More whales spotted in Metro Vancouver waters than ever
Humpback whales have reclaimed historic feeding grounds; transient orcas now spend 250 days yearly in local waters.
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Whale sightings across Metro Vancouver have become routine — humpback whales, transient killer whales and grey whales are now far more common in the Salish Sea than at any recent point in history, according to a new study published in Marine Mammal Science.
Transient killer whales are now present in the region for more than two-thirds of the year on average, spending roughly 250 days annually in what researchers call "inside waters" around Vancouver Island, including the Strait of Georgia, North Island waters and harbours in Vancouver and Victoria.
Humpback whales, hunted to near extinction in B.C. waters, have reclaimed their historic feeding grounds. Commercial whaling from 1907 to 1910 nearly wiped out the local population, severing generational knowledge of the feeding sites. "There were no whales left to pass on knowledge of feeding grounds to the next generation, so it has taken roughly a century for humpbacks to rediscover parts of their former range," said UBC professor Andrew Trites, a study co-author.
Commercial whaling ended in the mid-1960s in the North Pacific, and protections have since allowed humpbacks to return. They now feed annually on krill, herring and other prey before migrating to breeding grounds in Hawaii and Mexico in winter.
Recovering seal and sea lion populations are driving the orca surge. Hunting in the 1970s decimated those species, but protections allowed them to rebuild, creating a year-round food source that attracts more transient whales.
Grey whales stopping over in Vancouver waters face a different pressure. Climate change is reducing Arctic sea ice, which decreases the algae that their food source — tiny seafloor crustaceans — depend on. "Several grey whales have washed up dead along the coast, likely from starvation, and unfortunately, we're likely to see more deaths in the years ahead," said zoology student Taryn Scarff, who led the study.
Wale biologist Julia Adelsheim says people can protect local whales by maintaining safe distances: vessels must stay at least 200 metres away from most killer whales and 1,000 metres from endangered southern resident killer whales, and at least 100 metres from other whales, 200 if they're resting or with a calf.