PWWA Releases 2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report
A breaching humpback whale Photo: Yasmine Mohammad, Vancouver Whale Watch
New Report Details Salish Sea Whale Sightings, Protective Interventions in 2024
PWWA’s 2024 Report Summarizes 1,351 Sentinel Actions, 43,000+ Wildlife Sightings
SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - April 3, 2025 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) has just released the organization’s 2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report. The 38-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 U.S. Coast Guard’s Cetacean Desk.
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.
In addition to whale sightings, PWWA members documented 1,351 “sentinel actions” in 2024, an increase from 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 1,351 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.
“This report provides a detailed snapshot of another exceptionally active year for whales and wildlife in and around the Salish Sea,” shares Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA. “The data our members collect, and the protective role we play on the water, are invaluable. It’s an honor to be part of a professional whale watching community that cares so much.”
The complete PWWA 2024 Sightings & Sentinel Actions Report (19.9 MB) can be accessed here.
A PWWA member flags down an oncoming vessel to warn them of whales. Ellie Sawyer, Maya’s Legacy
A PWWA member holds up balloons retrieved during a tour. Selena Donker, Eagle Wing Tours
