EncDate:23/03/23 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:12

ObservBegin:12:55 PM

ObservEnd:02:51 PM

Vessel:Orcinus

Other Vessel:

Staff:Dave Ellifrit

Other Observers:Katie Jones

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Boundary Pass and Spieden Channel

Start Latitude:48 39.45

Start Longitude:123 07.92

End Latitude:48 37.45

End Longitude:123 06.90

 

EncSummary:

Dave was working in the photo-ID office again when he heard over the radio that Mark, again, had found a big batch of Bigg’s killer whales heading east on the north side of Stuart Island. The day was pretty breezy out of the southeast but there might be a lee up there so Dave called Katie and they met at Snug Harbor. Leaving the harbor at about 1225, we headed east in the relatively calm Spieden Channel and rounded Green Point which was lumpy with tidal action as expected. The seas were building in San Juan Channel but were relatively calm north of Spieden Channel.  

We got on scene at 1255 north of the east end of Johns Island. Mark had reported that T19, T19B, the T34s, T37, the T37Bs, and the T49As (minus T49A2) were present and they were in three groups when we got there. The T34s and T37s were in the lead in a tight group heading southeast into what used to be relatively calm seas but was now a 1-2 ft. lump that could get cameras wet. T19B and T49A1 were following the T34s and T37s by about fifty yards. Another group that included the rest of the T49As (minus T49A2 who was not present) and T19 were traveling in the same direction several hundred yards to the north-northwest of the others. As the front group made its way toward the east end of Spieden Island, they turned inshore toward it. We then moved over to get shots of the T49As and T19 group. They continued southeast for a while before they turned east and pointed toward the area north of Flattop Island. This group appeared to be spreading out a little and were perhaps going to begin foraging so we headed back toward the other whales closer to Spieden. T19B and T49A1 were still together and steaming southeast into a stiff breeze. The T34s and T37s had stalled a little and were now behind T19B and T49A1. They were tight and lingering at surface before circling the boat and going on a long dive. The whole group was down for almost seven minutes before surfacing a couple of hundred yards away right on the shoreline of northeast Spieden Island. They were now in hunt mode as two large but scared Steller sea lions immediately hopped out of the water onto the shoreline near the whales. The T34s and T37s then committed to heading toward Green Point. T49A1 and T19B also started charging that direction. The T49As and T19 also reappeared heading back toward Green Point too. All the whales had rounded Green Point by about 1410 and were heading southwest towards the north shoreline of San Juan Island. The T34s and T37s were in the lead again with T19B and T49A1 following. At about 1415, the T34s and T37s began milling like they had something off the San Juan Island shoreline in eastern Spieden Channel. We soon saw they had a Steller sea lion and the attack began. The T19s and T49As must have dropped back further to the northeast into the sloppier seas as we lost track of them while we observed the T34s and T37s attack the sea lion. The T34s and T37s continued to beat up the sea lion in a slightly unspectacular manner for nearly a half hour before subduing it. There was some milling while T37 did a belly flop and there was a big spyhop by another whale. The T34s and T37s then began moving back east toward San Juan Channel so we ended the encounter there at 1450.