It was a record-breaking year for Salish Sea humpback whale calves. Why?
A record-breaking number of Salish Sea humpback whale calves were spotted this year, with 21 documented throughout inland Washington and British Columbia, according to a news release from the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
That’s almost double the 11 calves that were documented in the region last year. Commercial whaling in the early 1900s eradicated the Salish Sea humpback whale population, but the species has recently recovered, according to the association.
There are now more than 500 humpback whales in the Salish Sea catalog, according to the association. Whales can be identified by unique markings on their tails.
“We’re not sure why there were so many calves this year,” said Erin Gless, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, in the news release.
“It’s possible the last two years had an abundance of food for the whales,” Gless said. “Or it could be as simple as the fact that as the number of adult whales in the population grows, so too does the number of calves we can expect to see each year.”
Calves travel alongside their mothers for about a year after they are born, before heading off on their own.
Humpback whales are at the peak of their activity in the Salish Sea during the fall months, as they take one last opportunity to feed before heading south for the winter, the news release said. An adult humpback whale can eat about 2,000 pounds of fish and krill each day.
Salish Sea humpback whales’ winter breeding grounds include Hawaii, Mexico and Central America, the news release said.
Humpback whales can live more than 70 years and are typically between 40 to 50 feet long, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. They weigh between 50,000 and 80,000 pounds.
This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
