Humpback Comeback
Whales Galore Mon June 12th Biggs Killer Whales - Outside Gibsons Harbour As forest fires ravage large parts of Quebec and BC, spreading smoke and particulates as far afield as Europe, a couple of bits of good news have emerged. Whale numbers are looking increasingly healthy for all but the resident killer S outhern W hale . A recent news article carried by CBC reports on the work of marine naturalist Tasli Shaw who this year has recorded nearly 800 individual humpbacks in the Salish Sea compared with 400 last year. Link here . Biggs Killer Whales, also referred as Transient whales, one of the two ecotypes or sub-species in the Salish Sea, have also seen a revival with 1221 identified in 2022, more than double that of five years ago. They feed on other marine mammals. The Southern or Resident Orca, whose main food source is Salmon, have been in decline mainly as a result of reduced salmon stocks. We have seen both Humpbacks and Orca while out sailing, most recently a couple o