{
  "id": 16977893,
  "title": "Dead whale with tail severed is spotted in Howe Sound near BC Ferries collision site",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/dead-whale-with-tail-severed-is-spotted-in-howe-sound-near-bc-ferries",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T23:46:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/2026/10/28/dead-whale-with-tail-severed-is-spotted-in-howe-sound-near-bc-ferries-collision-site"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Federal authorities have confirmed the discovery of a deceased humpback whale floating in Howe Sound, British Columbia, approximately a week following a BC Ferries ship collision in the same area.\n\nThe Fisheries Department Canada disclosed in a statement that two whales were observed in proximity to the ferry on October 18 as it navigated between Grace Point and Keats Island within Howe Sound. Regrettably, one of the whales was struck by the vessel after surfacing in front of it.\n\nThe agency subsequently received reports and photographs of a deceased whale near Grace Point on Monday, although they have not yet confirmed if the deceased animal is the same as the carcass initially spotted. Tasli Shaw, co-founder of Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, corroborated the news via photographs shared by a local resident.\n\nShaw clarified that researchers typically utilize tail flukes or dorsal fins to identify individual whales; however, in this instance, the whale's tail fluke was absent. Additionally, the dorsal fin was not visible in the provided photograph. Nonetheless, Shaw identified the humpback whale as Notcho, also designated as BCX1700, based on its distinctive right pectoral flipper.\n\nWhile the whale's age remains unknown, Shaw noted that Notcho had been spending summers in the Salish Sea since 2017 for foraging purposes. The Fisheries Department Canada is currently endeavoring to locate the deceased whale and is also coordinating efforts to determine its cause of death and collect supplementary data through a potential necropsy.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Humpback whale with severed tail spotted in Howe Sound",
    "Collision with BC Ferries ship occurred on October 18",
    "Whale identified as Notcho, previously sighted in Salish Sea"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Global News",
        "title": "Humpback whale ‘Notcho’ dies after being hit by BC Ferries vessel",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/humpback-whale-notcho-dies-after-being-hit-by-bc-ferries-vessel",
        "published": "2026-10-28T22:04:32.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}