Humpback calf seen with deep gash after reported ferry strike off Vancouver

By Canadian Press on October 21, 2025.

VANCOUVER — A group representing whale-watching operators has shared a photo of a young humpback with a deep gash in its back, which it says was likely inflicted by a ferry in waters off Vancouver last week.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association says the calf was spotted on Monday a few kilometres from the scene of Friday’s reported collision with a Hullo Ferries vessel.

A photograph shows a deep slice in the whale’s back at the base of the dorsal fin.

The association shared the photo on social media as well as a photo it says shows the same calf uninjured a few days before the reported ferry strike.

Hullo Ferries, which operates high-speed catamarans between Vancouver and Nanaimo, said over the weekend that one of its vessels likely struck a humpback whale near Vancouver in English Bay on Friday.

The whale watch association says the calf was seen on Monday swimming with its mother, known as Zig Zag, and is urging caution from boaters.

The Fisheries Department has said the ferry company is co-operating with its investigation.