Photos taken under Federal Permits

NMFS PERMIT: 21238/ DFO SARA 388

EncDate: 15/04/21

EncSeq: 1

Enc#: 20

ObservBegin: 05:30 PM

ObservEnd: 06:30 PM

Vessel: Orcinus

Staff: Dave Ellifrit

Pods: Transients

LocationDescr: Haro Strait

Start Latitude: 48 34.09

Start Longitude: 123 10.94

End Latitude: 48 39.33

End Longitude: 123 12.58

 

EncSummary:

A little before 1700, Dave got a call from John Durban with the SR3 drone team to say that the group of transients they had found earlier off Eagle Point were now flying north near shore at Hannah Heights. Dave headed to Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1725. “Orcinus” got out into Mitchel Bay and quickly saw a young male killer whale about a half mile off Smugglers Cove and the encounter started at 1730. He was traveling north slowly and not arching. After he went on a long dive and came up a little further north, Dave was able to catch up and identify him as T65A2. He was being a real low rider and was not showing his saddle at all. Dave finally saw the other whales way up ahead approaching Kellett Bluff. The whales near Kellett Bluff had gone on a long dive by the time “Orcinus” got there and then Dave saw another group about a quarter mile offshore paralleling them. The whales near Kellett came up again and these three whales were T77, T77E, and T65A4 traveling together in a loose group. When they went on a long dive, Dave moved offshore to the outside group. This was T65A, T65A3, T65A5, and T65A6 and they were traveling north rather quickly in a tight group. This group kept moving ever closer to the border so, after getting some good ID shots, Dave moved back inshore for one more pass with T77, T77E, and T65A4. These three looked like they might be angling toward the rest of the T65As who looked, from a distance, like they were heading more northwesterly now. T65A2 was several hundred yards to the southeast of the threesome. T65A2 was still traveling slowly by himself in a more northerly direction toward Stuart Island. The encounter ended at 1830 with T65A2 traveling northwest about a mile south of Tiptop Hill on Stuart Island.