Humpback whale found dead was struck by B.C. Ferries vessel: DFO - CBC
DFO says a humpback whale seen floating in Howe Sound is the same one that was struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel last week. (Vivian Salama)Social SharingA dead humpback whale found floating in Howe Sound was struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel last week, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
Ferry passengers felt a collision with a whale on Oct. 18 while travelling on the Queen of Surrey between Langdale Terminal on the Sunshine Coast and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.
DFO said the collision happened between Grace Point and Keats Island, and a crew had been working to locate the dead humpback whale.
A statement from B.C. Ferries said crew members spotted the dead whale on Monday, near Grace Island, and promptly reported it to DFO.
"This is a very sad development, particularly following the collision involving the Queen of Surrey on Oct. 18," said Lilian Kim with B.C. Ferries.
Aspen Wing and her son watched as a humpback whale blew blood into the air after being struck by a ferry leaving the Langdale terminal on the Sunshine Coast on Oct. 18. (Submitted by Aspen Wing)
Paul Cottrell with DFO’s marine mammal response team located the whale on Tuesday and confirmed it is the same whale the ferry struck.
He said the humpback’s fluke and peduncle are missing from the rest of its body.
Gambier Island resident Emily Ashton saw the whale floating in West Bay on Tuesday morning.
"It's really quite tragic and upsetting to see a large animal like that, in that state; it was just kind of bobbing on the shoreline," Ashton said. "It's devastating."
She took photos of the dead whale and sent them to the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS).
Gambier Island resident Emily Ashton saw the dead whale floating in West Bay on Tuesday morning. (Emily Ashton)
Jackie Hildering with MERS said the dead humpback whale had external injuries and no tail.
The Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration (CPHC) curates a catalogue of the animals and confirmed the dead whale was Notcho (BCX1700).
'Very sad and tragic': Humpback whale found dead off Keats Island, B.C.
Notcho had a distinctive notch out of the left side of his fluke, which is how he got his name. The whale was known to feed in the Salish Sea since 2017, from Campbell River to Washington state, according to CPHC.
B.C. Ferries spokesperson Lilian Kim said support is being offered to the crew who experienced the collision. (Simon Little/CBC)
DFO confirmed the deceased whale is Notcho.
A humpback whale was struck by a whale-watching vessel and found dead off Keats Island last October.
A humpback whale was fatally struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel in September 2025 in Wright Sound and a humpback was struck by a Hullo Ferries vessel off Vancouver the following month. In May of this year, a person driving a Sea-Doo struck a grey whale near English Bay.
Alanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
