My Whale Report News – June 2024

YOUR SIGHTING REPORTS HAVE A BIG IMPACT!

Thank you for taking the time to report your sightings! Sighting reports from citizen scientists like yourself are critical for monitoring and protecting at-risk cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and sea turtles in our waters.

Frequently monitoring the distribution and abundance of cetaceans and sea turtles is key to understanding their population status and the threats they face. However, the vast and remote nature of our coastline can make frequent assessment of these populations via traditional scientific surveys challenging. As a solution, Ocean Wise stewards the Ocean Wise Sightings Network (OWSN), a diverse and dedicated network of coastal community members who
regularly report their sightings to WhaleReport in support of conservation-based research.

The OWSN database is the primary source of information on the occurrence of cetaceans in British Columbia. Since 1999, subsets of this database have supported hundreds of conservation-based research projects.