A trio of orcas recently seen in Vancouver Harbour has sparked excitement among residents, as these whales are a rare sight in the region. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has identified the whales as belonging to an Alaska population, a unique occurrence in British Columbia waters.
DFO scientists are currently studying these unfamiliar whales, which have not been previously documented in the province, to gain insights into their behavior. The department plans to share more details once their whale experts complete their assessment based on available information.
A team of DFO scientists from Nanaimo, B.C., has been monitoring the whales closely as part of the ongoing evaluation. According to Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cetology, these orcas are genetically distinct from the common transient orcas usually found in the Salish Sea, making them stand out with different DNA and vocalizations.
Each killer whale has distinct features, much like human individuals. Through photo identification of their dorsal fins, saddle patches, and eye patches, researchers can track and recognize individual whales over time. Towers highlighted the rarity of encountering whales that have never been photographed in British Columbia before.
The whales’ journey to Vancouver has left experts intrigued about their origins. Josh McInnes, a marine mammal researcher at the University of British Columbia, noted distinctive scars near their dorsal fins, likely from encounters with cookiecutter sharks found in open-ocean habitats. While oceanic killer whales have been cataloged off the outer coasts of California, Oregon, and B.C., sightings close to shore are exceptionally uncommon.
Although it remains unclear which whale population these animals belong to, marine experts are closely monitoring their movements. Aly Kohlman, a marine naturalist, expressed interest in the possibility of these orcas being oceanic killer whales but emphasized the need for more observation to confirm their population affiliation.
The whales’ prolonged stay in the busy Vancouver Harbour has raised concerns among researchers. Kohlman suggested that the whales might be psychologically trapped in the high-traffic waterway, which is unusual behavior for transient killer whales known to be constantly on the move. Researchers are urging people to upload whale images to Finwave.io for identification while emphasizing the importance of maintaining a safe distance from these marine mammals as per Canadian regulations.
