Pacific Whale Watch Association 2023 Sightings and Sentinel Actions
2023 Summary
When combining entries from all users, Bigg’s killer whales were reported to the PWWA App on more days than any other whale type, documented on 332 days of 2023. Humpback whales were reported on 309 days, minke whales on 156 days, gray whales on 131 days, Southern Resident killer whales on 111 days, and Northern Resident killer whales on 77 days. When including only GPS-based entries made from aboard PWWA vessels, Bigg’s killer whales were reported on 273 days, humpbacks on 252 days, minke whales on 141 days, gray whales on 98 days, Southern Resident killer whales on 47 days, and Northern Resident killer whales on 26 days.
During 2023, PWWA captains, naturalists, and crew documented a total of 1,246 sentinel actions. The most common sentinel actions documented were vessel-related sentinel actions, with 773 interventions reported (62% of total sentinel actions). This included 407 reactive interactions with vessels in the immediate vicinity of whales and 366 proactive interventions with other vessels nearby. Marine debris removals accounted for 451 sentinel actions (36%). Incidents classified as "other", such as reporting entangled or potentially injured marine life, made up the remaining 22 sentinel actions (2%).
For the 773 sentinel actions involving interactions with other vessels, PWWA members observed a positive change in the other vessel’s behavior after 601 interventions (78%). Recreational vessels were the most frequently contacted category of vessel, involved in 579 sentinel actions (74.9%). Most vessel-related sentinel actions occurred in the vicinity of Bigg’s killer whales, with Bigg’s killer whales present during 620 encounters (80.2%). August was the busiest month for sentinel actions in 2023, with 268 sentinel actions documented.
Law enforcement was present during at least one PWWA whale encounter on 106 days of 2023. Of 22,329 GPS entries made by PWWA members, law enforcement was reported as being present during 513 entries (2.30%). Law enforcement was most likely to be present with Northern Resident killer whales (present during 8.91% of encounters), followed by Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg’s killer whales (3.97% of encounters for each). Law enforcement was least likely to be present during encounters with baleen species such as gray whales, humpback whales, and minke whales, present during 0.96%, 0.50%, and 0.16% of encounters respectively. Law enforcement was most likely to be present during whale encounters in the summer months.
Citation
Gless, E. J., & Krieger, J. (2024). Pacific Whale Watch Association 2023 sightings and sentinel actions report. Pacific Whale Watch Association.