Latest news with #PWWA
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Famous humpback whale ‘Big Mama' returns to Salish Sea with new calf
The first humpback whale calf of the 2025 season has arrived back in Salish Sea waters, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA). The calf is believed to be the eighth calf of a whale affectionately known as 'Big Mama.' 'Big Mama' is widely beloved for playing a key role in the recovery of local humpbacks, the PWWA said. This is her eighth known calf in 30 years. Humpback whales aren't born in Salish Sea waters-- it's too cold. They migrate to waters off of Hawaii, Mexico and Central America before coming back to the PNW. 'Big Mama' is a part of the Hawaiian population and has made the trek from there to the Salish Sea many times. The pair was first spotted by PWWA members on Wednesday afternoon in Haro Strait on the US/Canadian border between BC's Sidney Island and Washington's San Juan Island, followed by several additional sightings on Thursday. The calf, likely four to five months old, stayed close to mom throughout the encounters. 'Big Mama is a perfect example of how important a single whale can be to a population,' said the PWWA's executive director, Erin Gless. 'She was first seen in 1997, and was one of the first humpbacks to return to the Salish Sea after the end of commercial whaling in 1966. She's been returning ever since, and now has at least eight calves, seven grandcalves, and four great grandcalves. It's very impressive!'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Baby orca is a descendent of a whale almost sold to SeaWorld in 1976
A new orca whale calf spotted in Puget Sound in Washington State is the latest addition to a well-known family of killer whales with a connection to SeaWorld. In 1976, the calf's great-grandmother T046 'Wake' was one of six orcas captured with the intention of being sold to marine parks and temporarily held by SeaWorld in Budd Inlet near Olympia, Washington. The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) first saw this new baby whale with a group of orcas on March 20 in the eastern Juan de Fuca Strait. According to PWWA's executive director Erin Gless, the calf's fetal folds and distinctive orange coloration were visible. The fetal folds are creases along the calf's skin that come from being scrunched inside its mother's uterus for about 18 months. 'These factors are normal and indicate the calf is quite young, likely a week or two at most,' Gless said in a statement. The calf has been given the designation T046B3A and was spotted swimming alongside its 14-year-old mother, T046B3 'Sedna,' who was named after a goddess and the Mother of the Sea in Inuit culture. T046B3A is also Sedna's first known calf. Sedna is one of Wake's grand-calf and the family's lineage was almost cut short during that 1976 capture. The late Ralph Munro, a former Washington Secretary of State and an assistant to then-Governor Dan Evans, witnessed the orca captures while he was sailing. Munro then helped file a lawsuit against SeaWorld, which ultimately led to the release of the whales from Budd Inlet several weeks later. The event was the last in a series of orca captures in the 1970s, where an estimated 100 killer whales were taken from the Pacific. Wake and these five other cetaceans were the last orcas to be captured in US waters. The PWWA says that at least 30 killer whales would not have been born without Munro's actions. Wake is believed to have had eight calves of her own, 16 grand-calves, and six great grand-calves. Munro died on March 20–the same day that this new whale calf was first spotted. The family is part of a group of orcas called Biggs killer whales or transient killer whales. Unlike the nearby Southern Resident orcas that primarily eat salmon, Biggs orcas feed on marine mammals including porpoises, sea lions, and seals. Their population has grown steadily, with more than 140 calves welcomed in the last 10 years. Research organization Bay Cetology estimates that there are nearly 400 individual whales in the coastal Bigg's orca population today. Meanwhile, there are only about 73 Southern Resident orcas left, down from 97 whales in 1996. According to PWWA, local whale watch tours focus on Bigg's killer whales and not the endangered Southern Residents.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New calf born to descendant of last orca captured in Washington waters
Good news for the orca population on the west coast! The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) announced that a new Bigg's orca calf has been spotted in the Salish Sea. The calf was first seen as part of a group of more than a dozen orcas on March 20 between Port Townsend and the San Juan Islands. It was subsequently resighted several times over the weekend, the PWWA said. A reminder that Bigg's orcas are transient whales that hunt other mammals, like seals, sea lions and porpoises. Their population is about 400. The southern resident orcas, which consists of three pods, are the ones that eat only Chinook salmon, but some studies show they have been known to eat other types of salmon. Their population is about 73. While the southern residents have been struggling with its population in the last decade or so, PWWA said the Bigg's killer whales are having a baby boom. Bigg's orca 'Sedna' (T046B3) was seen swimming alongside what is believed to be her calf. This is 14-year-old Sedna's first known calf. 'In the images, you can still see fetal folds, along with distinctive orange coloration,' shares Erin Gless, the PWWA's executive director, referring to creases in the calf's skin as a result of being scrunched inside its mother's belly. 'These factors are normal and indicate the calf is quite young, likely a week or two at most.' Sedna is part of a well-known family of orcas. In 1976, her grandmother, 'Wake' (T046) was one of six whales captured in the Budd Inlet and held by Sea World. This capture was on the heels of a time when orcas were rounded up, captured and sent to aqua parks like Sea World and the Miami Seaquarium. The most famous of these captures was in August 1970, where over 80 orcas were rounded up in Penn Cove for captivity. Ralph Munro, assistant to then-Governor Dan Evans, witnessed the captures while sailing with friends and was appalled. Munro helped file a lawsuit against Sea World, leading to the whales' release. Wake's group were the last killer whales to be captured in U.S. waters. Wake is responsible for eight assumed calves, 16 grand-calves, and six great grand-calves. 'Without the direct efforts of Ralph Munro, at least 30 Bigg's killer whales would have never been born,' PWWA said. Munro died at the age of 81, just last week.
