EncDate:23/08/22 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:51

ObservBegin:01:30 PM

ObservEnd:02:45 PM

Vessel:Orcinus

Other Vessel:

Staff:Dave Ellifrit

Other Observers:Samantha Mundorff, Federica Spina

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Swanson Channel

Start Latitude:48 43.59

Start Longitude:123 17.05

End Latitude:48 46.51

End Longitude:123 20.84

 

EncSummary:

The team was working in the office when they heard over the radio that two different groups of transients had been found in the San Juan Islands. One group was found in San Juan Channel and then “Western Explorer” found the T37As in Boundary Pass north of Turn Point. The team headed down to Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1250. We decided to go to the T37As first and arrived on scene in lower Swanson Channel at 1330 to find the T37As split up. T37A2 and T37A3 were traveling slowly northwest up Swanson Channel together while T37A5 followed the pair about fifty yards behind them. T37A and T37A4 eventually surfaced about three hundred yards to the northeast of the others, also pointed slowly northwest. By 1350, the whales had spread out and began foraging. T37A2 was acting like he found something and was giving chase. We were too far from the action to see what he was after but, given the ground he was covering, it was probably a porpoise. Two of the younger whales may have been chasing something of their own about a quarter mile to the southeast of T37A2. T37A charged west toward where T37A2 was pursuing his prey. Less than ten minutes later, the attack seemed to be over and T37A, T37A2, and T37A5 grouped up and began traveling northwest again. T37A3 and T37A4 were several hundred yards behind and appeared to be feeding. A few minutes later, they caught back up to the others and all the T37As continued up Swanson Channel in the direction of Ganges Harbor while in a single group. We ended the encounter at 1425.