Tag Archives: Humpback Whales

Rivers & Oceans

BBC’s Planet Earth does a deep dive on West Coast whale poo

Editor’s Note: Most of what follows is applicable to our waters, doubly so because MERS operates in our waters. Stay tuned to see if there are any scenes from Cortes or the surrounding islands in the BBC story.

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Whale researcher Jackie Hildering and her colleagues never imagined their work on humpbacks would capture the attention of the globe’s premier documentary series.  

Or that whale poo would be of such interest to Planet Earth — BBC’s famous nature show. 

Continue reading BBC’s Planet Earth does a deep dive on West Coast whale poo →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

It’s a new season of whale song on the West Coast

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Autumn is the season of whale song on the Pacific Northwest Coast, says longtime researcher Janie Wray. 

Male humpbacks off the B.C. coast are beginning to get vocal — practising and modifying a supernatural and intricate song that is transmitted and almost simultaneously adopted among themselves before and during their winter migration to warmer climes.

Continue reading It’s a new season of whale song on the West Coast →
Animals, Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Entangled humpback whale reported off the coast of Tofino

Editor’s note: Another example of humans negatively impacting nature, the story of the humpback whale’s comeback and a glimpse into the history of First Nations whaling.

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tofino, BC – On July 22 an entangled humpback whale was reported to be seen off the coast of Leonard Lighthouse, near Tofino. 

Since the initial sighting Fisheries and Oceans Canada, alongside Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society (SIMRS), have struggled to relocate the humpback and encourage community members to call the DFO marine mammal incident reporting hotline if seen, while remaining 200 meters away.

Continue reading Entangled humpback whale reported off the coast of Tofino →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Humpback whales are riding a crosscurrent of hope and concern

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It was a good news, bad news year for humpback whales residing in the Salish Sea on the West Coast.

Nearly 400 humpbacks were sighted in 2022, the highest number on record, said researcher Tasli Shaw, project lead for Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea (HWSS), which identifies and catalogues marine mammals in the region. 

Continue reading Humpback whales are riding a crosscurrent of hope and concern →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Endangered wildlife committee keeps B.C’s humpback whales on the list

By Kaitlyn Bailey, Prince Rupert Northern View, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The North Pacific humpback whale population is still at risk with a recommended status of “special concern”, announced the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) on Dec. 8.

Since commercial whaling for humpbacks was outlawed in 1966, the North Pacific population has been slowly growing, COSEWIC stated. They added that more than 4,000 whales spend time off the coast of B.C., but there are still risks.

Continue reading Endangered wildlife committee keeps B.C’s humpback whales on the list →