Date: 08-Mar-17

Sequence: 1

Encounter Number: 22

Enc Start Time: 12:15

Enc End Time: 14:15

Vessel: Orcinus

Observers: Dave Ellifrit

Pods or ecotype: J pod and L87

Location: Haro Strait

Begin Lat/Long: 48 35.25/123 12.28

End Lat/Long: 48 30.04/123 13.52

 

Encounter Summary:

Jane Cogan called Dave at home a little before 1145 to report that she was hearing J pod calls on her private hydrophone. Dave headed down to Snug Harbor and left aboard “Orcinus” at 1210. Just five minutes later, “Orcinus” rounded the south end of Kellett Bluff and saw whales up ahead heading south.
The whales were spread out in singles and small groups and a few single whales including J22 headed south less than a quarter mile from Kellett Bluff. J37 breached a couple of times on her way by. A small group was closer to the bluff and this ended up being J17, J53, J38, and J49. This group of four actively chased a salmon together with J38 making several high speed lunges. Once the fish chase was over, this group split up and the whales continued south. Since it looked like more whales were on the Canadian side, “Orcinus” worked its way west. J35 and J47 were photographed together about mid-strait. To the northwest of them, J41, J51, and J46 were together in a group. The J36s were to the west of this group and more single animals could be seen spread out to the west of Kelp Reef. The J41s and J46 headed southwest toward Sea Bird Point and passed the Kelp Reef marker by less than a hundred yards. There was a pair of bald eagles sitting on the top of the marker and two Steller sea lions hauled out at the base with another in the water. There were a couple of whales foraging just to the west of Kelp Reef although they disappeared before they could be identified.

J27 and L87 were seen traveling together about a half mile to the southwest of Kelp Reef. These two were also moving slowly toward Sea Bird Point. A group was forming a couple of hundred yards to the southeast of J27 and L87. This turned out to be all the J19s along with J31, J39, J40, and J45 traveling together pointed toward Discovery Island. “Orcinus” headed south east to find some more whales and eventually found J26, J36, and J52 traveling together about mid-strait off Bellevue Point. This threesome was mostly pointed west directly at Baynes Channel as they traveled slowly in the trough. There was some brief social activity and milling between J26 and the J36s before they loosened up some. J26 breached once. “Orcinus” left J26 and the J36s on the Kelp Reef line still pointed southwest toward Baynes Channel at 1415.

Notes-Comments: