Laura C. | M/V Sea Hawk | 8/11/2019 | 2:00pm
We had a “killer” day out on the water! M/V Sea Hawk headed out of Roche harbor with full steam ahead! The radio was in constant use by boaters voyaging through the Salish Sea, announcing a Bigg’s killer whale sighting just past Stewart Island! As we made our way north, we heard that there was a lone Bigg’s killer whale also traveling northbound.
Our vessel approached Moresby Island and we were greeted with a tall male dorsal fin of a Bigg’s killer whale! This individual was quickly identified at T65A2, a very popular teenage boy sighted many times this summer. This male is one of my favorite whales to see out on the water. Just like any teenage boy at home, you never know what he is up to! Lately, T65A2 has been sighted either traveling with his aunt and cousins, or by himself. As observers, we can only see what this whale is doing at the surface and receive a tiny glimpse of his actual daily life. It is easy to relate to animals that share such extreme intelligence and I instantly feel a strong connection every time I am in the presence of whales.
As we headed back towards Roche Harbor, I was able to comment on the extreme productivity of the Salish Sea today. There were strong currents and noticeable upwelling, a great indication that small schooling fish will be in abundance to feed off of the zooplankton. Over the next few days it will be interesting to see if whales stay within a small radius near Morrisbey Island to benefit from this supportive food chain!