On Episode 27 of After the Breach podcast co-hosts Jeff and Sara share all about the most recent sightings from the Salish Sea. It has been a busy few weeks whale-wise and the duo felt they needed to catch up about it almost as soon as they had finished recording the previous episode!

Dive in with them as they talk about the families that have been seen, a very quick sea lion hunt, and a new calf with one of their favorite families!

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Links from this episode:

The History of Cetacean Taxonomy and Nomenclature: https://youtu.be/ZAkUE60o2o8?si=l2xtliA02mM5HWOJ

Photos from this episode:

T19B breach. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T49As and T18s. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T63, "Chainsaw," with T65 and T65Bs. Photo by Jeff Friedman

T49A6, "Charlie II." Photo by Jeff Friedman

Episode 26 of After the Breach Podcast finds co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, reunited after Jeff’s trip to the Silver Bank to swim with humpback whales at the largest breeding ground in the world for North Atlantic humpback whales.

Jeff shares some of the amazing highlights from his time there, including swimming with a singer and spending time viewing a particularly energetic rowdy group. Jeff and Sara will be hosting a trip to the Silver Bank next year and one spot has opened up so be sure to get in touch if you’re interested in going!

Next, the two dive into recent sightings in the Salish Sea. There have been a lot of whales around recently and the duo talk about some of the families that have been around. They then share the sad news of the death of T109A3 who stranded and drowned near Zeballos on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Bay Cetology, headed by Jared Towers, is a great resource for updates on the unfolding situation as they attempt to reunite the two-year old calf of T109A3 with her extended family.

At the end of the episode, the two answer some listener requests and questions. They introduce the T124A matriline and answer a listener question of have we ever seen

any superpods. The definition of a superpod is when all three pods of the Southern Resident Community gather together. Every member of every matriline of every pod in the same area. The term often gets used to describe large gatherings or when most of the community is together but a true superpod is when every single whale in the SRKW community has come together.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.

Photos from this episode:

Humpback on the Silver Bank, 2024. Photo by Jeff Friedman

Steller sea lion hunt. Photo by Sara Shimazu

L77 with new calf L124 in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Superpod in 2019. Photo by Sara Shimazu

Superpod in 2019. Photo by Jeff Friedman

On Episode 25 of After the Breach Podcast, co-hosts Jeff and Sara welcome back their friend and colleague, Gary Sutton. Aside from being a captain in the Salish Sea he has also been working with OceanWise as a researcher and he joins in to talk about the research he’s a part of and some exciting upcoming projects.

Before they get into that the three discuss the Northern Resident killer whales, which are a salmon-eating population similar to the Southern Resident killer whales that are a frequent topic of conversation. This population spends most of their time in the waters off northern Vancouver Island and along the central coast of British Columbia and even up into Alaska. While they are not infrequent visitors to the most northern reaches of the Salish Sea, the past few weeks have found three matrilines of Northern Resident killer whales visiting the waters of Howe Sound, where Jeff, Sara, and Gary all got to see them.

Gary shares some interesting foraging observations about his visit with the A23s, A25s, and A42s, while Jeff and Sara talk about their impromptu visit with them. For Jeff this was a reconnection with a whale that changed his life and for Sara this was her first visit with this ecotype.

If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please share this with your friends, follow/subscribe, and leave us feedback/reviews! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.

Links from this episode:

• Ocean Wise Research on Instagram
• Gary Sutton on Instagram
• Orcalab

Photos from this episode:

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Sara Shimazu

Northern Resident killer whale, A61 "Surge," photo by Jeff Friedman

Northern Resident killer whales in Howe Sound, photo by Jeff Friedman