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EncDate:02/05/23 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:16

ObservBegin:12:25 PM

ObservEnd:04:08 AM

Vessel:Orcinus

Staff:Dave Ellifrit

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Rosario Strait

Start Latitude:48 32.58

Start Longitude:122 45.26

End Latitude:48 42.15

End Longitude:122 45.08

EncSummary:

Dave was working in the ID office when he heard over the radio that “Spirit of Orca” had found a large group of Bigg’s killer whales heading north off the southeast tip of Lopez Island. Dave then headed down to Snug Harbor and left in the boat around 1050. After topping off at Roche Harbor, Dave took the inside route through Spieden Channel, down San Juan Channel, then up Wasp Passage and through Harney Channel. Heading for Peavine Pass, it got a little lumpy with the breeze coming out of East Sound but Rosario Strait ended up being really calm. After exiting Peavine Pass, “Orcinus” headed down the east shoreline of Blakely Island and finally arrived on scene at 1225 mid-Rosario Strait just north of the ferry route between Anacortes and Thatcher Pass.

There was a large number of milling of whales heading slowly north in one loose group. The front part of the group was fairly tight but there were many whales lagging a little behind them. There was lots of splashing and rolling from the younger whales and it was soon obvious that this was a large social gathering. Young whales were falling out of the water all over the place, often while vocalizing in the air. The group consisted of the T36As, T65As (minus T65A5), T75Bs, T99s, T123s, and the T124As (minus the T124A2s), plus T125A and T128. T125A and T128 were near the rear and were taking long dives. When he did appear, T128 appeared to be following T123 around. After an extremely long dive, T125A popped up nearby and began to drift a small ways away from the others. As the front main part of the group continued to roll its was up Rosario Strait, some of the trailers began to spread out slightly. T128 joined T125A and the two of them continued to slowly mill in the general vicinity to the southwest of the main group. Some of the T123s and maybe a couple others also moved a little west of the main group. The T123s, T125A, and T128 eventually moved back toward and were absorbed into the main group. The whales continued up Rosario Strait past Obstruction and Peavine Passes with the calves in the group playing and breaching the whole way. By the time the whales made it to Buoy Bay, the group had broken up some again with the main group including the T36s, T123s, T124As, T125A, and T128 moving closer to the Orcas Island shoreline. As this group moved slowly northeast parallel to the Orcas shoreline and past the Peapod Rocks, the T65As grouped up and paralleled them just on the west side of the Peapods. T65A3, who had been with the larger group closer to the Orcas island shoreline, rejoined his family. The T75Bs and T99s were a hundred yards or so behind the T65As and passed through and to the east of the Peapods.
“Orcinus” moved back to the main group as they approached Lawrence Point. The T123s had drifted off and disappeared but the T36As and T124As were still loosely traveling together with T125A and T128 either mixed in with them or in the general area. The T36A and T124A calves continued to play and breach and squeak as they rounded Lawrence Point. They passed north through a big tide rip with lots and lots of Bonaparte’s gulls off the point. The T65As could still be seen to the northeast of the T36As and T124As. All the whales in sight angled north-northwest as they made it to the Barnes and Clark Islands. The encounter ended at 1608 about a quarter mile east of the north end of Clark Island. The SR3 research vessel “Helen” later reported that all the groups present that day, including the T123s, grouped up again north of Sucia Island in the early evening.