island on April 18 by PWWA member company Eagle Wing Tours. The pair has been seen several times since in area waters.

“It’s always fun to see which mom and calf will make it back first,” said PWWA executive director Erin Gless. “Black Pearl tends to spend her summers near north Vancouver Island. This year we were lucky enough to spot her in the Salish Sea.”

Humpback calves aren’t born in local waters. Salish Sea humpbacks give birth near Hawai‘i, Mexico, and Central America and then must travel thousands of miles with their babies to cooler feeding grounds. Black Pearl is known to migrate to the Hawaiian Islands in winter, and has been photographed several times off the coast of Maui. She has given birth to at least three previous calves including the most recent, a male born in 2022 nicknamed “Kraken”.

Black Pearl is not the only humpback to return so far this year. The PWWA reports that local whale celebrity BCY0324, known as “Big Mama,” is among a handful of others sighted by whale watchers in the past week. This beloved humpback has proven true to her nickname, giving birth to an impressive seven calves over the years. Big Mama’s first, “Divot”, was born in 2003 and the most recent, “Moresby” was born in 2022. Big Mama’s offspring are also prolific, providing her with at least six “grandcalves” and two “great-grandcalves” so far. She too is part of a population that travels to the Hawaiian Islands during the winter.

“Simply put, she’s the whale who started it all,” continued Gless.

Industrialized whaling removed humpback whales from the Salish Sea by the early 1900s. In all, more than 30,000 humpback whales were killed in the North Pacific during the whaling era, and some scientists estimate as few as 1,000 individuals remained by the time the International Whaling Commission banned commercial hunts for humpback whales in 1966.

“For decades after whaling stopped, there were virtually no sightings in inland BC waters,” Gless said, “but that all changed when Big Mama made her first appearance in 1997. She’s been returning to the Salish Sea ever since, and now hundreds of humpback whales visit each year.”

In the coming weeks, many more humpback whales will return to local waters. They’ll stay to feed on small fish and crustaceans through the fall.

“Black Pearl” and her 2024 calf. *Photo: Brooke McKinley, Outer Island Excursions*

Famous humpback whale “Big Mama”. *Photo: Clint William, Eagle Wing Tours*

Humpback whales “Zig Zag” and “Big Mama”. *Photo: Mark Malleson, Prince of Whales Whale Watching*

PWWA 4/3/24 PWWA 4/3/24

New Report Details Whale Sightings, Protective Role of Whale Watchers in Salish Sea

A breaching Bigg’s killer whale. *Photo: Sara Shimazu, Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching*

New Report Details Whale Sightings and Protective Role of Professional Whale Watchers in Salish Sea

PWWA’s 2023 Report Summarizes 1,200+ Sentinel Actions, Nearly 40,000 Wildlife Sightings

SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - April 3, 2024 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) has just released the organization’s 2023 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report. The 34-page annual report summarizes full-year data from the PWWA App, a private wildlife sightings app used by PWWA captains, naturalists, and crew members throughout Washington and British Columbia. 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 newly-launched U.S. Coast Guard’s Cetacean Desk.

In 2023, the PWWA App received nearly 40,000 reports of whales and other wildlife in and around the Salish Sea. Bigg’s killer whales and humpback whales were the two whale types most frequently documented by PWWA App users. Bigg’s killer whales were seen almost daily, documented as present in the Salish Sea on 332 days of 2023. Humpback whales were reported on 309 days. Minke whales were reported on 156 days and gray whales were documented on 131 days. Salmon-eating resident killer whales were seen least frequently, with Southern Resident killer whales reported as being present on 111 days and Northern Resident killer whales reported on 77 days.

In addition to whale sightings, PWWA members documented 1,246 “sentinel actions” in 2023. Sentinel actions are protective interventions performed by professional whale watchers during the course of a wildlife tour. Examples of sentinel actions include:

Stopping, slowing, or diverting other vessels near whales
Proactively warning vessels of whales nearby
Removing harmful debris from the water
Reporting sick or entangled animals to authorities

Of 1,246 sentinel actions documented in 2023, 773 (62%) involved directly contacting other vessels. The PWWA was successful in slowing, stopping, or diverting nearby vessels in the presence of whales in at least 78% of vessel-related sentinel actions, resulting in safer conditions. This was an increase over 2022’s success rate of 74%.

Last year, PWWA members retrieved more than 451 pieces of harmful debris such as balloons, plastic bags, and derelict fishing gear. The PWWA also documented 22 additional sentinel actions categorized as “other”. These other sentinel actions included alerting authorities of injured or entangled wildlife, reporting oil spills, and assisting boaters in distress.

“This report highlights and quantifies the amazing efforts of our association and its members”, says Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA. “Not only are we able to educate and inspire guests during our whale watch tours, but we’re also able to protect the wildlife we care so much about. It’s a win/win.”

The complete PWWA 2023 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report (17.9 MB) can be accessed here.

A PWWA vessel flags down a private boat traveling too fast near whales. *Photo: Ellie Sawyer, Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching*

Guests aboard a PWWA vessel display a retrieved Mylar balloon. *Photo: Val Shore, Eagle Wing Tours*

PWWA 11/8/23 PWWA 11/8/23

2023 Another Record-Breaking Year for Bigg’s Killer Whale Sightings in Salish Sea

Bigg’s Killer Whale “T-Party”. Credit: Bethany Shimasaki, Western Prince Whale Watching

2023 Another Record-Breaking Year for Bigg’s Killer Whale Sightings in Salish Sea
Previous Sightings Record Smashed with Two Months Still Remaining in 2023

SEATTLE, WA & VANCOUVER, BC - November 8, 2023 - 2023 is already a record-breaking year for sightings of Bigg’s, or mammal-hunting, killer whales, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and Orca Behavior Institute (OBI).

OBI compiles whale sightings reports from professional whale watchers, regional sightings groups, and community scientists throughout the Salish Sea of British Columbia and Washington State. Based on these reports, which are confirmed with photographs, there were 1,270 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales in the Salish Sea this year through October 31. This surpasses the previous annual record of 1,220 unique sightings, set in 2022, with two months still remaining in the year. According to OBI, a “unique sighting” is a sighting of a distinct group of Bigg’s killer whales on a particular day. While the same group of whales may be reported by multiple sources, OBI does not count duplicate sightings toward their official count, making the volume of Bigg’s sightings this year all the more impressive.

“Ten years ago, we were only getting 15% of that”, shares Monika Wieland Shields, director of OBI. “This is the ninth year out of the last ten that the record has been broken. Only 2020 showed a slight dip, probably due to decreased observation due to Covid-19.”

“What’s happening with Bigg’s killer whales right now is truly remarkable to witness,” says Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA, a group of 30 professional ecotourism companies with a commitment to education, conservation, and responsible wildlife viewing throughout the Salish Sea. “People once referred to them as ‘transient’ killer whales because sightings were so rare”, continues Gless, “but now we’re seeing them almost daily, and we have their food to thank for that.”

Bigg’s killer whales feed on marine mammals, primarily seals, sea lions, and porpoises. Considered competition with local fisheries, sea lions and harbor seals were once the targets of government-funded bounty programs in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia. The bounty programs ended in the 1960s and 1970s, and seals and sea lions, along with all marine mammals, are now protected in both the US and Canada. Since their protection, populations of seals and sea lions have rebounded in the Salish Sea, luring Bigg’s killer whales into local waters, much to the delight of whale watchers.

When it comes to the region’s other killer whales, salmon-eating Southern Residents, the trend is quite different. “It’s looking like it will be the second lowest year for their presence on record, with only 2021 coming in with fewer days,” says OBI’s Shields.

Chinook salmon, the preferred prey of endangered Southern Resident killer whales, have declined in both size and abundance over recent decades, threatened by rising ocean temperatures, loss of spawning habitat, chemical pollution, and predation from dozens of natural predators, including humans.

“Until we restore the major Salish Sea Chinook salmon runs,” says Shields, “particularly on the Fraser River, it's clear the Southern Residents will continue to spend more time on the outer coast where they have the chance to encounter a wider variety of salmon runs from different river systems.”

A Bigg’s killer whale spyhops near Vancouver, BC. *Photo: Ashley Keegan, Wild Whales Vancouver*

A breaching Bigg’s killer whale. *Photo: Brendon Bissonnette, Prince of Whales Whale Watching*

A Bigg’s killer whale swims with a Washington State Ferry in the background. *Photo: Sara Hysong-Shimazu, Maya’s Legacy*

PWWA 6/22/23 PWWA 6/22/23

First Humpback Moms & Calves of 2023 Arrive in Salish Sea

Poptart and her first calf. *Photo: Sandy Quinn, Prince of Whales Whale Watching, PWWA*

First Humpback Moms and Calves of 2023 Arrive in Salish Sea

Whale Watchers Report Return of Humpback Whales to Local Waters for Annual Feeding Season

SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - June 22, 2023 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) today announced that the first humpback whale moms and calves of the 2023 whale watching season have arrived in the Salish Sea. In recent days, whale watchers have documented at least three new humpback calves in local waters.

“We’ve been eagerly awaiting news of the season’s first humpback calves,” said PWWA executive director Erin Gless. “We celebrate every whale’s return, but it’s doubly special when they have a new calf in tow.”

Among the new moms are BCY0523 “Graze”, BCX1675 “Strike”, and BCY1404 “Poptart”. Both Graze and Strike also gave birth to calves in 2019 and 2021, but this is the first calf for Poptart, who was born in 2016 to beloved Salish Sea humpback BCY0324 “Big Mama”. As a youngster, Poptart was often seen breaching completely out of the water, reminding whale watchers of the popular breakfast pastry popping out of a toaster. The name stuck, and Poptart has since become one of the most well-known humpback whales in the region.

Local humpback whales don’t give birth in the Salish Sea, but rather travel with their calves from warmer breeding grounds in Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America. Strike has been documented off Isla Socorro, Mexico in winter, and both Graze and Poptart have been photographed off the Hawaiian Islands. The community science platform Happywhale.com alerted the PWWA that both Graze and Poptart had been spotted with potential calves off Maui earlier this spring. Baby humpbacks seen in the Salish Sea are typically born between late December and February, making these three calves between four and six months old.

“Thanks to modern technology, we already expected a few of these whales to show up with calves this season, but it’s nice to get confirmation, and to know they’ve completed the journey safely,” says Gless. “We’ve notified researchers of their arrival here on the feeding grounds.”

Humpback whales feed on krill and small fish, such as herring and candlefish, and typically remain in the local waters through late fall. Last year, a record 34 humpback whale calves were reported throughout the Salish Sea by researchers with the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration.