A whale-watching company reported an incident where one of its vessels came into contact with a humpback whale that unexpectedly surfaced near Vancouver. The company, Prince of Whales, stated that the vessel took quick action to avoid the whale, resulting in minimal contact. Passengers on board suffered injuries when the vessel abruptly stopped, with emergency medical treatment provided to four individuals at Granville Island.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed the collision between a whale-watching vessel and a humpback whale in Howe Sound. Despite the collision, the whale was observed surfacing multiple times afterward. The DFO mentioned ongoing efforts to identify the whale and highlighted the cooperation of the involved company.
This incident follows a recent collision where a high-speed ferry struck a humpback whale in English Bay. Subsequently, a humpback calf with a noticeable injury near its dorsal fin was identified as the affected whale. Humpback whales are known to be at risk of ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, with factors like whale density and vessel traffic influencing the likelihood and impact of such incidents.
Recent research revealed the vulnerability of humpback whales to ship strikes, with a notable concentration of these whales in the southern Salish Sea during the fall season. The area around the southern Strait of Georgia off Vancouver sees significant whale activity, coinciding with ferry routes and whale-watching operations. DFO has issued alerts to enforcement officers and the Pacific Whale Watch Association to monitor for injured marine animals, especially with adverse weather conditions expected over the weekend.
