Newest baby orca seen in B.C. waters given a name

A young southern resident killer whale spotted swimming in the waters off the west side of Vancouver Island now has a name.

A young southern resident killer whale spotted swimming off the west side of Vancouver Island now has a name.

The Center for Whale Research, based in Washington state, has dubbed the latest addition to the K-Pod as “K45” after staff spotted it in a tight group with other family members northeast of Race Rocks.

The centre said it received video and photographs of a possible new calf in April and June. Now a field biologist is among those who confirmed its presence, though the calf’s sex is not yet known.

The whale research centre said K45 is K-Pod’s first baby since 2011, when K27 gave birth to a calf called K44.

It says in a media release that K45’s mother was born in 1986 and has two siblings, K27 and K34.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association, which represents 29 whale-watching companies in B.C. and Washington state, said in January that 2021 was a record year for whale sightings in the Salish Sea.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2022.