Gray whales arrive early to the north Puget Sound
The Orca Network says a small population of gray whales, known as the North Puget Sound grays or Sounders, have arrived in the Puget Sound earlier than usual. The whales typically make their way to the tidal flats near Whidbey, Camano, and Hat/Gedney Islands beginning mid-February to early March to feed on ghost shrimp.
The Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network says over the past decade, a gray whale nicknamed "Little Patch" is often one of the first to arrive. This year, he was spotted on Dec. 7, 2021. The Orca Network says this means he skipped the remainder of the southbound migration to mate in the lagoons of Baja, Mexico. Earhart was the next to arrive. The Orca Network says she too chose to skip the remainder of the migration to feed in the north Puget Sound.
As of March 9, nine of the Sounders and three new whales have been sighted in the Puget Sound.
Boaters are reminded to be on the lookout for these slow-moving whales. If you see a whale, slow your vessel to under seven knots and stay at least 100 yards away.
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