A four-year-old humpback whale has been stranded near Keats Island in Howe Sound, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is investigating to determine the cause of death.
Alex Cole lives in Howe Sound and first heard about the dead whale on Saturday evening from a local Facebook group he runs.
On Sunday morning, he took his boat to the south side of Keats Island and photographed the dead whale against the rocks.
“Obviously it's sad, very sad and tragic to see a big beautiful whale … in such a vulnerable position,” Cole said.
The whale was found dead in the same area where a humpback whale was struck by a whale watching boat on October 23.
Statement from whale watching company Prince of Whales said that based on the time and location, it believes it may have been the whale involved in Thursday's incident.
“We are devastated by this news,” the statement said.
The company said it will continue to cooperate and communicate with DFO as the situation evolves.
“For the many boat operators here in the Salish Sea, we would like to emphasize that if an event like this can happen on a vessel manned by professionals actively engaged in whale hunting, it can happen to any vessel at any time,” the statement said.
DFO identified the dead humpback whale found on Keats Island as BCY1464, also known as Wisp, and said it is an active investigation.
“This is an unfortunate incident,” a DFO spokesman said. “We are working to better understand what happened.”
Erin Gless of the Pacific Whale Watching Association said BCY1464 Wisp was born in 2021 to mother BCX1333 Ghost.
Wisp and another whale, BCY1463 Malachite, spent several weeks feeding together in Howe Sound, very close to shore, earlier this season.
This video from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans shows a humpback whale freed from nearly 137 meters (450 feet) of fishing rope after a whale watching boat found it in the Strait of Georgia. Correction: A previous version of this video had a caption that stated the rope entangling the humpback whale was steel. In fact, according to DFO, the rope was made from synthetic polysteel.
Cole said Wisp gained quite a following this summer after people continued to spot him near the shoreline.
“Wisp was definitely a much loved whale,” Cole said.
Whale seen floating after being struck
At the time of the incident, the company said it was not actively observing the whale and the surprise encounter was its sudden appearance at the surface.
“Although the vessel was able to stop almost immediately, there was minimal contact with the whale during the maneuver,” the report said.
Several passengers on the ship fell when it suddenly stopped.
BC Emergency Health Services said paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients on Granville Island. They were taken to hospital in stable condition.
According to the company, one of the crew members on board watched as the whale surfaced and swam away.
“Crew members on Thursday's excursion did not notice any visible injuries on the whale as it swam away, but not all parts of the whale were visible at the time,” the statement said.
Since the vessel was struck, DFO has not yet been able to confirm the identity of the whale.
On October 17, a high-speed ferry collided with a humpback whale near Vancouver in English Bay.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) confirmed to CBC News that the injured animal has been identified as calf BCX1193 Zig Zag.
The humpback calf had a deep wound near its dorsal fin.
DFO said ship strikes are a major threat to humpback whales. As the number of humpback whales in coastal waters increases, so does the overlap with human activities and vessel traffic.
