EncDate:30/09/23 

EncSeq:3

Enc#:62

ObservBegin:12:18 PM

ObservEnd:04:33 PM

Vessel:Mike 1

Staff:Mark Malleson

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Crescent Bay

Start Latitude:48 16.49

Start Longitude:1234 33.54

End Latitude:48 21.59

End Longitude:123 26.05

 

EncSummary:

Mark left T049C (see Encounter #61) to look for a group of four killer whales that had been reported along the shoreline of Becher Bay at the east end of East Sooke Park. After a thorough scan of the area and talking with some sport fishers who hadn't seen any killer whales, he made his way south toward the T018s, who were southwest of Race Rocks and moving quickly in a southwesterly direction.
 
At 1218, he came across T019 and T019C approximately 1.5 nm southwest of Race Rocks, travelling at a steady 7 knots to the southwest. After getting proof-of-presence pictures of both, Mark made his way 0.5 nm to the south, where he could see T019B also moving quickly southwest into a moderate swell. T018 was apparently to the north of the group, as confirmed by a commercial whale watch boat that was with them before Mike 1 arrived. Mark figured that he would eventually spot her as he tracked the large bull, T019B, who was now travelling at nearly 10 knots on a line for Crescent Bay. Mark speculated that he was honing in on another group of killer whales with his slightly more southerly direction change and increase in speed. After a quick scan and not seeing any distant blows, Mark headed north to get a proof of presence picture of T018, who had been relocated a mile north of the other three members of her family by one of the commercial whale-watching boats. After several minutes of waiting for a re-sight of T018, he got word that many killer whale blows were being observed near Crescent Bay, ahead of T019B!
 
Mark manoeuvred Mike 1 back to the southwest and arrived as T019B was closing in on a group of 10-12 animals with a large bull that Mark did not recognize. He immediately concluded that he was likely a "high T," as in a rare visitor to the area, as he could see a few other unrecognizable animals in the vicinity. These "high Ts," so-called for their alphanumeric designation (generally above "T200"), spend most of their time in open waters, likely patrolling the continental shelf. They are considered outer-coastal and only occasionally join the more well-known inner-coastal Bigg's killer whales in inside waters. The T046Bs were also in the mix, and this family is often seen associating with "high Ts."
 
Mark soon got word after sending a picture he took with his iPhone of the viewfinder on the back of the camera to Joe, who confirmed on FinWave that the bull was T348. This confirmed that this truly was Mark's first time seeing this lad. T348 and his gang grouped up and slowly wandered west as the rest of the T018s came into the area to investigate the newcomers. Mark watched T019B approach T348's group, dive, and then could see that they had a quick underwater skirmish as the surface of the water was briefly turbulent before T019B moved back towards the rest of his family and the T046Bs. The T348 gang then turned back to the east as they all milled around the area for the next two hours. Once Mark felt that he had got decent pictures of the outer-coastals, he ended the encounter at 1633.
 
Mark later learned that the other individuals were confirmed as the T249s, T352 and T356. Each of the T249s, T348, T352 and T356 are rarely encountered anywhere, and this is the first time any of them have been observed in the Salish Sea!
 
The T249s (also known as the CA222s by our California colleagues) were most recently by DFO researchers in 2019 near Barkley Canyon, off the outer coast of Vancouver Island, travelling with other outer-coastal Bigg's known primarily from the California coast.  
 
The T352s (CA206s), including T352, T348 and T356, have been seen only sparingly off the outer coast of Vancouver Island before today, though via documentation from the California coast, we know T352 to be the mother to the bull T348. The relation of T356 to the rest is presumed - daughter to T352, brother to T348 - but not confirmed. T352 and her kin were first documented in the early 2000s in Monterey Bay and have since been observed with a wide range of individuals from both the outer- and inner-coastal populations. That list included well-known Salish Sea visitors, the T036s, T036As, T046s, T046Cs and T137s, before adding the T018s and T046Bs today.
 
Thanks to Bay Cetology/Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the ID's!