AUGUST 8, 2009 AFTERNOON T100s and T101s, harbour porpoise and humpback whales in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Departure time: 1354

Vessel: Five Star Charter's Fastcat

Sighting #1: 'Transient' mammal eating killer whales (Orcinus orca)

Time: 1445
Start location: in the Strait of Juan De Fuca, south of Becher Bay, Vancouver Island
End location: 2 miles southwest of Becher Bay
Behaviour: tight and travelling/foraging while heading in a southwesterly direction

Cool killer whale fact: An adult killer whale consumes 100-300 pounds of food a day, depending on size and energy needs. That is approximately 1 - 2 harbour seals per day per adult Transient killer whale.

Links

DFO Transient killer whale photo ID catalogue
Center for Whale Research killer whale fact page and photo ID
Orcasound online hydrophone network
Orca Sightings Network Transient Fact page

American Cetacean Society killer whale fact sheet

T102, a 25 year old male "Transient" killer whale

Harbour porpoise surfacing very near the group of Transients...potential prey!

Sighting #2: Harbour porpoise (Balaenopter acutorostrata)

Time: 1457
Location: In the Strait of Juan De Fuca, south of Victoria, Vancouver Island

Behaviour: milling

Cool harbour porpoise fact: harbour porpoise are one of the smallest of the oceanic cetaceans, the harbor porpoise is shy and elusive

Links

American Cetacean Society harbour porpoise fact sheet

Fisheries and Oceans Canada SARA porpoise info

Above 3 photos: members of T100s and T101s travelling in the Strait of Juan De Fuca

Sighting #3: Humpback whales (Balaenopter acutorostrata)

Time: 1527
Location: In the Strait of Juan De Fuca, south of Victoria, Vancouver Island

Behaviour: probably foraging, no direction

Links

American Cetacean Society humpback whale fact sheet

Center for Whale Research online humpback catalogue of humpbacks seen in the Salish Sea

Department of Fisheries and Oceans humpback catalogue

Above 2 photos: two humpback whales travelling together

going down for a long dive...

And the second humpback diving!

Tail flukes of the two humpback whales...the markings on the underside can be used to recognize individual humpback whales