Another humpback whale found dead in Canadian Pacific waters

Canadian authorities confirmed that a humpback whale washed up on Lasqueti Island – north of Parksville in the Strait of Georgia – on Saturday.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says the dead whale was a 21-year-old Polyphemus, which was first spotted in 2004.

The whale was known to migrate between Hawaii and B.C.

The DFO says it is investigating the incident to identify the cause of the death.

Caitlin Birdsall, spokesperson with the Port McNeill-based Marine Education and Research Society, says it is not clear what killed the animal, noting that most whales die unnoticed.

“Collisions often go unreported or undetected. Sometimes the animal that takes some, you know, they don’t die instantaneously, but they succumb to injuries many weeks or months thereafter,” Birdsall said.

According to the federal department, vessel strikes are one of the primary threats to humpback whales.

The danger is especially high in the fall, when more than 400 humpback whales are swimming in the waters between Vancouver Island and the B.C. mainland.

“We do not know at this point what happened to that animal, but it was seen in an area that has a fairly high population density. There’s also been a lot in the news recently about injured and dead humpback whales,” Birdsall explained.

Earlier this fall, two whales were hit by two separate watercraft and died of their injuries.

A whale watching company said it was “devastated” by the discovery of a dead humpback whale that was very likely struck by one of its vessels.

In another incident, a high-speed, passenger-only ferry service is cooperating with authorities after one of its vessels struck a humpback whale near Vancouver in English Bay.

Additionally, a calf was injured and later seen with a deep gash after it was hit by a ferry.

“Any operator of a vessel or fishing gear involved in accidental contact with a marine mammal is required to immediately notify DFO of the incident,” the department said.

The DFO is asking watercraft operators to stay alert while moving through coastal waters.

It is recommended that vessels reduce speed to 7 knots or less when within 1 km of any whale.

Earlier this year, the Vancouver Port Authority announced that several shipping companies had agreed to slow down their vessels until November to protect whales.

The DFO is asking the public to be Whale Wise: it is everyone’s responsibility to know the rules around marine mammal interactions, and illegal activities may be subject to severe penalties.

Find more information here.

With files from The Canadian Press.