Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sam6140 on July 13, 2014, 03:59:03 PM

Title: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Sam6140 on July 13, 2014, 03:59:03 PM

Yesterday evening, I was sitting shotgun going over the Golden Ears Bridge.  Looking at the river in the near distance, just west of the bridge, I saw something dark surfacing in the river and moving around, and then it blew water up into the air like a whale!  At first I
thought it was a large seal, but then it blew water.  Do whales ever come that far up the river?  If not a whale, what the heck was it? 

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Golfer on July 13, 2014, 04:00:23 PM

 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species-especes/harbourporpoise-pac-marsouin-eng.htm

Here is a possibility

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Sam6140 on July 13, 2014, 05:20:34 PM

Thanks, I read that link and some stuff about them on wiki.  I think you're right, was probably a harbor porpoise.

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Alomar on July 13, 2014, 07:53:05 PM

Sea lion

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Rantalot on July 13, 2014, 08:22:48 PM

Here is a story from 2007 http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=a5f95f0a-d296-4313-b8c4-56773266e6c3

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Archer on July 13, 2014, 08:49:04 PM

It was that 16 foot Sturgeon I have been looking for!  :P

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: barklee on July 14, 2014, 05:33:53 AM

Actually last month a few people down at New West Quay saw killer whales on the Fraser. So many different people this couldn't be coincedence, and now that you said you saw a whale.

One guy said that he saw it attack a seal and there are a lot of seal around that area chasing fish and slapping their flippers.

I don't know but maybe?

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: sg6804 on July 14, 2014, 09:48:23 AM

There were reports of a large seal lion in that area this spring feeding on Sturgeon , chances are that's what you saw ,hopefully he is now after salmon 

Pete

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Rantalot on July 14, 2014, 12:42:11 PM

Sea lions have blow holes?

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: chronicfisher on July 14, 2014, 04:15:24 PM

Quote from: Rantalot on July 14, 2014, 12:42:11 PM

Sea lions have blow holes?

Yep but theirs is located behind the hip.

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Damien on July 14, 2014, 04:15:54 PM

Yes, between their legs.

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Sam6140 on July 14, 2014, 04:16:37 PM

Blow hole, people.  Therefore not a sea lion.  And i wouldn't be surprised if it was a killer whale, due to size and the amount of water it blew and how high the blown water went.  It looked black from the distance I saw it at.  Well part of it was black at least...like the back of a killer whale.

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: Sam6140 on July 14, 2014, 04:23:19 PM

Seeing some refresher videos on killer whales in the water...that looks like what I saw.  It's large black back...blow hole..etc.  And I read they prefer Chinook Salmon over others, and are probably following and chasing after them in the river.

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: MetalAndFeathers on July 14, 2014, 04:29:52 PM

Email the vancouver aquarium about you`re sighting.I reported a sighting of them in the howe sound last year and they told me about other sighhtings that ocurred the day before.Maybe there has been other sighting we are unaware of.

MandF

Title: Re: Whales in the Fraser River?
Post by: SkagitDreamer on July 14, 2014, 04:40:11 PM

http://www.sanjuanorcas.com/orca-encounters-blog

On 7/2/14 some were seen heading for the Fraser... Scroll almost halfway down to see that specific note.
Crazy good sighting! What an amazing part of the world we live in.