SEATTLE — The first humpback calf of the 2024 whale watching season was spotted on April 18 near San Juan Island, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA).
The calf, likely three to four months old, belongs to humpback whale BCX1460, also known as Black Pearl. The pair have been seen several times since their first spotting.
Black Pearl usually spends summers north of Vancouver Island, according to PWWA Executive Director Erin Gless, so it was lucky that she brought her calf back to the Salish Sea.
"It's always fun to see which mom and calf will make it back first," Gless said.
Humpbacks tend to give birth in warmer waters, near Hawai'i, Mexico and Central America, according to the PWWA. Then they travel thousands of miles with their calves to cooler feeding grounds. Black Pearl has been photographed several times off the coast of Maui and has given birth to at least three previous calves, the most recent one in 2022.
PWWA has also reported a few other local whale celebrities that have returned to the Salish Sea for the spring and summer, including "Big Mama," who has given birth to seven calves since 2003. Her offspring have given birth to six "grandcalves" and in turn, they have given birth to two "great-grandcalves," according to the PWWA.
“Simply put, she’s the whale who started it all,” Gless said.
More humpback whales are expected to return to the Salish Sea in the coming weeks, where they will feed on fish and crustaceans through the fall.