EncDate:09/09/24 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:90

ObservBegin:02:20 PM

ObservEnd:04:06 PM

Vessel:KCB III

Staff:Michael Weiss

Other Observers:Arlene Vargas, Rachel John, Charli Grimes

Pods:Bigg's killer whales

LocationDescr:Alden Bank

Start Latitude:48 50.84

Start Longitude:123 53.95

End Latitude:48 54.92

End Longitude:123 54.36

 

EncSummary:

The team had received reports that a group of around 5 whales had been found near the outer islands. These whales were identified by vessels on scene as the T35As, a group that we rarely encounter that far east in the Salish Sea, potentially accompanied by the T38As. The team geared up and left Snug at 13:28.

The team arrived on scene at 14:20 just north of Alden Bank. The whales were milling when the team arrived, apparently just finishing processing a kill. As the team slowly approached the area, the whales began moving slowly east. The team took the opportunity to do a left-side photo-ID pass, and confirmed that it was just the T35As present.

After the photo-ID pass, the team moved away from the whales and launched the drone. During their flights, they observed the whales chasing a harbor porpoise. After diving to capture the porpoise, yet another porpoise appeared: a calf! The whales chased and eventually caught both mother and calf. The mother was briefly released, apparently so T35A4 could practice chasing and catching it. The porpoise proved a bit too big for the young whale to hold onto, forcing the adults to step in and finish the hunt.

The whales prey shared and socializing for the next several minutes before again turning directional and heading northeast. As the team got into position for a photo ID pass, the whales spread out over a half mile. The team got a couple more photos of part of the group, but with the light getting lower and the whales spread, they decided to end the encounter at 16:06 and head back to Snug.