'It's really exciting': Rare white orca spotted on northern Vancouver Island
Orca sightings on Vancouver Island aren't rare, but they're always thrilling, and that was especially true for a group of aquaculture workers on the North Island this week.
Mike Dobbs was one of a dozen Mowi Canada employees mesmerized by a rare white orca and its mother. The cetaceans had come extremely close to shore in Beaver Cove, near the village of Telegraph Cove, B.C.
"We didn’t understand what the white whale was," Dobbs said. "We didn’t recognize it as an orca at first. (Our) first concern and (the) first alarming thing was that they were on the beach."
Researchers have named the white whale "Frostbite." The animal was born in 2019, and is part of a group of outer coast transient killer whales never spotted in B.C. before, according to researcher Josh McInnes.
"It’s not unexpected to see these groups (of whales) hunting around harbour seal haulouts or sea lion haulouts, but for this particular group of whales who spend most of their time in deep waters off of California or Oregon, we don’t see them in close proximity to land," McInnes said.
He said the white calf and its mother are included in a new catalogue of 155 whales he has spent the last six years compiling.
"We’ve never had a report of (these two) outside of California," he said. "This showed an interesting trend for a new mother. She might just be exploring, getting to know other transient groups for potential mating purposes … It’s really exciting."
McInnes said the Beaver Cove sighting was important and rare, something that didn't occur to Dobbs as he was recording it.
"The gravity of what I’d witnessed didn’t hit me until much later that evening when I was decompressing and people were reaching out to me," Dobbs said.
According to McInnes, Frostbite, its mother and the rest of the outer coast transients are expected to be back on their way to California soon.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Gord Kurbis
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.