EncDate:06/04/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:32

ObservBegin:12:07 PM

ObservEnd:12:59 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Brendon Bissonnette

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:Johnstone Reef

Start Latitude:48 28.51

Start Longitude:123 15.97

End Latitude:48 32.25

End Longitude:123 16.40

 

EncSummary:

At 1025 Mark received a report of east bound killer whales at the west edge of Constance Bank. He and Brendon mobilized Mike 1 and departed Victoria harbour an hour later and were on route to Discovery Island when George, while fishing in Haro Strait, called to relay that he had eyes on a separate group of northbound whales northeast of Ten Mile Point. By this time, Joe had arrived on a commercial whale watch boat with the ones that were previously spotted at Constance Bank, and confirmed them as the T100's (less T100E) along with T101A and T101B, so the Mike 1 crew headed to the new, unidentified group. 
The encounter began at 1207 when Mark spotted the first dorsal fin half a mile ahead at the northern end of Johnstone Reef. A short few minutes later, more fins began to appear along the reef in a tighter group. The first whales to surface were the T036As, who have been keeping a presence in the Salish Sea over the last few weeks and were last encountered by the CWR a little over two weeks ago (see Encounter #22). Moments later, a large bull surfaced a few paces behind the main group and Brendon immediately recognized him as 43-year-old T051. 

T051 was trapped alongside another male, T049A2, in Barnes Lake, Alaska, for ~6 weeks in the summer of 2023. While T049A2 has been encountered numerous times since, this sighting marks the first encounter with T051 since fellow researchers helped to coax the two bulls out of the lake at high-tide.

All the whales were traveling due northward in Haro Strait at 4-5 knots, with T036A and her eldest daughter, T036A1, leading. The four youngest whales in the group, T036A2, T036A3, T036A5, and T036A1A, were especially animated throughout the encounter, showcasing several inverted leaps, aerial scans, and sexually playful behavior. T051 remained steadfastly behind, and at times parallel, to the main group throughout the encounter, and looked to be in good health. 

Mark and Brendon called the encounter to a close at 1259, watching as the seven whales continued along a northern trajectory towards Sidney Island.