Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 4d

@orcabehaviorinstitute.org has released their September sightings map, and it's a colorful one at that! There were plenty of sightings of Bigg's killer whales, Southern Resident killer whales, AND Northern Resident killer whales. Take a moment to read their full write-up. 👇

Orca Behavior Institute @orcabehaviorinstitute.org · 5d

Here's our September Salish Sea orca sightings map! For once it was a busy month not just on the Bigg's killer whale front, but for both Southern and Northern Residents as well!

Read all the details here:
www.orcabehaviorinstitute.org/sightings-ma...

#whalesky

A map of the Salish Sea with different colored dots indicating sightings of different populations of killer whales that were seen throughout September 2025

2 7

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 5d

You can read more about these types of encounters here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) Humpback whales interfering when mammal-eating killer whales attack other species: Mobbing behavior and interspecific altruism?

PDF | Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known to interfere with attacking killer whales (Orcinus orca). To investigate why, we reviewed... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on...

www.researchgate.net

2

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 5d

Humpbacks are known to intervene during orca hunts. On Saturday, the T46B1s were craving seal for lunch while BCX1377 "Nike" was nearby. Nike positioned himself between the seal and the orcas, but in the end, his efforts were unsuccessful.

📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

1 6 36

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 8d

Bigg's killer whale T101A "Rush" showed off his MASSIVE pectoral flippers during a spyhop last week. 😲 Naturalist Melisa Pinnow of San Juan Excursions got the shot.

4 23

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 9d

We're drooling over this gorgeous photo of a young Bigg's killer whale breaching under a pastel sky near Lummi Island. 🤩 We are so incredibly lucky to call this place home.

📷: Lincoln Humphry, San Juan Cruises

2 6 60

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 10d

Today we mourn the loss of Jane Goodall, one of the most passionate animal advocates the world has ever known. Through her work, she showed that wild animals can be intelligent and sentient beings, worthy of our appreciation and protection. She will be greatly missed.

people.com/jane-goodall...

Jane Goodall Dies at 91 While on Speaking Tour: She Was a 'Tireless Advocate' for Nature

Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist and animal welfare advocate who became the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees after spending decades studying them in the wild in Tanzania's Gombe Stream...

people.com

9 64

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 15d

On Tuesday, several PWWA members enjoyed a massive "T-Party", the whale watch community's name for a gathering of multiple families of Bigg's (mammal-eating) orcas. By the end of the day, an impressive 33 individuals were documented in the mix!

📷: Alison Engle, Western Prince Whale Watching

4 39

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 16d

We've been so busy lately that we forgot it's Fat Bear Week! 🐻 Does this involve the Salish Sea? No. Does it involve whales? No. But Fat Bear Week celebrates wild animals having plenty to eat, and we can get behind that!

Vote for today's matchups here: explore.org/fat-bear-week

2 6 19

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 17d

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Meet "Ulli", the 2024 calf of BCY0946 "Slits". In October 2022, the crew of Western Prince spotted Slits entangled in prawn gear. Luckily, DFO responded quickly, and Slits went on to conceive Ulli on the breeding grounds that winter.

📷: Kyla Bivens, @pugetsoundexpress.com

1 2 22

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 19d

It's Sea Otter Awareness Week! 🦦 Did you know there are sea otters in the Salish Sea? They're more often found on the outer coast, but sightings of this keystone species are on the rise in inland Washington and BC waters.

📷: Jeff Friedman, @sjiwhalewatch.bsky.social

8 60

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 22d

In addition to the fin whale, we've had some other special visitors in the southern Salish Sea lately. At least two Pacific white-sided dolphins have been hanging out near south Vancouver Island. They're usually seen in the northern Strait of Georgia.

📷: Lili Wilson, @eaglewingtours.bsky.social

8 70

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 22d

If you’re near south Vancouver Island, don’t miss tomorrow’s Wildlife Coexistence Symposium in Sooke, BC! We’re looking forward to participating in this full-day, in-person event. 🐳

www.eventbrite.ca/e/wildlife-c...

Wildlife Coexistence Symposium

Wild Wise Society is proud to host a full-day symposium focused on coexistence with with both terrestrial and marine wildlife.

www.eventbrite.ca

1 3

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · 24d

Happy Hump Day! 🐋 Humpback whales are rorquals, the name given to baleen whales with pleated throat grooves that expand like an accordion. These grooves allow them to capture large mouthfuls of fish or krill in a single gulp.

📷: Jake Hawley, Orca Spirit Adventures

1 22

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 10

Happy Hump Day! It's *technically* summer, but it's starting to feel like fall around the Salish Sea. In a few months, local humpbacks will migrate to Hawai'i, Mexico & Central America. To prepare, they're eating as much as possible to build their blubber layer.

📷: Simon Pidcock, Ocean EcoVentures

1 5 45

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 10

The PWWA is thrilled to join Wild Wise Society's Wildlife Coexistence Symposium on Sat. Sep. 20 in Sooke, BC. We'll be presenting on how to protect Salish Sea cetaceans both on and off the water. 🐳

Entry by donation. Space is limited, so be sure to register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/wildlife-c...

Wildlife Coexistence Symposium

Wild Wise Society is proud to host a full-day symposium focused on coexistence with with both terrestrial and marine wildlife.

www.eventbrite.ca

10

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 8

T137A "Jack" sure knows how to make a splash! He and his family were seen a few days ago in Washington's Saratoga Passage.

📷: Amanda Colbert, Blue Kingdom Whale & Wildlife Tours

7 30

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 6

It's well known in the whale community that Southern Residents have uncanny timing. A day after we posted about their summer absence, Js, Ks, AND Ls came into the Salish Sea. Here are some shore-based shots from @orcabehaviorinstitute.org, including one of L25 "Ocean Sun", the oldest living SRKW.

Orca Behavior Institute @orcabehaviorinstitute.org · Sep 5

Here are a few more photos from our visit with the L12 and L54 subgroups of L-Pod (15 whales total) off the west side of San Juan Island yesterday, including one of L25 Ocean Sun who is currently the oldest living Southern Resident, estimated to be in her 90s.

#orcas #whalesky #salishsea

Southern Resident killer whale L94 Calypso

Southern Resident killer whale L25 Ocean Sun

Southern Resident killer whale L127 Scuba

1 3 33

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 5

We love a good whale belly button shot! This nice navel belongs to Bigg's killer whale T109A7 "Wieland", born in 2021.

📷: Amy Aggergaard, Island Adventures Whale Watching

8 87

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 4

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Check out the 48th Annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival this Friday-Sunday.

Stop by the Marine Science Stage on Saturday at 3:00PM for the PWWA's presentation on how to identify Salish Sea marine mammals. 🐳⛵️

Get your tickets here: woodenboat.org

4

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 2

Their entire family is incredible!

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Sep 2

🤩 Look who was in the neighborhood over the holiday weekend! T063 "Chainsaw" never disappoints.

📷: Stephanie Jones, @seabreezewhales.bsky.social

1 6 43

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Aug 29

It's going to be a picture-perfect long weekend here in the Salish Sea. We hope to see you on the water! 🐋🗻

📷: Alison Engle, Western Prince Whale Watching

12 110

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Aug 28

This, this, so much this. It's been a fantastic year for sockeye and pinks, but approximately 80% of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales' diet is Chinook, followed by roughly 15% coho.

vancouversun.com/news/bc-angl...

B.C. anglers flock for sockeye, but experts warn of decades-long declines for salmon

But fisheries experts are cautioning that this year's strong sockeye returns should not distract from declines in salmon populations.

vancouversun.com

5 13

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Aug 27

This fluke belongs to a whale with a fun name, BCY0308 "S'mores". First seen off Hawai'i in 2004, most of S'mores' sightings have been farther north near Haida Gwaii. It's great to have an encounter down here. Hopefully we'll have...s'more! (groan) 🙈

📷: Mollie Cameron, @whalewatchingbc.bsky.social

2 15

Pacific Whale Watch Association @pacificwhalewatchassociation.com · Aug 27

UPDATE: The calf has been determined by researchers to belong to T75B "Pebbles" and has been given the alphanumeric designation T75B5.

2 6