By: Claudia Tersigni

Hello! My name is Claudia — I’m an undergraduate student at Quest University who studies marine biology. This summer, I’m working in collaboration with the Cedar Coast Field Station and Dr. Jim Darling on a report that identifies individual Grey whales in Clayoquot Sound. Most of the 20,000 Pacific Grey whales migrate between winter breeding grounds in Mexico and summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. However, around 250 individuals only travel as far north as the coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia. By photographing the Grey whales in Clayoquot Sound this summer, we’re able to identify which specific whales take up residence in our waters by matching with photo catalogs from previous years. Our findings will be integrated into local monitoring efforts of this unique subpopulation, Eschrichtius robustus, which began in the 1970s. This small population of Grey whales are endangered and it is therefore very important to monitor them closely! This project would not have been possible without the support of the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust.

Stay tuned for the full article in this upcoming Tofino Times September 2019 issue!