DFO: Orca swam into and out of net pen at inactive salmon farm.
A killer whale entered an aquaculture site near Tofino earlier this year, swimming into Creative Salmon’s Baxter Islets facility on 18 February and leaving unharmed later the same day, according to a report by Ha-Shilth-Sa, citing confirmation from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
The incident occurred while the facility was in transition and not actively housing fish. Predator nets had been partially removed in preparation for receiving smolts in the spring.
“The orca was not in distress and was swimming freely,” said Tim Rundle, Managing Director of Creative Salmon, in a statement quoted by Ha-Shilth-Sa. “Given that the nets were loose and cut into sections, the orca had many routes to leave. The crew lowered the net near the orca, and it swam away and rejoined its nearby pod.”
DFO confirmed that no fish were being farmed at the time and no containment nets were present. “To release the animal, the other side of the net was lowered, and the killer whale swam out freely. The predator net has since been fully removed,” the department stated.
Creative Salmon reported the event to DFO and the Observe, Record, Report (ORR) line, and later engaged an external barge company to assist with the removal of remaining predator net sections.
Creative Salmon operates within the traditional territory of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation (TFN), with whom it signed a protocol agreement in 2014. However, TFN Chief Elmer Frank told Ha-Shilth-Sa the Nation was not informed of the February incident and called for clarity on the current state of the relationship between TFN and the company.
Orcas, or kakaw̓in in the Nuu-chah-nulth language, hold deep cultural significance for coastal First Nations. Tla-o-qui-aht elder Joe Martin noted that they are often associated with female ancestry and teachings shared between tribal groups.