Dead humpback ‘could be’ whale struck by B.C. touring vessel, company says

A humpback that washed up on Keats Island over the weekend could be the same one struck by a whale-watching vessel.

A humpback that washed up on B.C.’s Keats Island over the weekend “could be” the one struck by a whale-watching vessel on Thursday, according to the company involved.

The humpback carcass was discovered Saturday, according to the Marine Education and Research Society, which noted the small island’s proximity to the location of last week’s collision.

Touring company Prince of Whales said the incident happened when a humpback unexpectedly surfaced directly in front of a vessel that was in transit.

“We were not actively viewing any whales at the time,” a spokesperson told CTV News in an email. “Although our vessel performed an emergency stop maneuver, contact with the whale was made.”

Karen Bergeron Baggs was among the dozens of passengers on board, and said she and her husband were near the front of the vessel when the humpback emerged.

There was little time for the crew to slow down before the collision, she said.

“I looked down and there was the whale,” Bergeron Baggs said. “There was a very sudden impact — I flew in the air backwards, I hit my back and my head.”

Other people were more seriously hurt, she said, including at least two people who chipped their teeth. The company said crew members administered first aid, and that three passengers required additional care from paramedics at the shore.

Prince of Whales initially described the contact made with the humpback as “minimal,” as the crew did not observe any injuries on the animal. After a carcass was discovered on Keats, the company noted that “not all parts of the whale were visible” following the collision.

“We do not yet have any information on the whale’s cause of death, but based on the timing and location, we believe this could be the whale involved in Thursday’s incident,” the spokesperson said.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada told CTV News investigators are still working to understand what happened to the humpback, and could not provide any further details Monday.

The Marine Education and Research Society identified the whale as BCY1464, or Wisp, who was birthed in 2021.

Prince of Whales said staff are “devastated” by the humpback’s death — and suggested the incident should serve as a reminder to anyone operating a vessel in the Salish Sea.

“For decades, Prince of Whales has been an advocate for whale conservation, educating guests from around the world on the importance of protecting marine life,” the company said. “We’d like to stress that if an event like this can occur with a vessel staffed by professionals actively searching for whales, it can happen to any boat at any time. Whales can surface unexpectedly, and it’s critical to stay vigilant when operating in marine waterways.”

Thursday’s incident was the second humpback strike recorded in Howe Sound, near Vancouver, in a single week. The previous incident, involving a Hullo ferry, happened on Oct. 17.

Vessel strikes are one of the “primary threats” to humpback whales, a DFO spokesperson said in a statement.

“As humpback whale numbers increase in coastal waters, their overlap with human activities and vessel traffic is also increasing,” she said, adding how the cetaceans can be “quite oblivious of boats” when they are engaged in certain activities, including feeding or resting.

Anyone who witnesses a whale being harassed or disturbed, or instances involving collisions or entanglements, is asked to report it to the Marine Mammal Incident Hotline at 1-800-465-4336.