UPDATE: The PWWA says the transient orca was seen “free and clear” on Tuesday. The orca was spotted Monday near D’Arcy Island by Capt. Jim Maya of Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching, apparently in excellent condition.
Maya captured this image Monday afternoon.
An urgent search is underway for a popular transient orca who may have become entangled in rope and a float.
The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada are actively searching for the adult male that was seen and photographed off the Thetis Island-Chemainus Ferry in Stuart Channel. From the photos, it appears the orca is entangled.
Capt. Hobbes Buchanan of San Juan Island Whale & Wildlife Tours is leading the effort for PWWA and he tasked his captain, Alan Niles, to search areas of the Salish Sea over the past few days, all on his own dime.
He has a particular affinity for this whale, who is 19 years old and known as T077A.
The whale and another, known as T49C, make up a tandem of orcas known by the whale watchers as ‘the twins’ because they are often seen travelling side-by-side. They have identical-shaped dorsal fins and notches on the trailing edges of the dorsal.
“The twins are my favorite male transient orcas because they’re just plain funny,” said Buchanan. “They’re so social and curious. Doing what I do for a living you just can’t help but get attached to these animals. I have to help these guys when they need it!”
Paul Cottrell, Pacific Marine Mammal Coordinator for the DFO Canada, said they have their expert disentanglement team ready to go. “Hopefully the gear has come off on its own,” Cottrell said, but if the orca is sighted and the gear is still attached, he asks that people do not engage the animal or gear. Instead, immediately call the British Columbia Marine Mammal Response Network at 1-800-465-4336.
This is not the first time an orca has run into trouble. In August, a 12-year-old male named J39, a member of the endangered Southern Resident Community, off San Juan Island, was seen with a salmon flasher stuck in its mouth.
“And we immediately went into action then,” said Michael Harris, Executive Director of PWWA. “Within a couple of days we found J39 and sure enough, as we hoped, we were able to confirm the flasher had come out of his mouth. He looked fine.”
“Entanglements like this don’t happen often with killer whales as they do other whales,” he added. “And when they do happen, they often find a way to get themselves out of trouble. But we don’t take anything for granted out there. We’ve got the expertise and the resources to help, so our attitude is, all hands on deck.”
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