Orca Spa Days, Jaws Birthdays & Canada Day, eh
Ocean stories that made a splash in June, 2025
June was “orca action month” in Washington, Oregon and BC but this June most of the orca news was swallowed by a great white shark. No, this wasn’t revenge on the two orcas snacking on Great Whites off the coast of Africa - but the 50th anniversary of the original summer blockbuster, Jaws, meant the world went sharky.
Mark talks Jaws
I did three interviews with CBC Radio about Jaws. My favourite was with the show in Kelowna ‘cause it was a little longer and weirder than the others - also the only one with an easy to share link if you’d like to check it out. Legacy of Jaws lives on, 50 years after its release - My interview with CBC Radio - Radio West on all things Jaws
Mark Brennae did a great interview with me for Capitol West… It's been 50 years: Are you ready to go back into the water? Victoria author-journalist Mark Leiren-Young remembers seeing Jaws as a kid in a movie theatre in Vancouver and being 'frigging terrified.' He wasn’t alone.
I did an epic interview with Ryan Price at CFAX radio that’s airing 5 pm on July 1 - Canada Day.
And I shared the Jaws chapter from Sharks Forever on my personal Substack.
And Skaana fave David Shiffman, author of Why Sharks Matter, talked all things Jaws on our latest episode.
And here’s a story by my old friend and Georgia Straight colleague, Steve Newton, about his interview with Jaws author, Peter Benchley. 20 minutes on the phone with Jaws author Peter Benchley
Orca spa days prove - yet again - that orcas are really smart… and know how to exfoliate
The big orca news for orca awareness month is the discovery that the southern resident orcas know how to turn kelp into “tools” to scrub each other’s skin.
This news started off a… lets’s go with wave… of stories about how this was proof that orcas can use tools - which conveniently ignored the way some communities of orcas create nets out of bubbles and others literally make waves to wash prey off icebergs, beaches our outcroppings onto land but that doesn’t make this discovery any less awesome.
Here’s a link to the actual study: Manufacture and use of allogrooming tools by wild killer whales
And here are a few of the stories covering it…
Orcas use kelp tools to groom and bond off B.C.'s coast, study suggests - Times Colonist
Orcas groom each other with kelp tools, scientists believe - National Observer
And when they’re not kelping they’re dancing…
Why an orca near West Vancouver was seen 'moonwalking' - CBC
#TheMoment an orca 'moonwalked' off the coast of West Vancouver - CBC
And the scoop on their nocturnal missions
Where do orcas go at night? A new infrared camera in Washington can show you - King 5
And emissions…
Meet Eba, the whale-poop-sniffing dog - Times Colonist
And the Canadian government introduces new rules to protect orcas that they won’t bother to enforce…
Feds expand rules for southern resident killer whale protection in B.C. - CHEK NEWS
And sticking with smart whales
Are humpbacks talking to us?
Humpback Whales Are Blowing ‘Bubble Rings’ at Boats. Are They Trying to Communicate? - Scientific American
Meanwhile, the southern resident orcas haven’t been near their residence in months - so I guess they didn’t get the memo about humans celebrating them this month?
Endangered B.C. orcas' Salish Sea absence could be linked to 2021 heat dome - Oak Bay News
Habitat loss and over-exploitation are leading to a decline in salmon populations - The Conversation
Climate change and shrinking Arctic sea ice threaten bowhead whales - Monga Bay
