Your Quick History Lesson

A Little Background on the Orca in British Columbia.

Whales in general have been a resource for hundreds of years. In retrospect, only recently have whales actually been a protected species. The last harpoon fired at whales in B.C. waters was 1967 when the Western Whaling Company closed and Canada (and the US) did not officially ban commercial whaling until the season of 1972-73, the reason the Coal Harbour whaling station (a Vancouver Island landmark) closed--no whales.

As for Killer Whales, they were very rarely caught for anything other than aquaria. Very close to the Canadian border and Victoria, are the San Juan Islands in the United States. This particular area was among the most successful areas for the capture of Orcas for use in aquariums around the world. Now Killer Whales are under a moratorium forbidding their capture for aquaria and slaughter.

To this day Killer Whales number close to 250,000 in our oceans. A fantastic number, and hopefully a legacy we can nurture as a whole.

"Now that we have had a good show from the Orcas, shall we move on? There have been sightings of Gray Whales in the area. They are a ways away though, so keep your eye out for other wildlife. I am sure we will at least see some Sea Lions along the way!"

The skipper makes sure the Orcas are a safe distance away before he starts up the engines and the boat begins to move away. Off in the distance you see one of the male Orcas heading into the sun...

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