Keep your eyes peeled, Victoria!
Researchers have confirmed an increase in Salish Sea whale sightings this year, meaning more whales have been visible in the waters around Vancouver Island.
According to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and Orca Behaviour Institute (OBI), local sightings of Bigg’s killer whales, also known as orcas, are up this year compared to 2023.
This exciting news comes with a five-month streak of daily Bigg’s killer whale reports in the Salish Sea—which means OBI has confirmed sightings every day since March 12th!
“It’s quite the streak,” said Erin Gless, executive director of the PWWA.
“Knock on wood, but the season has been very good for viewing killer whales so far.”
In a media release, the PWWA added that July was particularly noteworthy, with 214 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales.
“That’s a 70% increase over the 124 unique sightings we had in July 2023”, shares Monika Wieland Shields, director of OBI.
A ‘unique sighting’ is defined by OBI as a single sighting of a distinct group of Bigg’s killer whales on a specific day. In other words, they only count each group once per day.
Not only have there been an incredible amount of sightings, the number of Bigg’s killer whales within some of the groups have been really significant.
Some of the whale groups that the PWWA whale watch vessels documented numbered at more than 20-30 individuals!
PWWA added that one in particular was 41 different killer whales from various families all travelling together.
For those that are curious, Bigg’s killer whales feed on marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, porpoises. And because there’s been a grand abundance of these creatures in BC waters, it has allowed the Bigg’s killer whale population to steadily grow in recent years.
According to Bay Cetology, a research organization based on north Vancouver Island, 14 Bigg’s killer whale calves have been added to the population—eight of which were born in 2024 and six were born recently but not documented until this year.
There’s now a total coastal population of 380 Bigg’s killer whales.
Plus, Bigg’s killer whales are not the only species delighting whale watchers and researchers this season!
The PWWA reported that Humpback whales, which can measure the length of a school bus, are also being seen on a daily basis.
A few hundred humpbacks come to the Salish Sea each year to feed on small fish and krill before migrating south in winter.
“We’re fortunate to live in a place where the question isn’t, ‘Will we see whales?’ but rather, ‘Which whales will we see?’”, said Gless.
“Nothing in nature is 100% guaranteed, but here in the Salish Sea, the chance of seeing whales is really high.”
The region’s other killer whales, the Southern Residents, rely on salmon and are endangered—with fewer than 75 in the waters.
It is for this reason that local whale watch tours don’t focus on them and always try to avoid them entirely so as not to disturb their dangerously small population.
