EncDate:31/03/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#*:26

ObservBegin:04:20 PM

ObservEnd:04:44 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Other Observers:Joe Zelwietro

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:south of Race Rocks

Start Latitude:48 16.54

Start Longitude:123 30.19

End Latitude:48 16.85

End Longitude:123 27.77

 

EncSummary:

Mark, Joe and Fin were working their way home from a relatively fruitless spring survey of the western Juan de Fuca Strait when they received word of a small group of presumed Bigg’s killer whales travelling east, near Race Rocks. They picked up their pace as they made their way along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, and arrived with the animals at 1620.
The group of four whales had been making good way east in the building flood current, and the Mike 1 team were quickly able to identify them as the T030Bs! The T030Bs are not overly common visitors to the Salish Sea, though Mark did encounter them in late January when CWR first observed the newest addition to the family, T030B3 (see Encounter #09). They have now been observed in the area in March in five of the last six years. Typically present in encounters with the T030Bs are the T117Bs, an adult female and her two-year-old offspring. The duo soon made themselves known, appearing just under a quarter mile to the southwest. Mark manoeuvred Mike 1 that way, and the guys were able to confirm their identity. T117B welcomed her first known calf into the group in early 2023, and the CWR team has been happy to see how healthy the pair look; the youngster could pass for a three year old!
The T117Bs were closing the gap to the rest quickly, as the T030Bs had momentarily stalled out and begun milling, perhaps to chase some prey. No prey sharing was observed however, and if they were successful, the animals certainly made short work of the small meal.
As the whales converged and resumed their easterly travel, they collected a quick sequence of right-side identification shots before ending the encounter at 1644, leaving the group steaming east. 
Of note, Mark and Joe independently observed two other members of the recently-rare extended matriline, T030A and T030C, north bound in Haro Strait early last week while guiding commercial whale watch trips.