Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)

Hot off the press!

Researchers at the Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU) in collaboration with Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and The Transient Killer Whale Research Project have just produced a new publication on transient killer whales.

McInnes, J.D., Mathieson, C.R., West-Stap, P.J., Marcos, S.L., Wade, V.L., Jeffrey E. Moore, Sarah L. Mesnick, and Lawrence M. Dill (2023). I dentification catalog and field guide for transient (Bigg’s) killer whales of Monterey Bay and California waters. NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.

This publication, in conjunction with the 2021 published technical memorandum, Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon: a Catalog of Photo-identified Individuals, provides additional user friendly natural history information and a photo-ID catalog for transient killer whales off the California coast.

NOAA Fisheries West Coast
Marine Mammal Institute
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Monterey Bay Aquarium
MBARI
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Link to the publication

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iQKIaO63nBtToC0CMDqXJjvV-yLW8oA3/view?usp=share_link

Juan José Alava, a member of the Marine Mammal Research Unit, and the principal investigator of the Ocean Pollution Research Unit at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, said their findings left him and other researchers "shocked and saddened."

Toilet paper toxin found in endangered killer whales, B.C. researchers say | CBC News Chemicals used in toilet paper have been found in the carcasses of a dozen orcas around British Columbia, according to a new study.

An unusual birth far from the lagoons of Mexico captured by a drone. Really remarkable footage showing the bonding moments following birth, and the relative ease that this gray whale mother appears to have with the presence of vessels.

Concerns grow for "vulnerable" baby gray whale born too far from safety The calf was born in Dana Point, California, hundreds of miles away from the lagoons of Baja California, where these whales usually breed.

Many are claiming that the Salish Sea is out of balance, and are putting the blame on "invasive species" and "ugly, nasty blubberballs", They are pushing to turn the clock back to a by-gone era before marine mammals were protected rather than consider that a natural --- and potentially healthier --- balance is being re-established by the return of marine mammals to the Salish Sea.

Dolphins delight with return to B.C. waters, but some see 'invasive species' A commercial fisheries group is dismayed by the appearance of the dolphins. Ocean is "out of balance."

MMRU researchers look forward to sharing our research and learning from other marine mammal experts at the 30th Annual BC Marine Mammal Symposium on Saturday, November 26th, 2022.

Registration for in-person attendance is full, BUT presentations will be live-streamed on YouTube starting at 9:30 am (PST) this coming Saturday. Will you be joining us online? Please mark your calendars and bookmark the link below...

30th Annual B.C. Marine Mammal Symposium Join the University of British Columbia’s Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory for presentations as well as discussion on issues that concern us all. This m...

Whales ingest millions of particles a day, study finds
Blue consume up to 1bn particles over a feeding season with as-yet-unknown impacts on health

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Whales ingest millions of microplastic particles a day, study finds Blue whales consume up to 1bn particles over a feeding season with as-yet-unknown impacts on health

Happy Halloween! Meet the spooky creatures of the deep.

Check out this amazing video titled Creatures of the Whale Fall by the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Deep-sea habitats, such as the Monterey Submarine Canyon, are typically oligotrophic or nutrient poor. Large cetaceans that die, such as gray and humpback whales, drift down to the depths where they provide a substantial amount of food and energy, for a diversity of species!

Hagfish, deep-sea octopus, crabs, large isopods, specialized worms, and even large Pacific sleeper sharks can be viewed at whale falls.
Certain species of worms are only found on whale falls, where they burrow deep into the bones extracting nutrients.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries

Creatures of a Whale Fall Have you met any spooky creatures of the deep today? The organisms feeding on the body of this decaying whale are here to wish you an early Happy Halloween!W...

Gray whale numbers continue to decline

New research by NOAA Fisheries Service scientists have published new reports from long-term monitoring studies along the Pacific Coast that highlights a decline in gray whale numbers the last few years.

According to the new research, gray whale numbers are now down to 38% from the previous peak in 2015 and 2016. In 2019 NOAA declared an unusual mortality event do to increased stranding's of dead emaciated whales.

Multiple environmental factors are believed to be the cause of such declines, including climate change and food availability in the high Arctic and predation by killer whales.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries West Coast

Gray Whale Numbers Continue Decline; NOAA Fisheries Will Continue Monitoring Fluctuations have long affected the eastern North Pacific population.

New research into the acoustic repertoire of Antarctic minke whales describes new vocalizations using Dtag technology.
New article vis Hakai Magazine.

Learn to Grunt and Growl like an Antarctic Minke Whale | Hakai Magazine For the first time, scientists have identified the calls of this elusive Southern Ocean resident.

Narwhal migratory patterns are altering in response to increased pressure from changing conditions https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/53893/20221027/narwhal-migratory-patterns-altering-response-increased-pressure-changing-arctic-conditions.htm via Nature World News

Narwhal Migratory Patterns Are Altering in Response To Increased Pressure From Changing Arctic Conditions Narwhal migration patterns are evolving in response to pressure from changing Arctic conditions, according to a new UBC analysis.

A new study conducted by researchers at the Statistical Ecology Research Group at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia have highlighted changes in the migratory behaviour of narwhals in the Canadian Arctic. Such behavioural changes in migration timing is believed to be related to climate change.

This research was led by Dr. Courtney Shuert and Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé, senior faculty researcher at the MMRU. Paper published Decadal migration phenology of a long-lived Arctic icon keeps pace with climate change, was published in the Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences.

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
University of British Columbia

As sea ice retreats, narwhals are changing their migration patterns | Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Climate change and loss of sea ice is creating stressors for these animals, and they are adapting to a new life in the Arctic.

A well-known minke whale that has been seen in the Salish Sea since the 1980s (and believed to be at least 50 years old) succumbed to a coordinated attack earlier this week by 15 transient killer whales. Transient killer whales are playing an increasingly important role in controlling the abundances of other marine mammals in the Salish Sea.

Tour boat stunned as orcas take down large minke whale in Juan de Fuca Strait A rare attack by a group of transient orcas on a decades-old minke whale was an incredible but difficult sight for tour boat guests and their captain southeast of Vancouver Island last week.

We thought we would share an exciting report our research team received from colleague Howie Tom out of Tofino, British Columbia.

He was on a recent whale watch trip just offshore of Flores Island, BC when he encountered a group of transient killer whales known as the T109As and two unidentified killer whales.

After looking over his photographs pur research team was able to identify one of the whales as an adult male outer coast transient killer whale known as OCT501. This male was first identified by our research team in 2015 30 km offshore of Kenny, California. He was then sighted a second time in 2021 off Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. This recent sighting is the third record we have for this whale!

The unidentified adult female or sub-adult male travelling with him could not be matched to our database! Which means this individual will be given the new photo-identification number OCT515. (OCT = Outer Coast Transient).

We are continuing to learn so much about killer whales in offshore waters!

Please visit our catalog for information on outer coast transient killer whale group and for identifying transient killer whales in offshore/oceanic waters.

Reference : McInnes, Josh D., Chelsea R. Mathieson, Peggy J. West-Stap, Stephanie L. Marcos, Victoria L. Wade, Paula A. Olson, and
Andrew W. Trites. 2021. Transient killer whales of central and northern California and Oregon: A catalog of photo-identified
individuals. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWFSC-644.

Photographs by Howie Tom.

Our own grad student Josh McInnes weighs in on CBC News to discuss the behavioural and ecological implications for predation behaviour between apex predators.

Footage shows pod of orcas killing a great white shark and devouring its liver | CBC Radio Scientists have long suspected that killer whales have been hunting great white sharks off the coast of South Africa and driving them from their natural habitat. Now they have "irrefutable evidence," says shark biologist Alison Towner.

Goliaths vs. Goliaths: Orcas, Humpbacks Clash in Tense Encounter — Pacific Whale Watch Association Goliaths vs. Goliaths: Orcas and Humpback Whales Clash in Tense Salish Sea Encounter VICTORIA, BC & SEATTLE, WA - September 30, 2022 - The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) witnessed a rare event unfold on Thursday as a large group of Bigg’s (transient) orcas and pair of humpback wh

Watch: Airborne sea lion jumps into B.C. boat to evade killer whales Two people found themselves caught between a pod of killer whales and a sea lion off the coast of Vancouver Island.

PhD candidate Rhea Storlund decided to take an unconventional approach to understand how marine mammals dive by asking human breath-hold divers about the decisions they make. Read her story.

https://mmru.ubc.ca/2022/07/how-do-marine-mammals-make-decisions-about-diving/

Group has close encounter with shore-skimming killer pod in “They’re on the hunt. We can observe it, we just can’t be a part of it,” said Dr. Andrew Trites the director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)
Society for Marine Mammalogy

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/09/02/group-has-close-encounter-with-t-090-orca-pod-on-bc-shoreline.html?fbclid=IwAR2f9tnkDM77Xgl2LK4mNIFY_15DCLrhCw_NmtFJaQNeF-HbAJBGbdyydog

Group has close encounter with shore-skimming orca pod in B.C. QUADRA ISLAND - A pod of orcas surprised a group of friends visiting Quadra Island, British Columbia, last weekend, appearing metres from where they s...

Dr. Andrew Trites, professor and director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU) at the University of British Columbia, said though a few humpbacks sometimes hang out together, it isn't unusual that the whale was by itself.

"That's normal this time of the year. Sometimes you've got mothers and calves. Sometimes it can be paired up, but they tend to be somewhat loners when they're feeding, so they don't have the same family structure like our killer whales do," he said.

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
University of British Columbia
Society for Marine Mammalogy

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/must-reads/a-humpback-whale-of-a-squamish-tale-5727620?fbclid=IwAR3f0ULOplZeYWPx-PAs-Tw6NPmNXbxKCdGaQ4_KTZuuftcBO_7owYSEJFMD

A humpback whale of a Squamish tale Local spots lone humpback whale in Howe Sound.

A rare encounter with Baird's beaked whales (Berardius bairdii) in the deep pelagic waters of Monterey Bay, California.

MMRU researcher Josh McInnes had an unexpected encounter with a group of Baird's beaked whales while surveying oceanic waters in Monterey Bay, California.

Baird's beaked whales are the largest species of beaked whale and can reach lengths of up to 11 m and can weigh as much as 11,800 kg!

Baird's beaked whales are typically sighted in deep pelagic waters in the north Pacific where they specialize on feeding on cephalopods such as squid and octopus.

There is very little information on their ecology and behaviour.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)
Oceanic Ecology Research Group
NOAA Fisheries West Coast
NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Close encounter with a humpback whale surprises family off BC coast!

CBC News recently interviewed Dr. Andrew Trites the director of the Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU) who provided cautionary advice about boats and humpback whales.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)

Close encounter with humpback whale terrifies — and delights — B.C. family | CBC News A B.C. family had a thrilling experience off the coast of Vancouver Island when a humpback whale spent almost an hour rubbing up against their boat, spinning around, and flapping its fins.

Humpback gives family in a boat a of a show. The whale might have been attracted to the boats depth finder or fish finder, which uses sound waves to determine the depth of the water, Andrew Trites Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU) said. https://www.timescolonist.com/.../humpback-gives-family... via Times Colonist

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)
Marine Mammal Institute
Society for Marine Mammalogy

Humpback gives family in a boat a whale of a show Encounter on ocean northeast of Campbell River. Humpback whale ‘just didn’t want to leave.’

Check out the most recent CTV Vancouver Island news report about the rare encounter a group of aquaculture workers had with two outer coast transient killer whales off northern Vancouver Island.

Both whales are known individuals to our research team at the MMRU, with one having a rare white pigmentation pattern that is rarely seen in the west coast transient killer whale population that resides in our local Salish Sea waters.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)
CTV Vancouver Island
Marine Mammal Institute
The Transient Killer Whale Research Project
Oceanic Ecology Research Group

Unique white orca spotted off Vancouver Island

A rare sighting of an all white killer whale occurred off northeastern Vancouver Island on August 8th.

A group of transient killer whales were encountered that included the T060s, T069s, and two unidentified whales with one being all white. Our research team was able to identify the unidentified whales as members of the OCT050C matriline. The adult female is OCT050C and her white offspring is OCT050C1.

These two whales belong to the rarely encountered outer coast transient subpopulation that typically resides in offshore waters of California and Oregon, where they are known to hunt gray whale calves, California sea lions, and oceanic dolphins.

According to MMRU researcher Josh McInnes this is the first time this transient family has been sighted in British Columbia waters. The OCT050Cs were last sighted in the Farallon Islands, California on June 24th.

University of British Columbia
Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)
Marine Mammal Institute
Society for Marine Mammalogy
NOAA Fisheries West Coast
CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rare-white-orca-spotted-1.6549007

Rare white orca spotted in shallow waters off Vancouver Island | CBC News A rare white orca was spotted in the shallow waters of Beaver Cove off the coast of Vancouver Island Wednesday.

Thanks to the organizers of the 24th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Palm Beach, Florida. All of us from the Marine Mammal Research Unit had a great time, and were so glad to be there to talk about our science in person. The life-size right whales and humpbacks in the foyer and poster hall were memorable additions to a great conference. Looking forward to seeing everyone in two years' time in Australia.

MMRU sea otter researcher and graduate student Julia Adelsheim shared her research at the 24th biennial conference for the Society for Marine Mammalogy on the bioenergetics of sea otters.

Julia's poster shows the developments of a model for understanding the feeding requirements and physiology of sea otters!

Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
University of British Columbia