J-pod foraging in Strait of Georgia.
Salmon scales collected following catch.
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
J26 surfaces from beneath a glass calm sea as his exhalation creates cascading bubbles and saltwater spray down his back.
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
This photo is an excellent example of a catalog quality photo of adult female J8. The Center's goal is to provide the very best quality photos of the left and right sides of every individual in the Southern Resident Killer Whale population .
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
Adult female J11 lifts her head up while surface for air to look around. Look closely just below and to the right of the white eyepatch to see her eye.
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
J1 rises slowly to the surface in the Strait of Georgia, south of Point Roberts.
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
Adult male J1 drifts slowly towards research vessel 'Orca.' Upon reflection, staff believe there was a salmon hiding beneath the hull of the research boat, and J1 was attempting to chase it out from underneath it's hiding place.
photo by Dave Ellifrit. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
J1 lunges after a salmon he had been chasing for several minutes prior to this photo. Center for Whale Research staff collected several salmon scales following this successful hunt. The fish scales will be analyzed by Northwest Fisheries Science Center to determine the salmon species J1 was feeding on during this encounter.
photo by Michelle Jones Thompson. This photo was taken under MMPA permit #532-1822.
Nearing the end of the June 19 encounter, J1 does a slow 'spyhop' with Mount Baker in the background.
Encounter #028-1
June 19, 2007
J pod
Platform: Orca
Departed Snug Harbor: 8:45 a.m.
Begin Encounter: 11:13 a.m.
Start Lat: 48° 56.88 N
Start Long: 123° 02.38 W
End encounter: 1:54 p.m.
End Lat: 48° 53.68 N
End Long: 122° 48.97 W
Returned to Snug Harbor: 3:28 p.m.
Observers: Dave Ellifrit, Barbara Todd, Stewart Macintyre and Michelle Jones Thompson (volunteer).
Following reports of whales foraging near the Fraser River, Center for Whale Research staff were dispatched to identity the whales and attempt to determine which salmon species they were feeding upon. Though the whales were very spread traveling slowly southbound in the Strait of georgia, staff were successful in collecting salmon scales following a hunt by adult male J1. The salmon scales collected will be analyzed by
Northwest Fisheries Science Center to determine the salmon species J1 caught during this encounter.
