May was another great month on the water around Clayoquot Sound. Did you know that we share our sightings with researchers? Whenever possible we submit images of the whales to support ongoing efforts to catalogue the whales. Last month we photographed 29 different grey whales, and submitted those sightings along with location information to the Pacific Wildlife Foundation.

It’s always exciting to see which whales are around. During the feeding season, Clayoquot Sound is home to many “local” whales – these whales are known by many names, including the Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG). Rather than migrating up to arctic waters, this sub-population will feed at different locations along the Pacific Coast. We’ve had a lot of these whales return to us already – in fact of the 29 whales we photographed in May, 17 have already had research codes assigned here in Clayoquot Sound, 1 is the new calf of a PCFG whale, and 1 more has been documented by researchers in Oregon.

One of the most exciting things in May was the return of Ditto (CSG349), along with her new calf. If you saw whales close to shore around Cox Bay or Chesterman Beaches, there’s a strong chance that it was these two. According to information supplied to The Whale Centre by researchers at Pacific Wildlife Foundation, Ditto has been documented in this area since 1992. The calf will stick with mom until it is weaned at just 7-9 months of age. Right now, it will still be feeding on mom’s milk, which has an incredibly high fat content. This rich milk allows the calf to grow rapidly during this early stage of their life. At the point of being weaned the calf could have added over 3.5m in length and measure in at around 8m long! We know that there is a strong chance that this calf will return to our area year on year, having been born to a PCFG mother – in May alone we saw 6 grey whales that we know the mothers of, and the ages of, and that continue to feed in Clayoquot Sound.

Of those whales, two were born in different years to the same mother, Big White (CSG27). Mini White (CSG736) was born in 2013, and Snowflake (CSG973) was born in 2017. Both Mini White and Snowflake were seen feeding in Clayoquot Sound last month.

As we move closer to the summer months, more and more of the whales we see are likely to be local whales. The vast majority of the grey whale population will have made their way past us, towards the Arctic, leaving the PCFG whales here. Every tour is different, and if you’d like to learn more about the whales in our waters, jump aboard a whale watching tour with us and see which of the locals are in town!

Mark Sawyer

The Whale Centre - Wildlife Guide / Researcher / Photographer

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