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Encounter #116 - Oct 23, 2016

Photos taken under Federal Permits
NMFS PERMIT: 15569/ DFO SARA 388

Date:

Sequence:

Enc Number:

Start Time:

End Time:

Vessel:

Observers:

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Begin Lat/Long: End Lat/Long:

23-Oct-16

1

116

11:10

15:01

Eagle Dancer

Mark and Hanna Malleson

J's and K's

Juan de Fuca Strait

48.14.0

123.30.0

Encounter Summary:

We left Victoria harbor at 10:00 to survey the Juan de Fuca Strait west of Race Rocks. The water conditions were ideal so we ran out the shipping lane in the centre of the strait once we passed Race Rocks. We spotted a breach several miles west of us which looked suspiciously like a killer whale when we were south of Bechey Head.
It turned out to be K21 and we could see many more individuals spread out all tracking north east on a line from Clallam Bay 7 miles south of Sooke.
We started to work through the group starting with the most southerly animals. We gave a heads up to Forever Wild and Island Explorer IV of what we found as they were also out looking for whales.
We watched K35 actively foraging at 48 14.6 123 45.4.
Chris Bain on Forever Wild called us not long after they arrived with the most northern animals closer to Sooke to say they had J54 swimming on its own looking to be in poor condition with one or two juveniles and a female near by.
We left the J16's and worked our way across the strait to see. J54 passed along side of us and we could see he had a major depression behind his blowhole and his skin was very raked up and peeling. J46 accompanied him almost immediately after we arrived and J47 was tagging along behind. At one point we oberved J46 and J47 holding J54 up between them and he appeared lifeless laying on his side.
They continued on with J54 swimming between the two of them. Within 5 - 10 minutes of us paralleling them J35 joined in and put herself between them and us. At that point we decided to move on and leave them be.
We then worked our way back to the south moving through the individuals. They pushed south throughout the afternoon on a line for Admiralty Inlet.

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