Humpback whales
Bald eagles
Salmon
Sea otters
Southern resident killer whales
Vessel traffic
100
How Long Are Humpback Whales?
A) 50Ft
B) 30Ft
C) 60Ft
50 feet! Female humpbacks can now be 50 feet long and males can be 45 feet long.
100
Name one difference between juvenile and adult bald eagles
Adult bald eagle have a white head and white tail feathers?
100
The five species of Pacific salmon
What are chinook salmon (also called king), coho salmon, pink salmon, sockeye salmon, and chum salmon.
100
How much does a Sea Otter weigh?
A) 10lbs
B) 30lbs
C) 50Lbs
D) 75 lbs
E) 90lbs
90 pounds!
100
The three ecotypes of killer whales that live off the coast of British-Columbia
What is a Transient/Bigg's killer whale, Southern Resident killer whale, and offshore killer whale.
100
Vessel traffic is:
A. commercial vessels only (ferries, cruise ships, whale watching boats...)
B. Recreational vessels only (people's own boats)
C. Shipping vessels only (tankers, cargo ships...)
D. all of the above
Is it D. all of the above?
200
How much does a humpback whale weigh?
A) 50,000lbs
B) 20,000 lbs
C) 90, 000 lbs
90,000 pounds! Humpback whales when they leave BC are at their peak weight!
200
The main prey item of bald eagles in the Salish Sea
Is it fish?
Bald eagles' diet consists of 50% fish, 25% other birds and 15% small mammals
200
How large are Sea Otters (in feet)?
5 Feet!
200
The diet of the Southern Resident killer whales
BONUS points - Tell me the exact species.
What is salmon?
Bonus points - What is Chinook Salmon? (Their favorite!!)
200
Number of large vessels transiting through the Salish Sea each year:
A. 500
B. 2000
C. 8000
D. 11000
Is it D. 11000?
300
What caused the decline in Humpbacks?
Commercial whaling caused the decimation of the humpback population.
The last humpback seen in the Salish Sea before the Humpback comeback was the early 1900's.
Humpback whales used to get up to 70ft long before we hunted them to near extinction (Global population was around 3,000 animals from hundreds of thousands).
300
The leading cause of past population decline for bald eagle
Was it DDT poisoning?
300
Threats to pacific salmon
What is habitat loss in marine and freshwater, habitat destruction, overfishing, climate change, pollution, illegal harvest, disease, viruses and parasites from fish farms, vessel traffic.
300
What eliminated Sea Otters from the Salish Sea?
Hunting! We hunted sea otters for their dense, water proof fur. Being 5 ft long made it very useful for warm clothing to survive the winter!
300
Threats to Southern Resident killer whales
*BONUS points - tell me the #1 threat that is causing their population decline
Vessel noise, vessel traffic, decreased quantity and quality of food; less salmon and smaller size, inbreeding, low survival rate, pollutants.
BONUS points - What is lack of food. (Decline in chinook salmon)
300
The reason why it is important to minimize the impact that vessels have in the Salish Sea
Is it: the Salish Sea is home to an endangered population of killer whales (the southern residents killer whales), the Salish Sea is home to a variety of different wildlife that depend on the sea for survival (bald eagles, bears, sea wolves...), boat strikes represent a serious threat to whales (humpbacks) and wildlife
400
What solution helped the Humpback population rebound globally?
Bonus: Who was the first humpback whale to return to the Salish Sea?
The International Whaling Commision placed a BAN on hunting humpbacks GLOBALLY. The humpback whale population now sits at around 30,000 animals.
Big Mama was the first humpback whale to return to the Salish Sea back in 1997. She brought her first calf "Divot" in 2003.
400
The leading cause of the present population decline for bald eagle
Is it lead poisoning caused by bullets present in carcasses that eagles are known to feed on?
400
Name solutions to protect salmon population and habitat in the Salish Sea
What is habitat restoration(limit or stop vessel traffic in estuaries, dam demolition), habitat protection, fishing laws (fishing quotas, no fishing zones, no fishing at certain time of the year), monitoring and enforcement of fishing laws, end fish farming, mitigating our personal impact on climate change, limitting our salmon consumption, buying salmon that has be caught in a sustainable way, limitting vessel trafic (less ordering items from overseas).
400
What were some of the solutions put in place to help revitalize the Sea Otter population?
A ban on hunting in 1911 (Canada and US)
A relocation program set in place in 1966 (Canada and US)
400
Name on-going solutions to protect the SRKW population
Vessel regulations around SRKW:
Canada - no commercial whale watching at any point and report asap if encountered. 400metres for all other vessels. Shut off if closer.
USA/Washington - specific dates and times for commercial whale watching boats to view the whales. 400 yards for all other vessels. Shut off if closer.
*** All regulations are revised yearly.
other solutions: Addressing the food source decline. Protection of areas vital to the SRKW. Organizations, such as Straitwatch (Canada) and Southwath (US) monitor vessel behaviour and educate boaters of regulations and behaviour around whales. Research!!!! The most researched killer whales in the world!
400
International solutions to help minimize the impact that vessels have on wildlife
Is it: slowing down in the presence of whales, minimum distance to which one can approach, protected areas like race rocks ecological reserve?
500
In 1997, we had 1 known Humpback Whale in the Salish Sea. How many documented humpbacks did we have in the Salish Sea in 2011? How many do we have in 2023?
A) 850+
B) 100+
C) 50+
D) 200+
E) 400+
F) 10+
2011 - 50+
2023 - 850+
The Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea works with citizen scientists from Canada and Washington to create ID guides so we can identify Humpbacks on our tours. This gives us an idea of how many Humpbacks that we have in the Salish Sea.
For example, the Humpback that we had last week was Tenor!
500
International solutions to protect and maintain a healthy bald eagle population
Was it ban the use of DDT, restore and prevent logging of bald eagle nesting habitat, restore salmon habitat as salmon is a main food source for bald eagles?
500
The weight of the biggest chinook salmon ever caught (in pounds/lb)
What is 126 lb ? (caught in 1949)
Why is this important to know? The average weight of an adult salmon is now 10 to 50lb.
500
How many Sea Otters live in the Salish Sea between Victoria and Sooke?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 20
D) 100
2! The sea otters that live in the area are known as Ollie and Waldo!
500
Name a local organization (Vancouver island or Washington) working to protect the SRKW.
Center for Whale Research
Cetus
Orca Behavior Institute
500
Name 3 things that you would implement to minimize the impact that vessels have on wildlife.
Any 3 good answers!