EncDate:15/10/24 

EncSeq:2

Enc#:109

ObservBegin:04:20 PM

ObservEnd:05:35 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Joe Zelwietro

Pods:J

LocationDescr:Clallam Bay

Start Latitude:48 19.44

Start Longitude:124 11.20

End Latitude:49 19.54

End Longitude:124 06.22

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EncSummary:

On their way east from an encounter with K and L pod near Swiftsure Bank, Mark and Joe decided to remain offshore of Vancouver Island, feeling it more likely they’d find whales on the south side of the Juan de Fuca given the time of year and recent sightings.

Pausing to scan south of Magdalena Point, Vancouver Island, Mark spotted some distant exhalations in line with Clallam Bay, and Joe quickly confirmed through binoculars that they belonged to a male and female killer whale, travelling west. Assuming Bigg’s, the guys were surprised to see a female resident killer whale resurface from a prolonged dive. They quickly recognized her as J16! Her male companion was of course J26. The two were foraging in the glassy water, but oddly, no others were visible. It is not unheard of for the J16s to march to their own beat from time to time, but the field team was surprised given the Beaufort 0 conditions and ideal autumn afternoon lighting that they were not at the least seeing the other two members of the matriline, J36 and J42. J16 and J26 appeared to be trending west between foraging dives, so Mark and Joe focused their scans east, having come upon the pair from the west and not seeing others. Finally, Joe spotted a distant dorsal fin of a sprouting male. They made their way toward him, and began seeing more spread killer whales as they neared, finally finding themselves 2.5 nautical miles east of the J16-J26 pair with the westernmost animals of this “new” group.

The first new individual they observed was J53, racing west, perhaps toward the J16s. J36 was pacing her, as was J38, flanked to the south by J47 and the north by J35 and J57. J45 was photographed in the distance approximately a half mile north of this troop, and the Mike 1 crew eased that way to also find J22, all three of the J37s, J40, and J46. To this point, each individual but the J16-J26 pair had been moving west with purpose. J40 and the J37s were clearly foraging, so the guys spent a few minutes documenting each of these animals and their behaviour, before moving to the southeast to find J39 actively pursuing a fish. They could not determine species, but his intense surface manoeuvres indicated he had it corralled very near the surface. They ended the encounter there, watching him chase the unlucky salmonid west. Given the late hour and incredible spread of whales – perhaps three miles by two miles – there was no realistic chance of finding the remaining J11s or J19s, but it is assumed that all 25 living members of J Pod were present, and now trending more northwest than west.