British Columbia’s humpback whale population is on the rise, and local researchers and whale-watchers couldn’t be happier.
In an interview with CBC, whale-watchers discussed the recent increase in sightings, especially off Vancouver Island.
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Vancouver also had its fair share of whale sightings this past summer, including two near Stanley Park, and North Vancouver.
“We’re seeing a steady and prolonged increase in humpback whales … in fact, all over the place, these animals are making a great recovery” said John Ford of the Department of Fisheries.
Dating back to the mid 1960s, researchers estimated up to 1,500 humpbacks were in the North Pacific. A study 10 years later by the International Whaling Commission estimated that the number had rapidly grown to 20,000 whales of the same species.
Ford points out that protection from whaling is the primary reason whales have been able to bounce back and reproduce.
According to the Times Colonist, numerous male humpback whales have been heard serenading female whales, and is something that typically only happens in areas the whales are known to breed, including Hawaii and the Caribbean.
“They are repopulating areas they once frequented,” the Pacific Whale Watch Association told the Times.
While BC’s coast has become a notably safer area for humpback whales, the large mammals still face threats including pollution, loud underwater noise, and collision with ships.
