Episodes
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Join your hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, along with returning guests Monika Wieland Shields from the Orca Behavior Institute and Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research as they dive back into demystifying killer whales. The topics range from T109A3Aâs saga to Iberian orcas to Southern Resident killer whales being doofuses (per Michael) to T65A5 being a sexual genius (per Jeff).
The conversation winds its way down some rabbit holes but touches on more topics that people brought up as feedback from part one as well as from the minds of four exhausted whale people during this late night conversation. We hope you enjoy!
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On Episode 31 Jeff and Sara catch up on the most recent sightings in the Salish Sea and which whales have been seen lately. Itâs been a hectic few weeks and they had recorded this previously and then there was just so much more happening that they had to record it again. And itâs a good thing too â they both sit down to record after a crazy day on the water with 38 killer whales and some humpback whales too! During the episode youâll hear Sara reference 34 whales but they actually realized there were even more after the fact!
Youâll hear about that encounter from the two of them as well as some other recent sightings, including a visit by T51 âRoswellâ who was one of the whales from Episode 19. He was stuck in a saltwater lake last summer along with T49A2 âJudeâ for 44 days!
The pairâs photo workshop is filling up but space remains, so if youâre interested in joining them on August 24-25th, 2024 for two all-day tours then reach out to get the details and sign up. Last yearâs trips were great and they canât wait to see what happens this year!
Photos from this episode:
Photos from group of over 30 Biggs killer whales. Photo by Jeff Friedman
Humpback whale traveling through group of killer whales. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Drawing of a donkey by Divot & calf
Videos from this episode:
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Missing episodes?
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Episode 30 of After the Breach brings to the table a conversation we often have off the air. Joining us are Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research and Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute. Throughout our discussion we try to âdemystifyâ killer whales. Being around these amazing animals sometimes has us seeing them through a human centric filter. Itâs often easy to see ourselves in them and we think this is one of the many reasons people love them. But we also feel like itâs important to recognize that they are amazing creatures because they are social, intelligent individuals and they are not human. As we spend more and more time around them the more questions we have.
But there are a few persistent themes the four of us have heard about killer whales and we take this episode to address some of them. These may (or may not) be unpopular opinions but we hope they open some new conversations as we navigate this world as humans alongside other intelligent creatures. What we feel and do and think is probably not what they feel and do and think, even if weâd like to believe weâre like them or theyâre like us. We donât mean to diminish how impressive they are, but rather recenter that admiration and amazement outside of our human lens.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if youâd like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching to book!
You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Center for Whale Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/Orca Behavior Institute: https://orcabehaviorinstitute.org/Are we really about to talk to whales? https://theconversation.com/are-we-really-about-to-talk-to-whales-229778 -
On Episode 29 co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, welcome Judith Scott to the show. Judith has been around the world watching whales and spends much of her year in Iceland with the killer whales of the North Atlantic. She gives an introduction to the killer whales they see regularly off of Iceland and shares some stories about those whales. These killer whales feed primarily on herring, but some of them will switch to prey on seals in the summer! The three chat about that and more. They also have her share some of her adventures in other parts of the world.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if youâd like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!
You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Laki Tours: https://lakitours.com/Icelandic Orca Project : https://www.icelandic-orcas.com/Photos from this episode:
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On Episode 28 of After the Breach co-hosts Jeff and Sara dive into Stellerâs sea lion hunts, recent sightings, and some good news surrounding T109A3A.
This spring has been one that has been filled with a lot of sea lion hunts. And for many of these hunts the whales involved have been, or included, the T049As. Jeff and Sara discuss what itâs like to witness those hunts and talk about a few recent ones, including a particularly brutal one they watched on the first all-day trip of the 2024 season.
After that they talk about the many groups whales that have been around recently and share some topics for upcoming episodes. If you have topics youâd like to hear about on the show donât hesitate to send them via email!
If youâve enjoyed listening and want to help support the podcast then share with any of your whale-loving friends and family. You can also leave reviews wherever you listen to podcasts. And if youâd like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews wherever you listen to podcasts! And if youâd like to join Jeff and Sara on a trip then reach out to Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching to book! They also have their special After the Breach Workshop on August 24-25, 2024. Join the duo for two full days on the water (or just one if you prefer). There are a couple of spots left!
You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Photos from this episode:
Sea lion hunt. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Prey sharing after a sea lion hunt. Photo by Jeff Friedman
T075Bs coming in hot to join the T049As after a sea lion predation. Photo by Jeff Friedman
T146s. Photo by Sara Shimazu
T146B. Photo by Sara Shimazu
T128. Photo by Sara Shimazu
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On Episode 27 of After the Breach podcast co-hosts Jeff and Sara share all about the most recent sightings from the Salish Sea. It has been a busy few weeks whale-wise and the duo felt they needed to catch up about it almost as soon as they had finished recording the previous episode!
Dive in with them as they talk about the families that have been seen, a very quick sea lion hunt, and a new calf with one of their favorite families!
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
The History of Cetacean Taxonomy and Nomenclature: https://youtu.be/ZAkUE60o2o8?si=l2xtliA02mM5HWOJ
Photos from this episode:
T19B breach. Photo by Jeff Friedman
T49As and T18s. Photo by Jeff Friedman
T63, "Chainsaw," with T65 and T65Bs. Photo by Jeff Friedman
T49A6, "Charlie II." Photo by Jeff Friedman
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Episode 26 of After the Breach Podcast finds co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, reunited after Jeffâs trip to the Silver Bank to swim with humpback whales at the largest breeding ground in the world for North Atlantic humpback whales.
Jeff shares some of the amazing highlights from his time there, including swimming with a singer and spending time viewing a particularly energetic rowdy group. Jeff and Sara will be hosting a trip to the Silver Bank next year and one spot has opened up so be sure to get in touch if youâre interested in going!
Next, the two dive into recent sightings in the Salish Sea. There have been a lot of whales around recently and the duo talk about some of the families that have been around. They then share the sad news of the death of T109A3 who stranded and drowned near Zeballos on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bay Cetology, headed by Jared Towers, is a great resource for updates on the unfolding situation as they attempt to reunite the two-year old calf of T109A3 with her extended family.
At the end of the episode, the two answer some listener requests and questions. They introduce the T124A matriline and answer a listener question of have we ever seen
any superpods. The definition of a superpod is when all three pods of the Southern Resident Community gather together. Every member of every matriline of every pod in the same area. The term often gets used to describe large gatherings or when most of the community is together but a true superpod is when every single whale in the SRKW community has come together.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Photos from this episode:
Humpback on the Silver Bank, 2024. Photo by Jeff Friedman
Steller sea lion hunt. Photo by Sara Shimazu
L77 with new calf L124 in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Superpod in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Superpod in 2019. Photo by Jeff Friedman
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On Episode 25 of After the Breach Podcast, co-hosts Jeff and Sara welcome back their friend and colleague, Gary Sutton. Aside from being a captain in the Salish Sea he has also been working with OceanWise as a researcher and he joins in to talk about the research heâs a part of and some exciting upcoming projects.
Before they get into that the three discuss the Northern Resident killer whales, which are a salmon-eating population similar to the Southern Resident killer whales that are a frequent topic of conversation. This population spends most of their time in the waters off northern Vancouver Island and along the central coast of British Columbia and even up into Alaska. While they are not infrequent visitors to the most northern reaches of the Salish Sea, the past few weeks have found three matrilines of Northern Resident killer whales visiting the waters of Howe Sound, where Jeff, Sara, and Gary all got to see them.
Gary shares some interesting foraging observations about his visit with the A23s, A25s, and A42s, while Jeff and Sara talk about their impromptu visit with them. For Jeff this was a reconnection with a whale that changed his life and for Sara this was her first visit with this ecotype.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Ocean Wise Research on InstagramGary Sutton on InstagramOrcalabPhotos from this episode:
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu
Northern Resident killer whale, A61 "Surge," photo by Jeff Friedman
Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Jeff Friedman
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Episode 24 of After the Breach is a long-awaited FAQ episode. Co-hosts, Jeff and Sara have been collecting questions from listeners and guests to Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching for a while and now theyâre going to sit down and answer as many as they can. This will be the first FAQ episode but with the amount of questions received there will eventually be another one.
Have you ever wondered what it's like to go whale watching in the Salish Sea? A lot of people have! Jeff and Sara start off by answering some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding going whale watching here and what that entails. What time of year is best? What time of day? What if it rains? They get to all of these and more. Afterwards they dive into some more questions regarding the whales and also themselves.
If you have questions you havenât asked then donât worry! You can still submit them and they will keep them for future episodes. Feel free to write to Jeff and Sara through email, Instagram, or Facebook. And thank you for being a listener of After the Breach Podcast!
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Maya's Legacy Whale WatchingPhotos from this episode:
Special podcast guest, Sundae
Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu
Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu
Steller sea lion hunt, photo by Sara Shimazu
T18 spyhop, photo by Jeff Friedman
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Episode 23 finds co-hosts Jeff and Sara back home in Washington State after their visit to Bremer Bay, Western Australia. Join these (more than) slightly jet-lagged whale enthusiasts as they chat once again with their friend and colleague, April Ryan, about their trip down under. This will be the last episode dedicated to their January trip though it will certainly come up once again in future episodes.
In this episode they share some more stories from their time down there and talk about one of the most intense hunts they saw of thirty-some killer whales pursuing a strap-toothed beaked whale. Also mentioned is a special little whale, Chopper, who is one of a few whales in the population who has no dorsal fin.
They wrap up the episode with some thoughts about the differences between whale watching culture here in the Pacific Northwest (and the United States) and in Australia.
A huge shoutout goes to Naturaliste Charters. Paul and his crew down there are amazing and dedicated to what they do. They run the killer whale tours from December through April and then run out of Augusta and Dunsborough the rest of the year for the north-bound and south-bound migrations. Make sure to follow along with their seasons and if you head down to Western Australia be sure to book a tour with them!
Links from this Episode
Naturaliste Charters Whale WatchingBeaked Whale Pursuit (Video)Playful Whale (Reel)Social Whales (Reel)Photos from this Episode
Socializing orcas. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Chopper. Photo by Jeff Friedman
Beaked whale predation. Photo by April Ryan
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Episode 22 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Sara and Jeff, still down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia with their friend and colleague, April Ryan. They have had so many encounters over the past two weeks and thereâs so much to share! This time around the three of them share a quick highlight reel of just a few of the things that have stood out to them lately. Theyâll have so much more to share once theyâre back home (and rested!) but join them now to hear about whatâs different for Sara from last year to this year, the patrolling whales that made a lasting impression on April, and Jeffâs memorable encounter with a juvenile who just seemed intrigued by the Go Pro camera the crew had in the waterâand it wasnât the first time for this particular whale!
Enjoy these stories, plus a couple more, and get ready to hear a whole lot more in the coming weeks as the three of them return home, catch up on some sleep, and really process everything theyâve learned from the Bremer Canyon killer whales.If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Videos from this Episode:
Photos from this Episode
Bremer Canyon killer whales pursuing a beaked whale. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Orca kids prey sharing. Photo by April Ryan
Orcas prey sharing. Photo by Sara Shimazu.
Albatross with lunch on the fly. Photo by April Ryan
Orca teeth. Photo by Jeff Friedman
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Episode 21 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, coming to you from on the road. The two are down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia for the month of January and with them is their colleague and episode guest, April Ryan, who joined them on Episode 8 âOrcas Take a Minke Whaleâ. The three have been out on the water nearly every day and after over a week of encounters with the orcas of the Bremer Canyon the three discuss first, second, and fourth impressions of this amazing population.
Where is the Bremer Canyon and who are these whales? Jeff and Sara introduce both as they set the stage for retellings of their stories of the past few days interspersed with information on what makes these whales and their ecosystem so special. April, who is visiting for the first time, shares her first impressions of this new-to-her population. The three of them talk about the power behind these whales as they chase their prey (mainly beaked whales, but they also eat fish!), the predation events theyâve witnessed, the new calf in one of the groups, and even four previously undocumented adult whales! WITH OPEN SADDLE PATCHES! What does it mean? Well, the truth is we donât really know but they share their speculations and thought about that and so much more.
Before they sign off the episode Sara talks a bit about the research sheâs doing and the interview she did with ABC Australia about the Bremer Canyon orcas.
If youâd like to get out on the water with Jeff and Sara you can sign up for a tour with Mayaâs Legacy Whale Watching in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington. Just make sure to let them know you listen to the podcast and would like to meet Jeff and Sara! And if youâre looking for an extra special whale trip our co-hosts will be offering another photo workshop in August 2024 and a trip to swim with humpback whales on the Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic in February 2025. There are only a few spots left between the two so definitely reach out to them if youâre interested in signing up!
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Naturaliste Charters Whale WatchingNaturaliste Charters on InstagramGoogle Maps for Bremer Bay, AustraliaBremer Bay orcas 'healthiest on the globe' as numbers boom off Western AustraliaSara's InstagramJeff's InstagramApril's InstagramMaya's Legacy Whale WatchingPhotos from this episode:
Open saddle patch on newly discovered whale in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu
New calf in Bremer Canyon. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Bremer Canyon Orca, "Nibbles," surging to predation of beaked whale. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Beaked whale organs after predation. Photo by April Ryan
Beaked whale brain. Photo by April Ryan
More surging. Photo by Jeff Friedman
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On this episode of After the Breach podcast, hosts Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu are joined by Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute to recap the season in numbers. We discuss sightings data for both Southern Resident killer whales (salmon eaters) and Bigg's killer whales (marine mammal eaters), and recap some incredible stories from our latest whale sightings around the San Juan Islands.
We jump right in talking about a recent November superpod with all members of the Southern Resident orca population and how sightings of superpods in the inland waters of the Salish Sea have changed over the last 20 years. We discuss in detail how the presence of Southern Residents in the Salish Sea and how they are seen more frequently from October - March than their historical peak season of April - September. We talk about how their old patterns have completely filpped and what this may mean. We also point out the confusion in the general public created by having a population we don't see as often as we used to, yet there are media stories of record numbers of killer whale sightings, due to the dramatic increase of Bigg's killer whale sightings.
Our conversation transitions to the record setting number of Bigg's killer whale sightings and how each year since 2017 continues to break previous records. We talk about how much has changed in less than 10 years.
Our conversation continues to some recent Bigg's sightings, including a Minke whale hunt, a steller sea lion hunt, and a once in a lifetime moment for Monika (you'll have to listen to the podcast to hear the story).
We conclude with another meet the matriline, this time with the T123s: Sydney (T123), Stanley (T123A), Lucky (T123C) and Darcy (T123D).
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links from this episode:
Orca Behavior InstituteEndangered Orcas, The Story of the Southern Residents, by Monika Wieland Shields Active Pass, BCVideo: Killer Whales Beached While Hunting SealsPhotos from this episode:
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
Photo by Sara Shimazu
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In mid-August two killer whales were observed to be trapped in Barnes Lake, near the small community of Coffman Cove, in Southeast Alaska. Through an amazing collaboration between residents of Coffman Cove, NOAA, scientists and others, the whales were successfully rescued and guided back to open water on September 29th. Jared Towers, director of Bay Cetology joins us to tell the story of the rescue and how he helped to guide the whales out of Barnes Lake.
Our discussion begins with Jared talking about Barnes Lake, a saltwater lagoon with entrances to the north and south, and the challenges of getting in and out of the lake from open water. Jared also discusses an incident in 1994 when offshore killer whales were trapped in the same area for several weeks. He also discusses his involvement in previous killer whale rescues with T046C2 and T073B, the challenges of whale rescues and the available methods that can be used.
Jared helped to identify the two Bigg's killer whales that were trapped in Barnes Lake, T051, a 42-year-old male, and T049A2, a 16-year-old male. Prior to their sighting in Barnes Lake in mid-August they had been last reported together off the west coast of Vancouver Island on July 9th.
Our discussion with Jared covers the incredible collaboration that took place to rescue T051 and T049A2 and the detailed considerations and contextual knowledge behind the specific vocals he played to help guide the whales out of Barnes Lake.
Jared tells the story in detail of how the first attempt failed to get the whales free through the kelp bed at the north entrance. He continues by describing how the team regrouped the following day to successfully free the two whales through the south entrance.
Our discussion with Jared concludes by talking about Finwave, an online photo-identification database he helped develop to streamline identification and cataloguing sightings information, and how it is currently being used to track Bigg's killer whale data.
Sara and Jeff finish the episode talking briefly about recent whale sightings around the San Juan Islands and meet the matriline with the T049As.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links mentioned in this episode:
Bay Cetology: https://baycetology.org/Video of T051 and T049A2 exiting south channel: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEcRjyPU7d/Coffman Cove Residents Help Free Two Killer Whales From Barnes Lake: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/coffman-cove-residents-help-free-two-killer-whales-barnes-lake T073B plays with sailboat in Comox Harbor, 2018: https://youtu.be/J1d7HuP4ECI?feature=sharedPhotos mentioned in this episode:
Barnes Lake and Coffman Cove from Google Maps
Photo by Jared Towers
Photo by Jared Towers
Photo by Jared Towers
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The Center for Whale Research (CWR) is dedicated to the study and conservation of the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population and also study the thriving Bigg's killer whale population. Joining us as our guests from CWR are Research Director, Dr. Michael Weiss, and Orca Survey Lead, Dave Ellifrit.
We cover a variety of topics in our discussion, filled with lots of great stories. We being talking about the census work conducted by CWR as well as behavioral observations from drones to observe social interactions, networks and prey sharing behavior.
The discussion is full of fascinating stories, and we had to ask Dave to tell a few more stories, one about a legendary Bigg's killer whale hunt of a Minke whale, and a happy baby Southern Resident killer whale story.
With so many great stories, we will surely have these two back on a future episode.
We finish our discussion talking about how the whales are so interdependent on each other and how social effects influence population trajectory. And of course we heard a few more topics interwoven into the conversation, from whales tossing their babies around to different body shapes, fat foreheads, and funny looking whales.
The episode concludes with our latest sightings, including the continuing saga of T65A5 and an update on Jack's summer camp, and our meet the matriline with the T18s.
We have dates for our 2024 After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop! Saturday August 24th and Sunday August 25th, 2024. You can sign up for both days or just one day. Email us or you can find details here.
We also have dates for our 2025 week-long charter to see the humpbacks of the Silver Bank, which will be February 15-22, 2025. Stay tuned for more details.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Links mentioned in this episode:
Center for Whale Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/
CWR New Vessel for Field Research: https://www.whaleresearch.com/post/new-vessel-will-open-up-new-opportunities-for-center-for-whale-research-fieldwork
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There is often something special about September whales. Mid-August through mid-October is a favorite time to view whales in the Salish Sea, typically with an abundance of orcas, humpback whales and many days of beautiful fall lighting. Sara and Jeff begin this episode by sharing some highlights of this year's September whales, including a humpback playing with logs, humpbacks lunge feeding in krill blooms, and the many matrilines of Bigg's killer whales that have been in the area.
The episode continues to highlight some of the many killer whale encounters and a recap of this year's After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop. Over the two days of the workshop, in addition to humpback whales, we encountered a total of 48 individual Bigg's killer whales. We saw a total of 32 orcas each day in various groups. We talk about the memorable ending of day one, with a group or orcas nicknamed "Jack's summer camp," (an interesting split in matrilines we started talking about in episode 16) in epic late afternoon September lighting. We also talk about a very rare encounter with the T028As, a family that has not been documented since 2021, and the 109A2s, a family that has an 18 year old mom with 4 young kids!
The episode includes a section we almost forgot, meet the matriline, where we discuss the T36s. T36 is the mom of T36A and T36B, and also the presumed mom of T99 and T137. This makes her her responsible for 19 whales, including grandkids and her first great grandkid.
We have dates for our 2024 After the Breach Podcast Photo Workshop! Saturday August 24th and Sunday August 25th, 2024. You can sign up for both days or just one day. Email us or you can find details here.
On this episode we also discuss a bit about our 2025 Silver Bank week-long charter, which will be February 15-22, 2025. Stay tuned for more details.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
Photos from this episode:
Humpback whale, "Stitch," playing with logs. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
Lunge feeding humpback whale. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
Krill bloom at the surface. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
End of day of the After the Breach Photo Workshop. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
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We are back! Sara and Jeff found time to connect for a new episode to talk about some of the latest amazing sightings and our upcoming photo workshop & all day tours on September 23rd and 24th.
We talk and tell stories throughout the episode about how many different groups of orcas have been in the area over the last few months. We share a brief update on the brothers from Episode 15 and share the latest in the ongoing saga of T65A5, Indy, who became entangled in crab gear. He freed himself and resumed his role as social butterfly of the Salish Sea.
We also talk about a new calf with the 75Bs and who might be the mom. And T63, "Chainsaw" has made an unusual late summer appearance.
We finish the episode with teasing some thoughts on upcoming epoxides and our offseason plans to see whales around the world.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
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On this episode of After the Breach podcast, hosts and professional guides, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, talk about a recent interesting encounter they had on May 20th with two brothers from the Biggâs killer whale population, T125A and T128. Also joining us is returning guest, Monika Wieland Shields from the Orca Behavior Institute (OBI) who was also out on the water and provides her own observations from that day.
Starting out the episode the three talk about the latest sightings in the Salish Sea. It has been a busy spring and there has been a lot happening. Weâve had some of our more famous humpback whales return, tons of Biggâs killer whales sightings, and even J-pod returned just before the end of May! Monika shares some interesting insights courtesy of OBI.
On May 20th, two killer whales were reported south of San Juan Island in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. The two were quickly identified as T125A and T128. These boys belong to an interesting family of four, led by their mother T125. In 2015 the matriline was seen in the Salish Sea for the first time in 22 YEARS. They were around for a few days but then disappeared again. Since then these two brothers seem to have dispersed from their mom and have been making annual forays into the area where theyâve quickly become whale watching favorites. They usually travel fairly tight together but last month when they were seen they were traveling in the general vicinity of each other but separated over a mile from the other as they traveled north into Rosario Strait.
Once there they came together briefly before separating again. T128 went into the inner San Juan Islands through Thatcher Pass while T125A continued up Rosario Strait. When Jeff and Monika caught up with T128 he was not really going anywhere and was circling on the west side of Blakely Island. What they did notice right away was that he had some pretty deep rake marks from another killer whale on his dorsal fin!
Meanwhile T125A was continuing up Rosario Strait where Sara got on scene with him. He quickly turned and headed back down the strait in the direction he had come from and started vocalizing and pushing a lot of water as he came up to the surface, sometimes rolling and slapping his dorsal fin or tail lobbing. It really seemed like he was trying to be loud and obvious as to where he was.
Jeff reported that T128 turned and actually went back out into Rosario Strait where he would have heard his brother and then quickly turned and went back into the inner islands. He was last seen heading west past Lopez Island ferry terminal and T125A was left still heading south in Rosario Strait.
Thereâs a lot of room for speculation and human interpretation into what happened here, if anything. Did the two brothers have an argument and needed some time apart? Was T125A the culprit to those rake marks on his brother? There are so many questions and we can only guess as to what may have happened. We had hoped they would show up the next day but they disappeared overnight and havenât been seen since.
That is until a few days before we were going to post this episode; guess who showed up!? The brothers, reunited, and in the case of T128, all healed! Where were they the last three weeks? Did they reunite the night of the 20th or did they take some more time apart?
We have an upcoming photography workshop in September! Details are available on our website www.afterthebreachpodcast.com or you can send us an email at [email protected]. Itâs September 23rd and 24th and we will spend each day on the water with catered lunches and a ton of information to share!
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
For complete show notes, links and photos, please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/episode-15-brothers
Links mentioned in this episode:
Orca Behavior Institute blog post about the encounter with the brothers, T128 and T125AVocalizations from T125A, recorded by Sara Hysong-Shimazu from an above-water hydrophone speakerMap of the travels of T125A and T128 during this encounterPhotos mentioned in this episode:
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The collaboration between whale watching companies in the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and other groups makes whale watching in the inland waters of Washington state and British Columbia unique, resulting in some of the most responsible whale watching on the planet. Erin Gless, the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, joins us to discuss the origins of the PWWA and the special collaboration that takes place on the water to promote responsible whale watching, education, research and conservation.
But first we share some of recent sightings from our whale watching tours with Maya's Legacy Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands. We've been seeing more humpbacks as they are returning to their summer feeding waters in the Salish Sea, including several encounters with Divot (BCX1057) and Zephyr (BCZ0414). On a few of those encounters the mom and daughter were traveling together. We also discuss encounters with large groups of Bigg's killer whales, highlighting a day where we watched a group of 19 killer whales traveling hard against a strong tide in the narrow part of San Juan Channel. Included in this group were iconic whales T87 (Harbeson) and T63 (Chainsaw). Photos included below. We wrap up the latest sightings from our encounter seeing a big family reunion with T65, T63, the T65As and T65Bs. Later in this episode we talk about this entire family in more detail.
We turn the discussion to responsible whale watching and welcome Erin, who has been working in the whale watch community in various locations since 2008 and is currently the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Erin talks with us about the origins of the PWWA and how it currently represents 30 companies over a large geographic range, spanning from Seattle in the south to Telegraph Cove, BC to the north, and Port Renfrew to the west. We discuss at length the unique nature of the collaboration between companies and how this differs from whale watching in many parts of the world. The discussion includes how this collaboration creates responsible whale watching practices and makes this region such a popular whale watching spot, with different groups and species of whales being documented on an almost a daily basis. We also talk about how this collaboration spans outside PWWA with other whale watching associations, ferries, commercial shipping, researchers and others.
We then discuss data collection being done by PWWA operators, including sentinel actions, which are proactive steps taken on the water to protect whales and other wildlife throughout the shared waters of the Salish Sea.
We wrap up our discussion with Erin by talking about how to find and choose a responsible whale watching company in other parts of the world.
We conclude the episode by introducing a new segment called âMeet the Matrilinesâ in which we will be talking in detail about a specific family of Bigg's killer whales in each episode. This episodeâs matriline is one that we often mention in our latest sightings, the T65 family tree, which include T65, her presumed son, T63, her oldest daughter T65A and her 5 kids, and her youngest daughter T65B and her 3 kids.
We will be holding a photography workshop / all day whale watching & wildlife tour on Saturday, September 23rd and Sunday, September 24th. You can sign up for one day or both. We will be on the water all day(6-8 hours) and the price includes catering, photography instruction, and whale ID tips. It will be a lot of fun. If you are interested please email us at [email protected].
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
For complete show notes, links and photos, please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/episode-14-responsible-whale-watching
Links mentioned in this epsisode:
Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/PWWA Sightings & Sentinel Action Reports: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/annualreportsPhotos mentioned in this episode:
Iconic Bigg's killer whales T87 born est 1962 (Harbeson) left, and T63 (Chainsaw) born 1978 right. Photo by Jeff Friedman
Bigg's killer whales pushing against tide in San Juan Channel. Photo by Jeff Friedman.
Sentinel action: removing discarded fishing gear from the water. Photo by PWWA.
Sentinel action: whale warning flag for other vessels. Photo by PWWA
Shared waters: Bigg's killer whales & BC ferry. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Shared waters: Bigg's killer whales & Washington ferry. Photo by Sara Shimazu
Shared waters: Cruise ship with humpback whale. Photo by Ellie Sawyer
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Following up on our last episode where we discussed the low genetic diversity of Antarctic Type D killer whales, in this episode we chat about another recently published genetics paper that focuses on killer whale populations in the Northeast Pacific, including Southern Resident, Northern Resident, Alaskan Resident, Offshore and Bigg's killer whales. Joining us for this discussion is returning guest Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of Orca Behavior Institute.
But first we share some recent sighting stories because so much is happening on the water and we continue to see large groups of Bigg's killer whales in the area. Sara and Jeff ran an all day tour last weekend with Maya's Legacy Whale Watching and spent time with a group of 19 whales from several families, including the T036As, T049A1, T124As, T124C, T125A, T128, and the T065Bs, who had a new calf by her side.
There are so many young whales in the Bigg's population and on this particular encounter, over 25% of the whales were under the age of 3. We discuss the contrast between the number of Bigg's v Southern Resident killer whales under the age of 10 and how this is stunning when seen visually (see image under photos).
We also discuss a recent sea lion hunt right outside of Friday Harbor with the T018s with the T049As, and an interesting encounter with the T046s and T046Bs where T046 herself was not present.
We then turn the conversation to the recently published paper, "Inbreeding depression explains killer whale population dynamics." Monika leads the discussion about inbreeding depression, which is defined as reduced biological fitness that results from breeding between related individuals. The primary finding of the study is that both males and females are less likely to reach age 40 if they have a higher inbreeding coefficient. The Southern Resident killer whales lack of recovery is due, in part, to their lack of genetic diversity compared to the other populations in the Northeast Pacific, which have all been increasing in population. We discussed the role of the captures for marine parks and how this created a population bottleneck. We also discuss other factors hindering Southern Resident recovery and what can be done to address the factors that are within our control.
We also talk about some of the fascinating supplemental information in the paper, including updated paternity information and effective population sizes.
We conclude the episode by announcing our After the Breach Photo Workshop with Sara & Jeff. We will be holding the workshop on Saturday, September 23rd and Sunday, September 24th. You can sign up for one day or both. We will have all day tours (6-8 hours) each day, including catering, photography & whale ID tips, and a lot of fun. If you are interested please email us at [email protected].
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at [email protected].
For complete show notes, links and photos, please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/episode-13-inbreeding-depression-and-killer-whales
Links mentioned in this episode:
Orca Behavior Institute: https://orcabehaviorinstitute.org/Maya's Legacy Whale Watching: https://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/Inbreeding depression explains killer whale population dynamics: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-01995-0Photos mentioned in this episode:
T065B with new calf T065B3. Photo by Sara Shimazu
T019B. Photo by Sara Shimazu
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