Record number of humpback whale calves found off B.C.: researchers
Humpback whales are thriving in the waters of southern British Columbia and northern Washington state, according to naturalists.
Researchers at the U.S.-based Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and the Center for Whale Research say a record number of humpback calves were identified in the Salish Sea in 2021.
A total of 21 new calves have been photographed and documented in the inland waters of B.C. and Washington, according to the groups.
That's the most new calves ever recorded in the region in a single season -- nearly twice as many as were reported in 2020, when 11 calves were documented, according to Mark Malleson of the Center for Whale Research.
“2021 has been a banner year for female humpbacks coming into the Salish Sea with new calves,” says Wendi Robinson, a naturalist with the Washington-based Puget Sound Express whale-watching group.
“Calves only travel with mom for a year or so and then they’re on their own. Once they’re familiar with our waters, they will often return year after year to feed.”
According to researchers, the fall is peak season for humpback activity off B.C. as the whales take advantage of their last feeding opportunities before heading south for the winter.
In the coming months, Salish Sea humpback whales will swim to their breeding grounds near Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America to mate and give birth before returning with their calves in late spring.
A humpback known as "Spit Fluke" was recently spotted near Victoria with her new female calf.
“The calf started things off with a few tail slaps, which mom then joined in on,” says Val Shore, a naturalist with Eagle Wing Tours in Victoria.
Split Fluke, born in 2006 to "Heather," has been matched through photographs to winter breeding grounds near Mexico, according to researchers.
Her new calf, not yet named, is her third calf and represents a third generation of Salish Sea humpback whales, according to the PWWA.
Similarly, a naturalist for Anacortes, Wash.-based Island Adventures Whale Watching was doing seasonal work in Hawaii in March when she spotted a humpback whale with a youngster in tow.
The naturalist was able to identify the whale as “Dreamer," a 10-year-old humpback that has been photographed in recent years feeding near Victoria and the B.C. Gulf Islands during the summer, according to the association.
Dreamer and her young calf were seen this week by PWWA naturalists in the Strait of Georgia.
“Our community was excited to receive the March report from Hawaii,” said Erin Gless, executive director of the association, in a statement Friday. “We’re thrilled to say that both mom and baby have arrived safely in the Salish Sea.”
Researchers say they don't know exactly why humpbacks experienced a baby boom in 2021, but an abundance of food or a natural fluctuation in the number of adult whales could be to blame.
"It could be as simple as the fact that as the number of adult whales in the population grows, so too does the number of calves we can expect to see each year,” Gless said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.