From killer whales to humpbacks

A deep dive into whale health, behaviour, and soundscapes.

The summer of 2024 marked the conclusion of our photogrammetry field research. We are now analyzing our long-term photogrammetric dataset to investigate how salmon abundance affects the fatness – and therefore the health – of Northern Resident killer whales. We are also examining how the age and sex composition of matrilines affects the health of matriline members, and how prey abundance affects this relationship. One of our most striking findings in 2024 was a negative relationship between the health of females and the number of offspring they had given birth to – evidence of the cost of mothering in this highly social species. We also found that the health of matriline members declined as the proportion of juveniles in the group increased, with young males being most affected.

Using the database of aerial images and video collected off northeast Vancouver Island from 2014 to 2024, we began a project to investigate prey sharing strategies among Northern Resident killer whales. Understanding how a limited resource is shared among group members is crucial for species where access to food may be influenced by social factors.

Underwater soundscapes

Our humpback whale research team delved into the seasonal changes in humpback whale vocal behavior across the BC coast. Together with BC  Whales, we emphasized data collection in a uniquely quiet soundscape that is expected to see a dramatic increase in LNG shipping traffic in 2025. 

Significant progress was made this year with our collaborative acoustic monitoring initiative, NoiseTracker. In partnership with the UBC Cloud Innovation Centre, we developed a working prototype, which we shared at a well-attended partnership development meeting with over 60 participants.

The underwater monitoring station installed in 2023 in the Pender Island Interim Sanctuary Zone (designated for endangered Southern Resident killer whales) has been recording data and livestreaming whale vocalizations and videos. In collaboration with the Saturna Island Marine Research and Education Society (SIMRES), we are studying SRKW acoustic presence and the impacts of noise on their calls. Three students have been stationed on a cliff overlooking the sanctuary zone to monitor whale presence, vessel and fishing violations, and nearby ship traffic. 

Lastly, we are finalizing the installation of a second underwater monitoring station on the Sunshine coast.

This is an excerpt from our annual report, Tracking Raincoast into 2025.

Tracking Raincoast into 2025 cover with a wolf on a cliff face, looking very cool, and two inside pages with text and a grizzly bear eating a salmon.

You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.

Coastal wolf with a salmon in its month.
Photo by Dene Rossouw.