Foraging KELȽOLEMEĆEN and ḰENES

October 14, 2025

ḰENES

KELȽOLEMEĆEN

ḰENES

KELȽOLEMEĆEN

As recreational boating and commercial whale watching decreases into the Autumn, our days on the water are far more calm. On October 14, our team set out from the marina to complete our pinniped haul out monitoring in our monitoring zone 1. As we headed towards Blunden isl., we came across a juvenile ḰENES (Humpback Whale) that was crossing Boundary Pass. This young whale was foraging in bait balls news Stuart Island. We obtained identification photos and left them alone to feed in peace. This ḰENES has been identified as BCZ0408’s 2023 calf.

After counting pinnipeds on multiple haul outs, we headed North in the Strait of Georgia towards Active Pass. On the way there, we encountered a group of Bigg’s KELȽOLEMEĆEN (killer whales). These KELȽOLEMEĆEN were foraging and surface active, tail slapping and breaching in celebration of their hunt. After taking identification photos, we left these KELȽOLEMEĆEN who were then bombarded by whale watching vessels from the mainland. These KELȽOLEMEĆEN have been identified as the T035As and members of the T100s.

All photos are taken with a 200-600 zoom lens.