New southern resident killer whale calf spotted in waters near B.C.

FRIDAY HARBOR — The endangered southern resident killer whale population has increased by one after a calf was spotted in waters near British Columbia.

The Center for Whale Research says in an email statement that the new calf was first spotted on Monday with its mother, designated J35 by researchers.

The centre’s researchers then spotted the mother and calf again on Tuesday and determined the “very young” whale is a male likely less than a week old.

The calf has been designated J65 and is J35’s sixth documented calf, her first being born in 2010.

The centre says J35 previously lost calves, and was seen carrying a dead calf for 17 days in 2018, while another calf born in 2024 did not survive.

Researchers say J65 shows no health issues and is “moving well, socializing, and nursing,” but only about half of all calves survive their first year.

Another southern resident, J31, was spotted with a dead calf earlier this month near Sombro Point on Vancouver Island.

The centre says that as of July, the population of Southern Residents was 76.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press