May 25th - Humpback whale "Slate" with her new calf!

Our crew were out for some routine safety drills when they got wind of some humpbacks nearby and decided to check it out. The whale was one of our regulars, Slate, and with a new calf in tow!

A new calf coming to the Salish Sea is always exciting news. It wasn’t THAT long ago that these whales were hunted locally and they became an uncommon site. We are thrilled to watch the exponential growth and recovery of this species in the Salish Sea.

We managed to get both sides of the calf’s dorsal fin, but unfortunately no fluke shot. That gives us something to work for this season! After one year together the mother and calf will separate and the only sure way we will know how to identify this whale in the future as “Slate’s calf” is if we get the fluke shot this year. The dorsal fin might be able to tell us, but they are much trickier to go by!

We hope to see this momma and baby many more times throughout the season. If you happen to see a humpback whale from your boat or shore, and manage to get a fluke shot, we would love to see them at www.ketacoastalconservation.org. Keta also has a free catalogue you can use to try and match up the fluke on your own!