Dear friends and colleagues, My co-authors and I are thrilled to announce that our new publication titled: McInnes, J.D., Mathieson, C.R., West-Stap, P.J., Marcos, S.L., Wade, V.L., Jeffrey E. Moore, Sarah L. Mesnick, and Lawrence M. Dill (2023). I dentification catalog and field guide for transient (Bigg’s) killer whales of Monterey Bay and California waters. NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center. This publication, in conjunction with our 2021 published technical memorandum, Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon: a Catalog of Photo-identified Individuals, provides additional user friendly natural history information on transient killer whales off the California coast. Our research on transient killer whales in the California Current Ecosystem is co-managed by NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Oceanic Ecology Research Group<https://www.facebook.com/OceanicEcology?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R>, and Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies. Summary: There is nothing quite like staring out at the open Pacific and seeing a group of killer whales (Orcinus orca). Whether from a local whale watch tour out of Monterey Bay or from the cliff tops overlooking the open ocean off Point Lobos, killer whales are keenly sought by naturalists and visitors alike. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and surrounding waters of the California Current ecosystem are home to three ecotypes, or forms, of killer whale. One may encounter endangered southern residents following seasonally abundant Chinook salmon, glimpse a group of rarely sighted offshores hunting deep-water sharks, or witness the dramatic hunt of a group of transient killer whales trying to separate a gray whale calf from its mother! Transient (Bigg’s) killer whales are marine mammal-hunting specialists, and by far the most commonly encountered ecotype of killer whale in Monterey Bay. However, current information regarding their ecology in waters south of the Pacific Northwest is scattered and varied. Most of it can only be found in unpublished reports or conference abstracts. This publication, in conjunction with our 2021 published technical memorandum, Transient Killer Whales of Central and Northern California and Oregon: a Catalog of Photo-identified Individuals, focuses specifically on transient killer whales identified in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). For a comprehensive catalog of transient killer whales that use the waters of the outer coast of California and Oregon, see our recently published technical memorandum.
From May 2006 to April 2020 Marine Life Studies and the Transient Killer Whale Research Project have collected data and photographs of killer whales in Monterey Bay and the surrounding waters of California. Here we provide information on our research findings, natural history, and a compilation of 134 different individual transient killer whales photographed during our surveys.
This publication was a result of numerous individuals from multiple organizations. I want to thank the Marine Mammal Research Unit UBC (MMRU)<https://www.facebook.com/ubcmarinemammal?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R>, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries<https://www.facebook.com/ubcoceans?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R>, NOAA Fisheries West Coast<https://www.facebook.com/NOAAFisheriesWestCoast?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R>, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center<https://www.facebook.com/NOAA-Southwest-Fisheries-Science-Center-254118598039445/?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=kK-R>, Monterey Bay Marine Life Studies<https://www.facebook.com/MontereyBayMarineLifeStudies?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R>, Noaa's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary<https://www.facebook.com/Noaas-Monterey-Bay-National-Marine-Sanctuary-123365104812172/?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=kK-R>, Discovery Whale Watch<https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveryWhaleWatch?__cft__[0]=AZXcDiqpRhW5RI_Ce9QxxTzlq5gIaIypK_PIjKoO9K_hOqQhJopTUY4aRF9N5rC2zIyGskhh7aZochIX05VcU-rclr2Pc0RVv2_EepOkW5aiGSCXCv4iae3o82rWAUP9RWvKziP44ohY2AiZBz3pjR6rPX96rokb9a44DV4ErX-JFw&__tn__=-]K-R> Link to the publication https://drive.google.com/.../1wxRnUD9rNsyvrwWGJyR.../view...<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wxRnUD9rNsyvrwWGJyR5_8HXjQBPqUL7/view?usp=share_link&fbclid=IwAR3JeRUKw6XdDJlc7U_weMYJruc8wdfywPZaE-gudjxyz-uMTjOKc6sGCQE> Please feel free to email me with any questions you have. Josh D. McInnes, MSc Candidate, j.mcinnes@oceans.ubc.ca Marine Mammal Research Unit Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4 Josh D. McInnes, MSc Candidate Marine Mammal Research Unit Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Aquatic Ecosystem Research Laboratory University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4 Research Associate | Pacific Wildlife Foundation Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada, V3H 1V6 Centre for Wildlife Ecology Department of Biological Sciences 8888 University Drive Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC