The first mother humpback whales and their babies have been spotted in the waters off Vancouver Island.
Today the Pacific Whale Watch Association announced whale moms and calves have arrived in the Salish Sea. At least three new calves and their mothers were identified, says Erin Gless, executive director of the association.
“We’ve been eagerly awaiting news of the season’s first humpback calves,” she says. “We celebrate every whale’s return, but it’s doubly special when they have a new calf in tow.”
Local humpback whales and calves spend the summer feeding in the Salish Sea after travelling from warmer breeding grounds in Hawaii, Mexico, and Central America. Gless says the population has rebounded from near-extinction several decades ago to more than 400 different whales and 34 calves.
Among the new moms are BCY0523 “Graze”, BCX1675 “Strike”, and BCY1404 “Poptart”. Both Graze and Strike also gave birth to calves in 2019 and 2021, but this is the first calf for Poptart, who was born in 2016 to beloved Salish Sea humpback BCY0324 “Big Mama”. As a youngster, Poptart was often seen breaching completely out of the water, reminding whale watchers of the popular breakfast pastry popping out of a toaster. The name stuck, and Poptart has since become one of the most well-known humpback whales in the region.
Gless says boaters need to be careful and watch for spouts, backs and tails in the water, and stay at least 100 metres away from whales, and 200 metres away from mothers and calves.
Humpback whales feed on krill and small fish, such as herring and candlefish, and typically remain in the local waters through late fall. Last year, a record 34 humpback whale calves were reported throughout the Salish Sea by researchers with the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration.
