First humpback calf of 2022 spotted in Salish Sea
The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) announced the first humpback whale calf of the 2022 season arrived Monday in the Salish Sea, between Western Washington and Victoria, BC.
The calf belongs to the most famous Salish Sea humpback mother of all, BCY0324, known as “Big Mama,” according to a news release from the PWWA.
"On Monday afternoon, naturalist Bethany Shimasaki of Western Prince Whale Watching reported a humpback whale and calf in Boundary Pass near the US/Canadian border," the news release said. "The mother humpback did not immediately show her tail, the feature typically used for identifying humpback whale individuals, but images revealed Big Mama’s signature — a small bump on the right side of her dorsal fin. The match has since been confirmed by BC-based researcher Tasli Shaw of the Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea project."
PWWA executive director Erin Gless said Big Mama was one the first humpback whales to repopulate the Salish Sea.
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