Whales

A British Columbia wildlife protection group says a primary food source of threatened southern resident killer whales is being caught in a commercial fishery that tosses chinook salmon overboard or turns them into compost. A southern resident killer whale swims past a school of salmon near the Fraser River, B.C. in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Keith Holmes, Hakai Institute

‘Appalling waste’: watchdog says 20,000-salmon bycatch could have fed B.C. orcas

Group says commercial fishery threatens food source of southern resident killer whales

 

The Center for Whale Research celebrates reports and photos from Puget Sound killer whale researchers Maya and Mark Sears of a new calf with J pod on Dec. 26. (Maya Sears NMFS Permit 27052/Center for Whale Research)

Southern resident orca family in Puget Sound welcomes first baby of 2023

Young killer whale documented in Puget Sound on Boxing Day

 

FILE - This September 2015 photo provided by NOAA Fisheries shows an aerial view of adult female southern resident killer whale (J16) swimming with her calf (J50). A new study in Nature shows contaminants are being found inside the bodies of southern resident and Bigg’s killer whales. (NOAA Fisheries/Vancouver Aquarium via AP, File)

Contaminants from oil spills, wildfires ending up inside B.C. whales: study

UBC researchers tested the livers and skeletons of 14 killer whales for PAHs – a first in Canada

 

The BBC’s Planet Earth spent 2 summers filming humpback whales off the B.C. coast for an episode that appeared Dec. 3. Shannon Lough photo

Planet Earth dives deep into Vancouver Island whale poo

Legendary BBC program focuses on whale behaviour and their value as a carbon sink

The BBC’s Planet Earth spent 2 summers filming humpback whales off the B.C. coast for an episode that appeared Dec. 3. Shannon Lough photo
The pontoons were attached and inflated. Photo by Marc Kitteringham/Campbell River Mirror The pontoons were attached and inflated. Photo by Marc Kitteringham/Campbell River Mirror

Beached whale simulation preps Vancouver Island DFO officers for the real thing

Simluation involved 1,500 lb dummy whale, real world conditions to be ‘as realistic as possible’

The pontoons were attached and inflated. Photo by Marc Kitteringham/Campbell River Mirror The pontoons were attached and inflated. Photo by Marc Kitteringham/Campbell River Mirror
Humpback whales roll with pectoral fins above the water, just outside Tenakee Inlet. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)

Researchers composing scientific symphony of B.C. whale song data

Whale Sound project collecting information on undersea sound impact from multiple sources

Humpback whales roll with pectoral fins above the water, just outside Tenakee Inlet. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)
FILE - A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass., March 28, 2018. A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the federal government to enact emergency rules to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with large ships. The groups filed their petition with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sept. 28 in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

Environmental groups demand rules to protect rare whales from ship collisions

Fewer than 340 North Atlantic right whales remain

FILE - A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass., March 28, 2018. A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the federal government to enact emergency rules to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with large ships. The groups filed their petition with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sept. 28 in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Holly, who declined to give her last name, with the group Miami Seaquarium Weekly Demos, demonstrates after the recent death of a captive orca, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, outside the Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla. Lolita, an orca whale held captive for more than a half-century, died Friday at the Miami Seaquarium as caregivers prepared to move her from the theme park in the near future. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Mourners gather to remember the last captive southern resident orca

Tokitae, also known as Lolita, died at the Miami Seaquarium on Friday afternoon

Holly, who declined to give her last name, with the group Miami Seaquarium Weekly Demos, demonstrates after the recent death of a captive orca, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, outside the Miami Seaquarium in Key Biscayne, Fla. Lolita, an orca whale held captive for more than a half-century, died Friday at the Miami Seaquarium as caregivers prepared to move her from the theme park in the near future. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
(Perucetus colossus is reconstructed in a costal habitat: Alberto Gennari/Nature via AP)

The heaviest animal ever may be this ancient whale found in the Peruvian desert

There could be a new contender for heaviest animal to ever live.…

(Perucetus colossus is reconstructed in a costal habitat: Alberto Gennari/Nature via AP)
This still image from video provided by Robert Addie shows three humpback whales leaping from the water off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., on Monday, July 24, 2023. Robert Addie, celebrating his birthday on the ocean with his three daughters, captured video of the three humpback whales leaping from the water in near perfect unison. (Robert Addie via AP)

VIDEO: 3 humpbacks jump in unison, in a family birthday surprise

‘It was such an uplifting thing to see, just incredible’

This still image from video provided by Robert Addie shows three humpback whales leaping from the water off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., on Monday, July 24, 2023. Robert Addie, celebrating his birthday on the ocean with his three daughters, captured video of the three humpback whales leaping from the water in near perfect unison. (Robert Addie via AP)
In this photo provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, a pod of long-finned pilot whales gather closely near Cheynes Beach east of Albany, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Nearly 100 pilot whales stranded themselves on the beach in western Australia Tuesday, and about half had died by Wednesday morning, despite the efforts of wildlife experts and volunteers to save them. (DBCA via AP)

Volunteers working to save nearly 100 beached whales in Australia, but more than half have died

Volunteers worked frantically on a second day Wednesday to save dozens of…

In this photo provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, a pod of long-finned pilot whales gather closely near Cheynes Beach east of Albany, Australia, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. Nearly 100 pilot whales stranded themselves on the beach in western Australia Tuesday, and about half had died by Wednesday morning, despite the efforts of wildlife experts and volunteers to save them. (DBCA via AP)
In this photo provided by Brian Williams, a whale approaches his father, Kevin Williams, while he was paddleboarding in Prince William Sound near Whittier on July 13. Williams survived the close encounter with a humpback whale, not even getting wet during a tense few seconds caught on camera by friends and family as a whale surfaced near him.

See how an Alaska paddleboarder escaped a close encounter with a humpback whale

An Alaska man on a paddleboard escaped a close encounter with a…

In this photo provided by Brian Williams, a whale approaches his father, Kevin Williams, while he was paddleboarding in Prince William Sound near Whittier on July 13. Williams survived the close encounter with a humpback whale, not even getting wet during a tense few seconds caught on camera by friends and family as a whale surfaced near him.
This handout photo issued by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) shows pilot whales in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, Sunday, July 16, 2023. A pod of 55 pilot whales have died after they were found washed ashore on a beach in Scotland in the worst mass whale stranding in the area, marine experts said Monday. Marine rescuers, the coast guard and police were called to Traigh Mhor beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland after receiving reports that dozens of the mammals were in difficulty there early Sunday. (Cristina McAvoy/BDMLR via AP)

Pod of 55 pilot whales die after being stranded on a beach in Scotland

Whole pod may have followed a female whale onto the beach when she had problems giving birth

This handout photo issued by British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) shows pilot whales in North Tolsta, on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, Sunday, July 16, 2023. A pod of 55 pilot whales have died after they were found washed ashore on a beach in Scotland in the worst mass whale stranding in the area, marine experts said Monday. Marine rescuers, the coast guard and police were called to Traigh Mhor beach on the Isle of Lewis in northwest Scotland after receiving reports that dozens of the mammals were in difficulty there early Sunday. (Cristina McAvoy/BDMLR via AP)
In this July 31, 2015, file photo, an orca whale breaches in view of Mount Baker, some 60 miles distant, in the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands, Washington State. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Elaine Thompson

Florida aquarium returning Lolita the orca to the Salish Sea after 53 years in tank

Lolita, 57, is part of the endangered southern resident killer whales pod

In this July 31, 2015, file photo, an orca whale breaches in view of Mount Baker, some 60 miles distant, in the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands, Washington State. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Elaine Thompson
FILE - Southern Resident killer whale J50 and her mother, J16, swim off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew, B.C. on Aug. 7, 2018. (Brian Gisborne/Fisheries and Oceans Canada via AP, File)

Researchers: Inbreeding a big problem for endangered orcas

Whales are so inbred that they are dying younger and their population is not recovering

FILE - Southern Resident killer whale J50 and her mother, J16, swim off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew, B.C. on Aug. 7, 2018. (Brian Gisborne/Fisheries and Oceans Canada via AP, File)
(Black Press Media Creative)

Hawaii whale dies with fishing nets, plastic bags in stomach

A whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend likely died…

(Black Press Media Creative)
In this photo released by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, a dead sperm whale lies in the shallow water at Lydgate Beach in Kauai County, Hawaii, on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Scientists suspect the large sperm whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend may have died from an intestinal blockage because it ate large volumes of plastic, fishing nets, and other marine debris. (Daniel Dennison/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)

Hawaii whale dies with fishing nets, plastic bags in stomach

Enough foreign objects in the opening of the whale’s intestinal tract to block food

In this photo released by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, a dead sperm whale lies in the shallow water at Lydgate Beach in Kauai County, Hawaii, on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Scientists suspect the large sperm whale that washed ashore in Hawaii over the weekend may have died from an intestinal blockage because it ate large volumes of plastic, fishing nets, and other marine debris. (Daniel Dennison/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)
Killer whales often come and visit Neroutsos Inlet near Port Alice. (Regan Hickling photo)

Eyewitnesses report rare killer whale attack on a humpback in Quatsino Sound

Researcher: about 60 whale-on-whale interactions on record, none resulting in a confirmed death

  • Feb 2, 2023
Killer whales often come and visit Neroutsos Inlet near Port Alice. (Regan Hickling photo)
DFO rescuing a young humpback whale from a dangerous entanglement. (DFO video screenshot)

VIDEO: Hogtied humpback rescued from dangerous entanglement off northern Vancouver Island

Whale was exhausted, with gear wrapped around its tail, and also going through its mouth

DFO rescuing a young humpback whale from a dangerous entanglement. (DFO video screenshot)
Whales in the Gulf Islands, a southern resident killer whale critical habitat, are shown in a handout photo. Toxic chemicals from toilet paper have been found in the bodies of British Columbia’s endangered orcas, according to a study conducted by marine scientists.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Paul Cottrell **MANDATORY CREDIT**

Toilet paper toxin found in endangered killer whales, say B.C. researchers

Findings were published last month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology

Whales in the Gulf Islands, a southern resident killer whale critical habitat, are shown in a handout photo. Toxic chemicals from toilet paper have been found in the bodies of British Columbia’s endangered orcas, according to a study conducted by marine scientists.THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Fisheries and Oceans Canada-Paul Cottrell **MANDATORY CREDIT**