Encounter #17 - May 6, 2023
Your financial support makes our work possible
EncDate:06/05/23
EncSeq:01
Enc#:17
ObservBegin:09:25 AM
ObservEnd:10:53 PM
Vessel:Mike 1
Staff:Mark Malleson
Pods:Transients
LocationDescr:Kelp Reef
Start Latitude:48 31.11
Start Longitude:123 15.45
End Latitude:48 34.28
End Longitude:123 14.45
EncSummary:
Mark received a report from George Hamilton at 0817 that a group of approximately seven Bigg’s killer whales passed by Ten Mile Point heading north with one bull and a very young calf.
Mark skipped breakfast and mobilized Mike 1, departing Victoria Harbour at 0900.
He caught up to the group at 0925, 1.5 nm southwest of Kelp Reef. He immediately recognized T002C1 and could see the other three members of the family were present, along with what appeared to be at least another matriline of 5 or 6 whales with a fairly young calf.
The group was fairly close together, heading towards the Kelp Reef marker, and with consultation from Joe, was able to confirm that dispersee T065A5 was with them along with the T023Cs. Mark could see T023C had a fairly new calf and got confirmation that she had indeed been seen in the Broughton Archipelago with a new one on April 24th.
As they passed Kelp Reef, the group split into their respective matrilines, with the T002Cs paralleling the T023Cs and the young male T065A5 a half mile to the west of them, closer to the Darcy Island shoreline. At 1053 Mark ended the encounter off the south end of Sidney Island as he felt he had collected sufficient pictures of the group, especially of the new addition to the T023Cs. Ten minutes after he left the whales, reports from commercial whale-watch boats on-scene were that he missed a double harbour porpoise kill! Mark continued south toward Middle Bank, where a group of 18 Bigg’s had been reported milling.
Photos taken under Federal Permits
NMFS PERMIT: 21238/ DFO SARA 388
06/05/23
EncSeq:3
Enc#:17
ObservBegin:01:00 PM
ObservEnd:01:15 PM
Vessel:Orcinus
Staff:Dave Ellifrit
Pods:Transients
LocationDescr:New Channel
Start Latitude:48 38.74
Start Longitude:123 07.80
End Latitude:48 38.06
End Longitude:123 06.09
EncSummary:
Dave chatted with Mark on the phone after Mark’s encounter 17 with the T2Cs, T23Cs, and T65A5 on the Canadian side of Haro Strait. There was a newish calf with T23C that colleagues of ours wanted more confirmation photos of. Mark got rights of the calf before he left but thought there might be an opportunity for Dave to get lefts afterwards. Dave then headed down to Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1230. Most of the whales had had been reported to have made their way over toward Danger Shoals but the T2Cs had apparently disappeared in Haro Strait. “Orcinus” made it on scene by 1300 as the whales headed east in New Channel in a tight group. The whales had been on a lengthy long dive prior to arrival and finally surfaced near the shoreline off the northeast end of Spieden Island right around the corner from Green Point. Dave got one pass on the T23Cs and T65A5 and got a couple “just good enough” left eyepatches on the calf before they went on another long dive. When they surfaced again, they had zagged several hundred yards to the north over towards the west side of Flattop Island. The encounter ended there at 1315.