Unknown Whales in Familiar Waters
Three killer whales that have never previously been documented in British Columbia waters were spotted swimming through Vancouver Harbour last week, delighting onlookers and puzzling marine experts. The whales were seen moving between the Lions Gate Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge over several days, drawing crowds and camera lenses from across the city.
But while orca sightings in Vancouver Harbour are not unheard of, these three animals are something different entirely.
Not From Around Here
Researchers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have identified the whales as likely belonging to an Alaskan population. Using photo-identification techniques, scientists matched the animals to a single prior sighting near Anchorage, Alaska, recorded approximately one year ago and roughly 1,200 nautical miles from Vancouver.
Jared Towers, executive director of Bay Cetology, said the sighting stands out precisely because it is so unusual. "It's quite rare for whales that have never been photographed before in B.C. to show up," he noted, pointing out that 99.5% of orcas photographed in the Salish Sea are well-known individuals, primarily transient (Bigg's) killer whales whose movements have been tracked for decades.
Clues in the Scars
One of the three whales carries a distinctive circular scar on its saddle patch, a bite mark researchers believe was inflicted by a cookiecutter shark. That detail is significant: cookiecutter sharks live in deep, open-ocean habitats far offshore, suggesting these are oceanic killer whales rather than the coastal-dwelling populations typically seen in B.C. waters.
UBC marine mammal researcher Josh McInnes explained that the marks are characteristic of whales that "primarily occur in open-ocean habitats." Scientists have catalogued over 150 oceanic killer whales off the Pacific coast, but sightings this deep into coastal waters remain extremely rare.
Why They're Here
What drew the whales nearly 1,200 nautical miles from their last known location into the heart of one of Canada's busiest harbours remains unknown. DFO scientists from their Nanaimo facility are studying the animals' behaviour and movement patterns in hopes of finding answers.
Marine biologists have noted that oceanic orcas tend to prey on different species than their coastal counterparts and may follow prey into unfamiliar waters, but this is speculation at this stage.
A Rare Spectacle
For Vancouver residents, the sight of three large killer whales navigating the harbour beneath the backdrop of the North Shore mountains and the Lions Gate Bridge has been nothing short of extraordinary. Whale-watching is a beloved part of life along B.C.'s coast, but encounters with undocumented individuals, whales science has never formally recorded, are genuinely rare events.
Researchers are encouraging anyone with photographs or video of the whales to share them with DFO to help build a more complete picture of these mysterious visitors.
Source: CBC Technology
