Current information from the BC Cetacean Sightings Network indicates humpback whales have been making an impressive comeback in the North Pacific ocean over the past 40 years.

Meanwhile, the network also says the resident southern killer whale population off the BC coast remains endangered with only 74 animals, due mainly to motor vessel noise and contaminants found in their preferred food, Chinook salmon, which the network says are also in decline. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has instituted strict protection measures for the killer whales with new protocols instituted in 2021.

In addition to shifting cetacean populations in the north Salish Sea (a.k.a. The Strait of Georgia), a new seabird is also taking up residence: Shearwaters have been spotted.

CKTZ News speaks with Cortes Island naturalist/guide George Sirk and Friends of Cortes Island Society Board Chair Max Thayson for their observations on the species shift locally.

Listen to the story below: