DFO searching for injured whale struck by B.C. Ferries vessel in Howe Sound
Marine conservation officers are searching for an injured humpback whale that passengers aboard a B.C. Ferries vessel say they felt being struck on Sunday.
People travelling on the ferry say they felt the strike and saw the whale in distress
Alanna Kelly · CBC News
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Marine conservation officers are searching for an injured humpback whale that was struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel in Howe Sound on Sunday.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said the collision involving the Queen of Surrey vessel happened between Grace Point and Keats Island.
It said two humpbacks were observed in close proximity to the ferry at the time and one was struck.
Passengers aboard the ferry, which was sailing from Langdale on the Sunshine Coast to Horseshoe Bay, said they felt the whale being struck and watched it in distress behind the vessel.
B.C. Ferries said it takes incidents like the whale strike on Sunday very seriously. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)
Aspen Wing was travelling with her son when she said they felt the collision at 1:33 p.m. PT.
She said a group of girls shouted that a whale had been nearby, and her son spotted the injured humpback off the stern of the vessel.
"A lot of people on the ferry were really distraught and upset by what they were witnessing," Wing said.
She recorded a video of the whale splashing in the water and said she watched the whale blow blood into the air.
Aspen Wing says she saw the whale blowing blood into the air after it was struck. (Aspen Wing)
"To watch that animal in obvious distress was really disheartening and upsetting for a lot of us, I'm still kind of sick to my stomach about seeing it," Wing said.
Crews searching for humpback whale
B.C. Ferries said in a statement that it is deeply concerned about the incident and potential impact on the whale.
"Based on initial reports, the whale surfaced directly in front of the vessel, leaving the crew with very little time to react," said spokesperson Kit Billings.
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Billings said the immediate focus has been on "responding to the incident, notifying the appropriate authorities and gathering accurate information about what happened, including the potential impact on the whale."
DFO said in a statement that B.C. Ferries is cooperating.
WATCH | What is B.C. Ferries doing to prevent whale strikes?:
What is B.C. Ferries doing to prevent whale strikes?
May 12|
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Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations state that any vessel operator that’s involved in contact with a whale must immediately notify DFO.
"DFO is reviewing the situation and will work to identify the whale and assess its condition," DFO said.
A crew from DFO is in Howe Sound on Monday trying to locate the whale.
Fatal whale strikes
Almost one year ago, on Oct. 23, 2025, a humpback whale was struck by a whale-watching company off Keats Island in Howe Sound, near Sunday's incident.
A few days later, a four-year-old humpback whale washed up dead in the same area.
A humpback whale was found dead and floating in the water off Keats Island on Oct. 26, 2025. (Alex Cole)
DFO identified the dead humpback whale found at Keats Island as BCY1464, also known as Wisp, and said there was an active investigation.
Whales have been hit in other coastal areas recently, too.
A humpback whale was struck by a Hullo Ferries vessel off Vancouver, a person driving a Sea-Doo struck a grey whale near English Bay, and a humpback whale was found dead after being reported hit by a B.C. Ferries vessel in Wright Sound.
"It's a busy wildlife corridor, and especially at this time of year, there have been times I've been on that ferry, and I've seen 11 humpbacks like on that one sailing," Wing said.
She feels the communication on Sunday could have been handled better.
"There was no announcement made on the ferry. There was no attempt to like … it didn't feel like there was a slowdown," Wing said. "It was disturbing."
Push for slower vessel speeds
Jackie Hildering with the Marine Education and Research Society said Howe Sound, where the strike happened Sunday, is well-known to be frequented by humpbacks from October to December.
"This has to be about prevention," Hindering said. "We want very much, [for] these tragedies to lead to positive change."
The society is pushing for vessels to be limited to slower speeds in whale habitats.
In June, the Northern Expedition route, where a humpback whale was fatally struck in Wright Sound, adopted a travel speed of 10 knots, down from the previous 18 knots.
Hildering said that speed could still cause a fatality, but is far less likely to.
The Queen of Surrey was travelling at 16 knots at the time of the strike Sunday, B.C. Ferries spokesperson Lilian Kim said in an email, and typically travels at between 19 to 19.5 knots in that area, depending on conditions.
Hildering said she's working to determine which whale was struck.
"It is extraordinarily unlikely that a humpback would have survived that," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
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