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
