After the Breach Podcast

Bigg’s killer whales are a thriving population we see often in the inland waters of Washington state and British Columbia. In this episode we take a closer look into what we are learning about their fascinating culture and social dynamics. Joining us is return guest, Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of Orca Behavior Institute.
We discuss and highlight the differences between the two populations of orcas we see in the Salish Sea, the endangered fish-eating Southern Resident killer whales and the growing population of marine mammal-eating Bigg’s killer whales. We discuss the primary cultural difference in their prey and also discuss at length the differences in how they socialize, family structure, vocalizations, and social dynamics. 
We also discuss changes in each population’s presence in the inland waters over the last decade and how Bigg’s killer whales used to have a peak in their occurrence here but are now somewhere in the Salish Sea almost every day, often in multiple groups. We also talk about how their original names, Resident and Transient orcas, are no longer appropriate names. Fish-eating and mammal-eating is the ultimate description.
We talk about how we are now learning the culture of Bigg’s killer whales because of the increased frequency of sightings. We have far less history spending time with Biggs than the 40 years of observation of fish-eating orcas.  We discuss the interesting aspects of what we are learning.
We also get into threats to the Bigg’s population, specifically proposed pinniped culls. We talk about how regional wide culls could impede the Bigg’s population, whereas targeted culls in very local areas may be less harmful. 
We conclude this episode discussing recent sightings with the T37As, T2Cs, and T69s.
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
For complete show notes, links and photos, please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/episode-6-biggs-killer-whales/
 
Photos mentioned in this episode:
T37As hunting along Protection Island. Photo by Sara Shimazu
 
T49A1 during a family reunion. Photo by Jeff Friedman
 
T2Cs. Photo by Sara Shimazu

The 2013 documentary Blackfish exposes the distress of killer whales kept in captivity and contrasts their lives with those of the wild orcas we see here in the Pacific Northwest. Joining us this week to talk about his involvement in the film is Dr Jeff Ventre, one of the former SeaWorld trainers featured Blackfish. 
We discuss the origins of Jeff’s involvement that can be traced back almost 15 years prior to the release of Blackfish, to 1995 while he was a senior trainer at SeaWorld, when he visited the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island. There he began his friendships with Astrid van Ginneken, Dave Ellifrit and Ken Balcomb learning about the lives of wild killer whales versus captive orcas.
After trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by captive orca Tilikum in 2010, Jeff was interviewed by CNN and others, further drawing him into opportunities to expose the dangers of orca captivity.
In our conversation, Jeff mentions the Outside Magazine feature article “The Killer in the Pool,” by Tim Zimmermann. Filmmaker Gabriela Coperthwaite read the article, which drew her into the story, and inspired her 2013 documentary. This also inspired “Superpod” gatherings of activists, authors, filmmakers and others on San Juan Island starting in 2011, where many of the interviews in the film were conducted.
Jeff speaks about the release of the film and how they thought getting into the Sundance Film Festival would be the pinnacle, not knowing the film was about to be purchased by CNN and Magnolia. Jeff discusses what it was like to participate in the global release of the film and how it became a rallying cry for the animal justice movement and a model for other documentaries.
Jeff also speaks with us about his most memorable experiences seeing iconic Southern Resident killer whales J1, “Ruffles,” and J2, “Granny.” These experiences radically altered his perspective and forever changed him. He took these experiences with him all the way forward to his participation in the film Blackfish.
In the second half of this episode, captains, professional guides and podcast co-hosts Jeff and Sara discuss the latest whale sightings around the San Juan Islands from running tours with Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching. We describe the scene with T65A3 and T49A2, recently referred to as “The Butcher Boys,” hunting in Active Pass amid ferry traffic. We also talk about a very rare visit from Bigg’s killer whale T72, a first-time sighting for us. He has a distinctive curl at the top of his dorsal fin and spends most of his time in northern BC and Southeast Alaska. He came down to our area accompanied by the T34s and T37s, familiar whales in this region, who also spend time up in Southeast Alaska. We also discuss recent sightings of Southern Resident killer whales and a new calf in K pod. 
If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Please send us feedback or questions at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com.
For complete show notes, links and photos, please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/blackfish/
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Jeff Ventre on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffrey_ventre
Blackfish Official Website: https://www.blackfishmovie.com/
Watch Blackfish on Amazon
Analysis of Captive Orca Kasatka attacking Trainer Ken Peters: https://youtu.be/X03UrpOsvk8
CBS morning show interview with Jeff Ventre, Former SeaWorld trainer: Details of co-worker's death "horrific": https://youtu.be/hveQ3VRIlGQ 
"The Killer in the Pool",  by Time Zimmermann, Outside Magazine: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/killer-pool/
Dorsal Fin Collapse in Captive Killer Whales Explained: https://youtu.be/awpAiyfTecg
Death at Seaworld, by David Kirby: https://www.amazon.com/Death-SeaWorld-Killer-Whales-Captivity/dp/1250031257
Photo-identification Catalogue, Population Status, and Distribution of Bigg’s Killer Whales known from Coastal Waters of British Columbia, Canada
Photos mentioned in this episode:
Jeff Ventre's Tilikum Bike
 
Jeff Ventre's Tilikum Bike
 
Bigg's killer whale T72. Photo by Sara Shimazu
 
Bigg's killer whale T72. Photo by Sara Shimazu

The return of humpback whales to the Salish Sea after an absence of almost 100 years is absolutely incredible. It is a story we love to share when we are out on the water on our whale watching tours. In this episode we talk in detail about the amazing humpback comeback with our guest, Tasli Shaw, co-founder and project lead of the Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea. Tasli is also a captain and professional guide with Ocean Ecoventures in Cowichan Bay, BC. 
We discuss the history of humpback whale presence in the Salish Sea and how they were extirpated in this region from commercial whaling by the early 1900’s. They were absent for nearly 100 years. They've since come back to the area in dramatic numbers, with the 2022 Humpbacks of the Salish Sea ID catalogue including 801 humpback whales. The regional humpback comeback began in the late 1990's with the iconic humpback whale "Big Mama", who brought her 7th calf back to the Salish Sea this spring.  We discuss the humpback comeback at length, including Tasli’s dedicated work on the 2022 regional ID catalogue.
We always ask all of our guests to share some memorable encounters and Tasli had an encounter with a humpback whale named “Windy” in 2014 that sounds like a once in a lifetime experience. She was able to get an incredible photo of Windy's eye (see photo below)! This turned to a discussion about how on rare occasions, humpback whales can become curious and approach vessels. We clearly noted this is a rare occurrence for us to experience and it is always initiated by the whale and never the whale watchers. 
We also talk a bit about the humpback whale "Flint", who has been documented in breeding grounds in Hawaii and Mexico in the same year! 
We think it is important to add information about the threats humpbacks face as their numbers continue to increase, including entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. If you encounter an entangled whale please contact the Marine Mammal Stranding Network 1-866-767-6114 or the BC Marine Mammal Incident Response Network at 1-800-465-4336.
We then discuss a question sent in from one of our listeners asking about interactions between humpbacks and killer whales. We tell a few stories about these interesting interactions and how humpbacks seem to try to intervene when killer whales are hunting other marine mammals.
We conclude the episode discussing recent sightings. We have an update on the ongoing saga of young Bigg's killer whale T34A1, who we've been discussing on our last few episodes. Last episode she was traveling with a related orca, T37A1. We also talk about the new calf in the Bigg's killer whale family, the T36As!
Our next episode will drop on July 18th. Please send us feedback or questions! We might read them on the next episode. Email us at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com or message us on Instagram. If you are enjoying listening to our podcast, please follow/subscribe, leave us feedback/reviews and share with your friends! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.
 
For complete show notes please visit our website: https://www.afterthebreachpodcast.com/e/episode-4-the-humpback-comeback-in-the-salish-sea/
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Ocean Ecoventures
Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea (including the 2022 ID catalog)
Check out Tasli's amazing art!
Video of humpback whales in the Salish Sea
Entangled orca off Oregon coast
 
Photos mentioned in this episode:
Humpback whale "Windy" Photo by Tasli Shaw
 
Humpback whale "Flint" Photo by Tasli Shaw
 
Humpback whale "Flint" Photo by Gary Sutton
 
New Bigg's killer whale calf (likely to T36A1). Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu
 
Two Bigg's killer whale calves in the T36As Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu
 
T37A with T37A5 and T34A1 Photo by Sara Hysong-Shimazu
 
Bigg's killer whales traveling down Saanich Inlet Photo by Jeff Friedman

Joining us as our guest this week is professional guide and captain Daven Hafey to discuss his new documentary film project Salmnesia. Daven has extensive field experience in wild places all over the planet including the Arctic, Alaska, Antarctica, and the San Juan Islands in Washington state.
We ask all our guests about memorable wildlife and whale encounters and Daven’s are well worth listening to. He spoke in detail about two amazing encounters in Antarctica that are so compelling. The first was seeing hundreds of whales feeding around an iceberg and the second was with a large, curious group of Antarctic small type B killer whales (Gerlache orcas).
The discussion includes details about the different types of Antarctic killer whales. Just like the orcas we encounter here in the San Juan Islands, there are distinct populations of killer whales in Antarctica. Type B2 killer whales (Gerlache orcas) frequently hunt penguins. Type B1 orcas are seen hunting seals and creating pressure waves to knock them off the ice flows. Type A killer whales target other species of whales. Type C killer whales live on the opposite side of Antarctica from the other and they are seen mostly hunting different species of fish. Finally, Type D orcas are very rarely documented and have been seen in open ocean.
After hearing about Daven’s encounters in Antarctica we discuss his documentary film project, Salmnesia. The concept of the documentary is based on the idea of generational amnesia -- how each generation assumes the conditions in which they are born into are normal. Because of generational amnesia, there is no reason to truly understand what once was, and this is very true today with the massive declines of west coast wild salmon. Salmnesia takes a unique approach with the belief that to know where we want to go, we must first remember what we’ve forgotten. The project is just getting off the ground and we talked about ways people can get involved and provide support.
We then turned the conversation to our latest sightings around Washington state in the San Juan Islands and around the Salish Sea. It has been an amazing spring. We’ve been seeing T63, “Chainsaw,” in June, experienced Bigg’s killer whales in unique, beautiful places, enjoyed the annual return of our famous Humpback Big Mama with her latest calf (number 7!), and a late May visit from J pod. We also talk about the saga of T65A5 leaving his mom and siblings to check out a lagoon in Port Angeles harbor.
Our next episode will drop on July 4th. If you would like to submit feedback or questions for us, we might read them on the next episode. Email us at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com or message us on Instagram. And please leave us comments, subscribe to our podcast, and share it with your friends!
 
Links Mentioned in this episode:
Salmnesia
Website 
Facebook 
GoFundMe
Elwha River & Dam Removal
Return of the River - A film about the largest dam removal project in the history of the United States, and the extraordinary effort to restore an eco-system and set a river free. 
Penguin Being Chased by Killer Whales Hops on Tourist Boat
 
Photos mentioned in this episode:
 
Daven's encounter with Gerlache killer whales. Do you see the brim of Daven's hat?
 
 
Bigg's killer whale T100F open mouth spyhop. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
 
Bigg's killer whale T63, "Chainsaw." Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching
 
 
Bigg's killer whales in Gerorgeson Pass, BC. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
 
J pod on the west side of San Juan Island. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu
 
 
2022 calf of Big Mama. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 

Joining us as our guest this week is Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of Orca Behavior Institute. In addition to talking with Monika about OBI's field research, we spoke about the two different ecotypes of killer whales we see in the waters around the San Juan Islands, the endangered fish-eating Southern Residents and the thriving marine mammal eating Bigg’s (formerly known as Transients). We discussed the changing trends in sightings of each population in the area and what is driving these changes. 
Monika also shared some information about OBI’s new study about killer whales and vessels in the Salish Sea, offering a new perspective on factors influencing incident rates. 
As we do on each episode we got into recent whale sightings around the San Juan Islands, including the fascinating, ongoing saga of young Bigg’s killer whale T34A1 switching families. 
Our next episode will drop on May 30th. If you would like to submit feedback or questions to us we might read a few submissions on the next episode. Email us at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com or message us on Instagram.
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Orca Behavior Institute
Website
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
SoundCloud
Souhaut, Marie, and Monika W. Shields. 2021. “Stereotyped whistles in Southern Resident killer whales.” PeerJ 9:e12085
Killer whales and vessels in the Salish Sea: A new perspective on factors influencing incident rates
Photos mentioned in this episode:
Average days per month SRKWs and Bigg's killer whales are in the Salish Sea. Data compiled by the Orca Behavior Institute.
 
T34 matriline
 
T34A1 last sighting with family, August 22, 2021. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
T34A1 with T36 and T36Bs, September 2021. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
 
SRKW J41 as a calf 2005. Photo by Monika Wieland Shields.
 
SRKW J53 as a calf 2015. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
New SRKW calf J59, 2022. Photo by Sara Hysong Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.

We kicked off our first episode with an introduction to your hosts, Jeff and Sara, and the origins of “After the Breach.” We caught up with early 2022 encounters, beginning with Sara’s amazing experience with Risso’s dolphins, which are very rare in the inland waters of the Salish Sea. We discussed recent encounters with Bigg’s killer whales, Southern Resident killer whales and humpbacks. We also described some of our all-time most memorable encounters and what we are looking forward to this season.
Our next episode will drop on May 13th and will include guest Monika Weiland Shields, founder and director of Orca Behavior Institute.
If you’d like to submit questions to hosts Jeff and Sara and/or our guest Monika for episode 2, you can email us at afterthebreachpodcast@gmail.com or message us on Instagram.
 
Links mentioned in this episode:
Read more about Sara's amazing encounter with Risso's dolphins from her blog post.
70+ Bigg's Killer Whales Seen in Salish Sea Thursday, New Single-Day Record
Naturalist, whale-watching guides astounded by humpback whale chasing after orcas in Salish Sea
 
Photos mentioned in this episode:
 
Risso's dolphins, rarely seen in the Salish Sea. Photo by Sara Shimazu, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
Sperm whale encounter from 2018. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
Humpback whale "Valiant" with Bigg's killer whales. Photo by Ellie Sawyer, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.
 
Bigg's killer whale T65B in 2019 throwing a Steller sealion pelt. Photo by Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching.