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A dead humpback whale has been spotted in the same area where a whale was struck by a B.C. Ferries vessel last week.
Ferry passengers felt a collision with a whale on Oct. 18 while travelling on the Queen of Surrey between Langdale Terminal on the Sunshine Coast and Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said the collision happened between Grace Point and Keats Island.
Aspen Wing and her son watched as a humpback whale blew blood into the air after being struck by a ferry leaving the Langdale terminal on the Sunshine Coast on Oct. 18, 2026. (Submitted by Aspen Wing)
A statement from B.C. Ferries said crew members spotted the dead whale on Monday and promptly reported it to DFO.
“This is a very sad development, particularly following the collision involving the Queen of Surrey on Oct. 18,” said Lillian Kim with B.C. Ferries.
A dead whale was found floating off Gambier Island, roughly 30 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. (Emily Ashton)
Jackie Hildering with the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) said the dead humpback whale was seen on Monday evening near the Grace Islands; it had external injuries and no tail.
A member of DFO’s marine mammal response team is working to confirm the dead whale’s identity to determine if it was the animal struck on Oct. 18.
B.C. Ferries said it doesn’t know if it is the same whale.
“We continue to co-operate fully with DFO and will provide whatever information we can to support their assessment,” Kim said.