Cetaceans of the Salish Sea
A deeper dive into their lives
Join Gary Sutton, Research Technician, from the Whales Initiative Body Condition Research Program in his presentation on the natural history of cetaceans in the Salish Sea and the ongoing research projects.
“Ocean Wise has been an ocean champion for 50 years. From humble beginnings in Vancouver in 1951, we have grown into a global environmental charity that addresses multiple facets of ocean conservation. Our whales’ team, specifically, focuses on public outreach, contaminants, and health monitoring. “
About Gary Sutton
Gary has been working with whales since 2007. He joined Ocean Wise’s whale body condition and health monitoring team in 2021 as a research technician and photo ID specialist. Prior to joining the team, he spent five years with Bay Cetology’s killer whale monitoring team where he helped identify and track the population of mammal eating Bigg’s killer whales in British Columbia.
Outside of research, Gary also works as a wildlife guide and photographer. These passions have led him to photograph wildlife, mainly cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), globally, including across British Columbia, Hawaii, and New Zealand. His photographs have been used in numerous publications – even featured in Canadian Geographic and National Geographic.
PHOTO: Gary Sutton
Additional resources
BC Cetaceans Sighting Network
All about whale activity along the coast, including info about how to report a sighting, and blog posts about recent activity.
Marine Education & Research Society (MERS)
Contribute data. Collecting whale sightings is essential in increasing our understanding of everything from survival, age of calving, site fidelity, feeding strategies, areas of whale density, range, entanglement rates, etc.
Humpback whales of the Salish Sea
Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea is an ongoing photo identification project, dedicated to better understanding the Humpback Whales documented within the Salish Sea and western entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait.
Upper Sunshine Coast Whale Research Group
Proposing a whale sighting group to assess the humpback whale population in the Salish Sea spanning from Powell River to Toba inlet. To be added to the mailing list for updates contact: blythesofia@gmail.com
Be Whale Wise informs you on the laws pertaining to marine mammals, as well as provides additional guidelines that will make you a safer boater and a steward of our natural resources.