Orcas seen near Blake Island waters

Orcas showed up off Blake Island, and the important detail is which orcas they were. This was not the endangered Southern Resident population people in Puget Sound worry about most. Local whale spotter Kersti Muul identified the group on January 9 as transient, or Bigg’s, killer whales moving north in central Puget Sound — specifically T036/T036Bs, T037/T037Bs, and T037As. That matters because the animals, the risks, and even some of the boating rules change depending on which population you’re looking at. ### Which whales were seen? The Blake Island sighting involved Bigg’s killer whales, the mammal-eating orcas that regularly move through Salish Sea waters hunting seals, sea lions, and sometimes porpoises. Muul’s ID matters because these family groups are tracked closely by dorsal fin shapes and saddle patches, so this was more than a vague “there are whales out there” alert. It was a recognizable set of whales traveling together. ### Why does “transient” matter so much? Because transient orcas and Southern Residents live very different lives. Southern Residents depend mainly on salmon, especially Chinook, and they’re federally endangered in the U.S. Bigg’s orcas eat marine mammals and have generally been doing better. So when a sighting happens, the conservation stakes are not identical even if the animals look similar from shore. ### What changed for boaters? Washington’s rules got much stricter starting January 1, 2025. Boaters now have to stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident killer whales, go under 7 knots within half a mile, and disengage engines if the whales come within 400 yards. Those rules were built to cut noise and disturbance for a population already in trouble. ### Are the Canadian rules changing too? Basically, yes. Canada announced in April 2026 that vessel management measures for Southern Resident killer whales would increase the approach distance to 1,000 metres, up from 400 metres, to better line up with Washington’s protections. Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s public guidance still notes the earlier 400-metre distance before June 1, 2026, which tells you this is a live transition, not old settled policy. ### So why is a B.C. boat video part of this story? Because the region is on edge about how vessels behave around whales. CTV showed social media video from May 9, 2026, that appeared to show a Prince of Whales vessel traveling beside orcas near the Gulf Islands, and DFO said it was assessing the footage. Even before any finding, the message is obvious — enforcement attention is rising as the rules tighten. ### Does that mean the Blake Island sighting was a problem? No clear sign of that. The Blake Island report was a sighting update, not an enforcement case. But the timing is what makes it feel bigger than a routine wildlife alert — whales are moving through busy inland waters right as both sides of the border are pushing tougher stand-off distances and closer scrutiny of boats. ### What’s the bottom line? The Blake Island orcas were a healthy reminder that Puget Sound is still very much whale habitat, not just ferry and pleasure-boat water. But the bigger story is behavioral — for boaters, the margin for “close enough” is shrinking fast, and regulators increasingly look ready to prove it.