'A second chance': Record number of humpbacks spotted in B.C.'s Salish Sea this year

Whale researchers are celebrating a significant return of humpback whales to the waters of British Columbia.

In 2022, 396 unique humpback whales were recorded in the Salish Sea, according to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration (CPHC).

That total is up from 293 humpbacks spotted in the region in 2017 – and this year marked the highest number of whales seen in the Salish Sea in a single year since the records began being kept, according to the Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea project.

The CPHC says the rebound is remarkable, especially since commercial whaling only ended in B.C. in 1967.

However, an influx of whales in B.C. also has researchers concerned about an increase in vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.

At least three humpback whales were found dead along B.C. beaches over a one-month period in November, and preliminary research indicates the whales died from vessel strikes.

Another humpback completed a gruelling 4,000-kilometre journey from B.C. to Hawaii after suffering a "severe spinal injury" from a vessel strike.

"The Salish Sea has become the whale equivalent of a busy school zone," said Lisa Spaven, a technician with Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Cetacean Monitoring and Research program.

"Our monthly surveys show that whales are present in all months throughout the region, making the Salish Sea an area of considerable year-round overlap between whales and both commercial and recreational vessel traffic and fishing," she said.

REPEAT VISITORS

The Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration says there may be a misconception that humpback whales merely swim through the waters of B.C. In fact, most whales return to familiar areas of the Salish Sea to feed each year.

Of the 396 unique humpbacks spotted in the area this year, most have been identified in the Salish Sea before.

The CPHC says that one whale, identified as BCZ018, or "Monarch," has visited the same feeding grounds in B.C. for the past 20 years, and often stays in the area throughout the winter.

"The Salish Sea is a place where many humpback whales have learned to find food and how best to capture it," said Tasli Shaw with the HWSS.

"We see the highest number of sightings in the fall, and it is the same whales year-after-year who we see socializing, feeding, and resting within the waters of the Salish Sea," she in a release Wednesday.

The CPHC says another misconception about humpback whales is that they should be able to spot vessels to avoid collisions.

However, the organization says humpback whales can breach unpredictably and are not as equipped as other whales to detect incoming vessels.

"They do not have the biosonar of toothed whales and are very focussed on feeding while in the waters of British Columbia," said the CPHC in the release.

Overall, the CPHC recommends that vessels continue to be vigilant and slow down if possible.

Operators should also keep as much distance as possible away from whales and try to understand marine mammal behaviour to reduce collisions.

"We are so fortunate to have a second chance with humpback whales," said Jackie Hildering, a representative of the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration.

"Their presence is a reminder that we can rapidly change our values and actions to not only benefit species, but whole ecosystems," she said. "Humpback whales fertilize the ocean, leading to more food, more oxygen production and more absorption of carbon dioxide."