Haleigh | M/V Osprey | July 9, 2022 | 12:30 pm
This summer is proving to be a successful time to view wildlife, and today we were able to see two of our largest marine mammals found in the Salish Sea! As we departed from Friday Harbor, we first headed south to begin our search. Making our way through Cattle Pass, we could hear roaring Steller’s Sea Lions and squawking Pelagic Cormorants and Gulls atop Whale Rocks. We continued south towards a shallow area known as Salmon Bank where we found a Minke Whale! We sat in the calm water as the Minke Whale surfaced around us, making circles that the Rhinoceros Auklets wanted to follow so they too could feast. We were able to see the water pouring out of the Minke’s mouth full of bristly baleen plates and small bait fish.
After viewing for some time, we continued onward, first pointing west then turning north up Haro Strait. As we moved alongside San Juan Island, we saw San Juan Lighthouse and reminisced on the days of consistent Southern Resident Killer Whale sightings. Due to the decline of salmon species, the damming of rivers and the subsequent degradation of riparian ecosystems, this killer whale ecotype has seen a huge decline in their population and is listed as critically endangered. Unless salmon populations can return to historic high numbers, we can expect the Southern Resident Killer Whale population to continue to decline.
Passing by the northwest point of San Juan Island, we were able to see the blows of a reported Humpback Whale. Following the large blow we saw the second short, dispersed blow of a smaller Humpback Whale. Seeing the two whales surfacing next to one another, we could visualize the mother-calf duo based on the miniature size of one individual. We stayed for a few surfacings before finishing our circumnavigation around the island, seeing some Harbor Seals on the ride home and making our way back into San Juan Channel.