Enc Date: 04/10/20

Enc Seq: 54

Enc#: 1

Observ Begin: 11:35 AM

Observ End: 02:45 PM

Vessel: Orcinus

Staff: Dave Ellifrit

Other Observers: Katie Jones

Pods: J

Location Descr: Haro Strait

Start Latitude: 48 32.68

Start Longitude: 123 11.09

End Latitude: 48 09.62

End Longitude: 123 01.60

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Enc Summary:

Jane Cogan called Dave around 1045 to say that they were hearing J pod calls on their private hydrophone. The whales appeared to be coming from the north. Since there was fog in the area, Dave and Katie met at Snug Harbor and rushed out in the boat at 1120 with the main goal of documenting the two new J pod calves before the whales slipped into the fog or over the border.
Haro Strait was clearer than we thought it might be and we saw our first whales at 1135 off Andrews Bay. J26 was actively chasing a salmon and J47 came over to help. After a chase that lasted a couple of minutes, both J26 and J47 spread out and headed south. J49 also appeared in the area and headed down island. About a quarter mile south of these three, we saw another fish chase going on and at least two whales were there. When we got closer, we saw that it was J41, J51, and J41’s new calf J58. Both J41 and J51 were chasing the fish and J58 was right there in the middle of the action. After the chase, the threesome pointed down island and then inshore. J51 split off briefly and did several single bellyflops while he was by himself. After heading down island several hundred yards off the shoreline of SJI, the threesome pointed back offshore and then J41 and J51 began another vigorous fish chase. The whales milled a bit after the chase and then headed off to the southeast in the direction of False Bay.
There were some more spread out whales back near Hannah Heights and we were told that J35 and J57 were in that area too. We went back there and found J40 and J53 loosely spread and foraging in the same area. J35 and J57 could be seen a little east of there and J47 was following them. J16 and J42 were seen further inshore near Pile Point. We followed J35 and J57, getting good shots of the calf, as they traveled slowly down island to the south end of False Bay. J49 joined them and J37 was seen catching a fish a couple hundred meters to the southwest. We left the J35s south of False Bay and headed west to some loosely spread whales offshore. J31 and J56 were also in a high action fish chase while J46 foraged nearby. J38 foraged by himself offshore of the J31s and J22 chased a fish of her own several hundred yards east of J38. J44 was also in the area. J38 came over to J22 once she was done chasing her fish. We headed back inshore and found all three J35s again, plus J42, in a tight group off American Camp. J39 was foraging by himself several hundred yards east of this group and we ended the encounter with him heading southeast off the north end of South Beach at 1445.