Off Vancouver Island, whale-watchers got an unusual look at a fin whale estimated at about 70 feet long — roughly the height of a seven-story building — in waters better known for humpbacks and orcas.
Its appearance in Canada's Salish Sea was rare for the species, and the visit quickly drew the attention of tour operators and researchers.
What happened?
According to Vancouver Island Free Daily, the whale was seen June 28 in waters west of Race Rocks near Greater Victoria.
Since 2015, only six fin whales — including this one — have been recorded in the Salish Sea.
For Mollie Cameron of Sooke Coastal Explorations, it was the first fin whale she had seen in a decade on the water.
"I've been going out on the water now for 10 years, so to see anything that you've never seen before is always a special experience," Cameron said.
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Under Canada's Species at Risk Act, fin whales are listed as threatened.
Valerie Shore, a senior naturalist at Eagle Wing Tours, said the animal looked healthy and appeared to be feeding. She pointed to a recent case in Washington, where a 61-foot fin whale seen in spring later beached and died after evidence showed a recent net entanglement and attacks by killer whales.
Why does it matter?
The sighting may point to strong feeding conditions in the area.
Shore said fin whales feed on krill and small fish, much like humpbacks, and this whale was observed feeding near Race Rocks. The area may be producing enough food to attract species that typically stay in deeper offshore waters.
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The Strait of Juan de Fuca serves as a major corridor for cruise ships and commercial vessels, and Shore said fast-moving ships passed by while the whale was being observed.
Being struck by vessels is one of the species' main dangers worldwide.
Last month, a cruise ship that departed Vancouver arrived in Alaska with a dead pregnant fin whale hanging across its bow.
The rare sighting came in waters shared with ship traffic, noise, and industrial activity.
What's being done?
Shore plans to share photos with researchers in hopes of identifying the whale, according to the Free Daily.
She said this individual may be easier to track because of a small hole in its dorsal fin, which may have been caused by a parasite called pennella, a cookiecutter shark, a Pacific lamprey, or a trait the whale was born with.
There are already voluntary vessel slowdowns and route changes in some areas, but Shore questioned whether those measures are enough as ship traffic continues to grow.
Her concern extends beyond fin whales to the hundreds of humpbacks in the same feeding grounds each summer and fall.
Sighting reports and photos can also help researchers better understand whether rare visitors like this fin whale are becoming more common or simply more vulnerable.
"It's always exciting to see something that you don't see every day," Shore said.
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