Central Coast Humpback Whale Catalogue

A summary of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) sightings made by CERF research vessels in Rivers Inlet, Queen Charlotte Sound, Queen Charlotte Strait, and surrounding waters, including a photo-identification catalogue.

William M. Megill

October 1st, 1996

Introduction

The Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, was once abundant along the British Columbia coast . Coastal whaling in the 1930's all but wiped out the species in this range . Protected by an international moratorium on hunting large whales, humpbacks have made a small recovery, but are still listed as endangered in western Canadian waters .

This document is a collection of sightings and photographs of humpback whales logged by the Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation during research on whales and dolphins along the Central Coast of British Columbia.

Study Area

Our study area is indicated by the red outline on the map below. The four zones indicated in purple are areas where we have sighted humpback whales in the summer months of 1994, 1995, and 1996. Some animals have been seen in more than one area during the study period - these are noted on the sighting reports.

Catalogue

References

Perry A, Baker CS, Herman LM (1990) Population characteristics of individually identified humpback whales in the central and eastern North Pacific: A summary and critique. Rep IWC Spec Iss 12: 307-318.

Straley JM (1990) Fall and winter occurrence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in southeastern Alaska. Rep IWC Spec Iss 12: 319-324.

Whitehead H (1987) Updated status of the Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Canada. Can Field-Nat 101(2): 284-294.