Overview

• Little Patch, a grey whale first identified in 1991, remains in Vancouver's busy waters, feeding close to shore and drawing crowds of observers.
• The whale's prolonged stay has sparked public interest in marine conservation and highlighted the dangers posed by ship strikes in high-traffic areas.
• Little Patch is part of a rare subgroup of grey whales known as 'sounders,' which deviate from typical migration routes to feed in local waters.
• A recent ship strike in San Francisco Bay that killed another sounder underscores the risks to whales in heavily trafficked regions.
• Observers are encouraged to report sightings via the WhaleReport app, which has issued over 75,000 alerts to mariners across the Pacific Northwest to help protect marine wildlife.