A whale watching company says one of its vessels came into contact with a humpback whale that “suddenly and unexpectedly surfaced” in its path while transiting near Vancouver on Thursday afternoon.
In a statement, Prince of Whales said its vessel made a “drastic” maneuver to avoid the animal. He managed to stop almost immediately, but during the maneuver, “contact with the whale was minimal.”
“We were not actively observing the whale, so this was an unexpected encounter,” the statement said.
The report goes on to say that several passengers on board the ship fell when it tried to stop suddenly and “several people were injured.”
BC Emergency Health Services said paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to four patients on Granville Island. They were taken to hospital in stable condition.
Whale seen later: DFO
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said it received a report from a whale watching vessel of a humpback whale strike in Howe Sound on Thursday.
After the collision, the whale was seen surfacing three times, DFO said in a statement.
The report goes on to say that they have not confirmed the identity of the whale and the company is fully cooperating.
According to DFO, the incident occurred after a vessel belonging to the high-speed passenger ferry between Vancouver and Nanaimo collided with a humpback whale near Vancouver in English Sound earlier this month.
A humpback calf with a deep wound near its dorsal fin was later identified as the injured whale.
Whales are vulnerable to strikes
Last month, researchers found a dead humpback near where it was reported to have been hit by a BC Ferries ship off the northern coast of British Columbia.
DFO said humpback whales are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.
“The likelihood and fatality of a vessel strike depends on factors such as whale density, vessel traffic, and the size and speed of boats,” DFO said in a statement.
Humpback whale numbers in the southern Salish Sea have been highest in the fall in recent years, with an estimated 416 individual whales using Canadian waters between Vancouver and the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
“In October, the southern Strait of Georgia off Vancouver is one of the areas with the highest density of whales,” the report said. “It is also an area with many ferry routes and important whale watching activities.”
DFO said it warned its law enforcement officials and the Pacific Whale Watching Association to keep a close eye on the injured animals as severe weather and high winds are expected over the weekend.
