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Humpback ID Catalogue

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Collecting baleen whale blow samples by drone: A minimally intrusive tool for conservation genetics
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BC WHALES | NORTH COAST CETACEAN SOCIETY

A non-profit whale-research organization dedicated to the research and protection of cetaceans along the northern coast of British Columbia.

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Eric Keen first began working with BCWhales and th

Eric Keen first began working with BCWhales and the Gitga'at First Nation as a volunteer intern in 2010. He continued with a doctoral thesis project focused on whale foraging ecology, which he conducted as a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As a post-doctoral fellow at University of Victoria, he worked with BC Whales in their launch of a new research station Fin Island. He now serves as the Science Co-director for BC Whales and is focused on their visual and aerial survey programs. He teaches at Sewanee: The University of the South, where he works with undergraduate students on data analysis and trains them in field science. He also collaborates regularly with the US NOAA Cetacean Research Program and the Foundation for Marine Ecology & Telemetry Research.

#bcwhales #whaleresearch

Ben Hendricks has been a long-standing partner of

Ben Hendricks has been a long-standing partner of BC Whales. He is the founder of SoundSpace Analytics and leads the acoustic analysis component of the SWAG project – Ships, Whales and Acoustics in Gitga’at Territory – a collaboration between the Gitga’at First Nation, BC Whales, and WWF-Canada. Ben also contributes his skills and expertise through the BC Hydrophone Network.

Ben designs and develops acoustic analysis software that can detect whale calls and monitor ambient noise, and vessel noise through machine learning.

Ben studied physics in Germany and Canada and for his PhD he worked as a near-field cosmologist, analyzing data from nearby galaxies. It is with this expertise that he has developed the software to that helps enable researchers and First Nations communities along the British Columbia coast to realize their acoustic monitoring goals.

#bcwhales #whaleresearch

BC Whales project manager Grace Baer recently spok

BC Whales project manager Grace Baer recently spoke with the Daily Hive about the numerous whale sightings in the Vancouver area this spring. “As these whales continue to arrive over the coming weeks and months, it is incredibly important to give them their space to do what they need to do: feed,” stated Baer, noting that many remain in the region to feed during summer and fall.

Find link to the full Daily Hive article in our bio.

#bcwhales #whaleresearch

Part of our team at BC Whales includes two marine

Part of our team at BC Whales includes two marine engineers who’s work includes installing and maintaining hydrophone and shore systems for the SWAG project and the BC Hydrophone Network. Their expertise enables research stations and First Nations communities along the British Columbia coast to realize their acoustic monitoring goals.

Our hydrophone and shore stations are comprised of state-of-the-art technology that deliver some of the cleanest acoustic data collected anywhere on the planet.

Joel Mellish has been with us since 2021 and is the lead engineer for the BC Hydrophone Network. He comes to us with a computer engineering degree from the University of Victoria, an electronics technologist diploma from Camosun College and a background in remote environmental monitoring.

Ryan Jmaeff joined our team in 2024 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (EIT) and over 8 years experience in the marine sector designing and building vessels, systems, and electronics.

Like everyone in our team, their passion for the wild and unbound marine environment drives both their personal and professional lives.

#bcwhales #whaleresearch #whalesound

This year for #EarthDay, we were honoured to hear

This year for #EarthDay, we were honoured to hear from @saisonsmusique that they had gathered artists from around the world to come together to create an ambient music album for the ocean: Origines Vol. 01. The goal of this album is to honour and protect our oceans, and through a fundraiser on Bandcamp, they have graciously decided to donate all proceeds to BC Whales to support our work to better understand and protect whales and the habitats they rely on.

We could not think of a better and more fitting fundraiser, as the ocean is a world of sound. Orginines Vol. 1 was Curated by @koramusique and @saisonsmusique and features visual artwork by @ioana.todosia @io__studio__io : “Estero”, a cyanotype textile print made on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca, MX.

From the artists:
"From Montreal to Oaxaca, Oceania to Americas, this international soundscape is both an ambient journey and a call to action.🌿 Each track invites us to reconnect — with ourselves, each other, and our planet — offering moments of reflection, resilience, and renewal. ✨We hold hope that together, we can be a small drop in the ocean to help protect the sacred waters and the majestic beings that call them home. 🐬🌊"

Listen to & buy the album now on Bandcamp to connect to the ocean and support vital research! | Link in bio 💿

#BCWhales #OceanNoise #WhaleResearch #FinIsland #MarineMammals #SWAGProject #HumpbackWhale #FinWhale #Orca

Iceland’s only active whaling company is set to

Iceland’s only active whaling company is set to cancel the summer 2025 hunt. Economic pressure and changing public sentiment are suggested as the reasons for the shift. While this is positive news, it is no guarantee for the future of the whales in the region.

Visit the link in our bio for more information.

#finwhales

Join our friends at CPAWS and Reel Causes on April

Join our friends at CPAWS and Reel Causes on April 23, 2025 in Vancouver for a film screening of "Keepers of the Land", a film about marine conservation efforts in the Great Bear Rainforest and how the Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation is leading the way in protecting their lands and waters.

🗓️ April 23, 2025 | 7 PM | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at 149 Hastings Street, Vancouver

Visit the link in our bio for more details.

#CPAWSBC #KeepersOfTheLand #IndigenousConservation #GreatBearRainforest #Reconciliation #FilmScreening #ConservationLeadership #BC #VancouverFilmScreening

On April 1st, the first LNG carrier vessel arrived

On April 1st, the first LNG carrier vessel arrived in Kitimat, marking a major shift for the waters of Gitga’at and Haisla Territory—and for our work as BC Whales.

For decades, we’ve studied whales in one of the quietest marine soundscapes on Earth. This region has been a quiet refuge for humpbacks, fin whales, orca, and so many others. With the arrival of LNG tanker traffic, that is now changing.

Through the SWAG project (Ships, Whales, and Acoustics in Gitga’at Territory), we have spent the last several years collecting critical baseline data on whale behaviour, presence, habitat usage, and underwater noise. With the arrival of LNG tanker traffic, we’re witnessing an unprecedented environmental shift in this region. Now, we have a rare and critical opportunity to study, in real time, how whales respond to the sudden onset of large-scale industrial shipping in a historically quiet habitat, and the associated increase to ship-strike risk and noise pollution.

This summer, we’ll be back on Fin Island, and positioned perfectly to document the daily passages of these tankers and their support vessels. We will be monitoring whale and vessel movements, recording ship noise, and documenting how this rapid increase in vessel traffic impacts the acoustic soundscape of these waters. The data we collect will be critical for understanding the effects of increased shipping on whales and advocating for the most meaningful protection and mitigation measures.

This is one of the most important moments in our history as an organization, and for the whales. The data we gather will be essential—not just for understanding what’s happening now, but for understanding the long-lasting impacts to a critical marine habitat.

#BCWhales #OceanNoise #WhaleResearch #FinIsland #MarineMammals #SWAGProject #HumpbackWhale #FinWhale #Orca

Photo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ssR6_1Rks

SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - March 25, 2025 - The

SEATTLE, WA & VICTORIA, BC - March 25, 2025 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) announced that a new Bigg’s, or mammal-hunting, 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, also known as killer whales, on Thursday, March 20 in eastern Juan de Fuca Strait. It was subsequently resighted several times over the weekend.

Sedna is part of a well-known family of orcas, a family whose story was nearly cut short almost 50 years ago. In 1976, Sedna’s grandmother, T046 “Wake”, was one of six whales captured and temporarily held by SeaWorld in Budd Inlet, Washington. Ralph Munro, assistant to then Governor Dan Evans at the time, witnessed the captures while sailing with friends and was appalled. Munro helped file a lawsuit against SeaWorld, leading to the whales’ release. They were the last killer whales to be captured in US waters.

For full The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) report visit our linktree page in the bio.

#whaleresearch #biggs #killerwhales

Our small cabin on the south-west corner of Fin Is

Our small cabin on the south-west corner of Fin Island has been the BCWhales research base since 2018. The cabin was built in partnership with the Gitga’at first nation and WWF-Canada in the summer of 2017, with the extension added in 2020. From here we monitor the SWAG project’s 4 hydrophones which are able to detect and localize whale vocalizations in real time.

This summer we will watch as the first LNG tankers transit out of Lewis Passage, cross Upper Squally Channel and depart through Otter Channel as they transport LNG product from Kitimat to global markets.

With 7 years of baseline data we will be there to observe and document changes to the the acoustic environment and the behaviour of whales as this significant change to their environment takes place.

#bcwhales #whalereseach #humpbackreasearch

Last week we gathered in person with our partners

Last week we gathered in person with our partners at the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration for a 2-day workshop. This group of organizations spans the entire BC coast and each works independently to catalog and monitor the humpback whale populations within their region, then contributes to a coast-wide catalog of all known humpback whales. During our time together we discussed all things humpback research, identification, cataloging, data, outreach, and more!

Members of the #CPHC also work on collaborative research projects, and our efforts have informed the reassessment of North Pacific Humpbacks by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and publications related to populations trends and the status of the North Pacific Humpback Whale population as a whole.

For more information about the #CPHC, or to contribute your own humpback whale sightings to this effort, please visit bchumpbacks.com

#CPHC #humpbackresearch

We recently hosted the first in person meeting for

We recently hosted the first in person meeting for the BC Hydrophone Network (BCHN) in Victoria, BC. The BCHN is a partnership between 8 Indigenous communities and 4 NGO’s and growing! This was the first time many collaborators were able to meet each other face to face to discuss each partner's ongoing research goals with hydrophones, acoustic monitoring of whale communication and measuring ocean noise. We will continue to share knowledge and brainstorm the best ways forward for acoustic research and how our efforts can inspire whale conservation along the coast of BC. To date the BC Hydrophone Network is comprised of 20 hydrophone stations located in strategic locations along the entire coast of BC, each owned and operated by the partners. For more information about the BC hydrophone Network's work and partners please visit whalesound.ca

#whalesound #whaleresearch

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