There’s been a surge in boat strikes and entanglements involving humpbacks in British Columbia waters, two of them thought to have been fatal to the whales.
Here are some recent incidents.
Oct. 23: A Prince of Whales whale-watching boat hits a humpback in Howe Sound. A whale known as Wisp is found dead days later in the same area.
Oct. 22: A humpback known as Astroboy is disentangled from 140 metres of rope in waters near Nanaimo.
Oct. 17: A Hullo Ferries vessel strikes a whale near Vancouver’s English Bay. A humpback calf is later spotted with a deep gash in its back.
Sept. 24: A humpback known as Fader is untangled from fishing gear in a six-hour operation off the coast of Nanaimo.
Sept. 17: The Northern Expedition, a BC Ferries vessel, strikes a whale in Wright Sound near Prince Rupert. A dead humpback is found nearby the next day.
Sept. 4: An operation begins near Texada Island off the Sunshine Coast to untangle fishing gear from a young humpback known as Tutu. The effort lasts three days.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.
The Canadian Press
