Unprecedented sightings of large humpback whale groups in Salish Sea

"Much has been made in the last few years of the 'Humpback Comeback' in the Salish Sea, the return of North Pacific humpback whales," Michael Harris, executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, wrote in a release. "Well, not only have they come back; they appear to be back with a vengeance."

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Over the last few weeks, PWWA crews have reported unprecedented sightings of large groups of humpback whales -- as many as 15 or 20 together -- off Victoria, BC and Port Angeles, Washington.

"It's humpback heaven out there right now," Harris wrote.

Capt. Shane Aggergaard, with the Port Angeles Whale Watch Company, said in his 20 years of running whale watch tours, he’s never seen anything like what’s occurring in Port Angeles.

Researchers believe there are now over 21,000 humpbacks in the eastern North Pacific. Officials with the Pacific Whale Watch Association say that’s up from about 1,600 when whale hunting was banned in 1966.

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