A fin whale estimated to be about 21 metres long was photographed swimming off Sheringham Point, west of Sooke.
Earth’s second-largest whale species has been spotted in the Salish Sea.
A fin whale estimated to be about 21 metres long — or about 70 feet — was photographed by Eagle Wing Tours swimming off Sheringham Point, west of Sooke, on Sunday.
Eagle Wing called fin whales “rare visitors” to the Salish Sea, saying the one seen Sunday was one of the largest the whale-watching fleet has ever seen in local waters.
The only whale bigger than the fin whale is the blue whale.
Fin whales have streamlined bodies with V-shaped heads and small dorsal fins located near the rear of their bodies.
They are baleen whales and use long, thin plates of keratin that hang from their upper jaws to filter small prey, such as krill, from seawater.
They are unique due to the colouring on the lower jaw, which is dark on the left and light on the right.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said fin whales are capable of prolonged high swimming speeds, which is their primary escape strategy when they’re hunted by killer whales.
Fin whales are found in all major oceans and can live up to 90 years, reaching up to 72 tonnes and 26 metres in length.
In Canada’s Pacific waters, the DFO said fin whales gather along the continental slope, particularly in areas with concentrations of krill, but are also found in deep channels between islands along the northern mainland coast of B.C.
Fin whales are rated as a species of special concern in Canada and endangered in U.S. waters.
Like other whales such as humpbacks, fin whales are recovering from heavy commercial whaling during the last century.