Science Café: Return of Humpbacks to the Salish Sea

Starting about 10 years ago, increasing numbers of humpback whales have appeared in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and other parts of the Salish Sea. In many ways this has represented a return, as humpbacks were common through the early 1900s until a whaling operation specifically targeted them. In this presentation, Cascadia Research marine biologist Kiirsten Flynn covers research on these increasing numbers of humpbacks and discusses new technology helping us to study the population dynamics of these whales along the coast. Cascadia Research has been studying humpback whales along the US West Coast since 1986.