Humpback whale spotted in Central Puget Sound
UPDATE, MAY 7
Acting on a tip, reporter Gary Chittim of King 5 TV found the humpback whale by helicopter about 12:15 p.m. today near Anderson Island in South Puget Sound, according to a report from Orca Network. Click here to see raw footage of the whale.
Susan Berta and Howard Garrett of Orca Network remind boaters to give the whale lots of space. Sightings may be reported to (866) ORCANET.
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UPDATE, MAY 6
Orca Network reports a call from a person who may have seen the humpback whale about 1 p.m. today just outside of Quartermaster Harbor between Vashon and Maury Islands. Researchers would like to identify the animal with photos of its fluke, if possible. Call (866) ORCANET as soon as possible after a sighting.
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It seems that at least once a year a humpback whale wanders into Puget Sound and makes its way south past Bainbridge Island, sometimes getting as far the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Humpback whale spotted yesterday off Vashon Island.
Shoreline residents currently are being asked to keep their eyes open for a humpback whale sighted about 3 p.m. yesterday between Vashon Island and West Seattle, heading north.
The observer, who wanted to be identified only as Jennifer, sent this report and photo to Orca Network:
“Wow, this whale was so exciting to watch I couldn’t get any decent photos… Seemed to be only one solo whale. I’m sure it was a humpback because of the very long pectoral fins I saw when it breached. It was halfway out in the Sound, so too far to get any close-up shots. Hope others get to see this whale in action.”
According to a study released last year at this time, the population of humpback whales in the North Pacific has grown dramatically since legal protections were initiated in the 1960s and ‘70s. The whales, which numbered less than 1,500 in 1966, are now estimated to be around 20,000 animals, according to a news release about the study by the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Cascadia Research of Olympia was involved in compiling and analyzing data from 400 researchers throughout the region. Download the report (PDF 716 kb), which is called “Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpback Whales in the North Pacific.”
For fun, the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary offers “wallpaper” for your computer desktop as well as an educational game designed to teach people facts about humpback whales.
National Geographic also has a Web page filled with information about humpbacks.
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Tags: Humpback whales
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May 5th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Thanks for the info Chris. We will keep an eye out for the whale while cruising this weekend.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
UPDATE, MAY 6
Orca Network reports a call from a person who may have seen the humpback whale about 1 p.m. today just outside of Quartermaster Harbor between Vashon and Maury Islands. Researchers would like to identify the animal with photos of its fluke, if possible. Call (866) ORCANET as soon as possible after a sighting.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
UPDATE, MAY 7
Acting on a tip, reporter Gary Chittim of King 5 TV found the humpback whale by helicopter about 12:15 p.m. today near Anderson Island in South Puget Sound, according to a report from Orca Network. Click here to see raw footage of the whale.
Susan Berta and Howard Garrett of Orca Network remind boaters to give the whale lots of space. Sightings may be reported to (866) ORCANET.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
A whale (unidentified by us) just spoted by the Harsten Island bridge (7;30 PM May 8tth) -pretty cool –anyone know what type it may be –did not get a good look -he was moving north.