The Dall's Porpoise

Often seen in Johnstone Strait off the west coast of British Columbia in the summer months, these porpoises seem to be shy and elusive creatures. This all changes when they detect a motorboat nearby. They love to bow ride, jumping in and out of the water, reaching speeds of 25 knots or close to 30mph. If the boat slows they seem to get bored and swim away. By having repeatedly observed them in this ritual, one can only come to the conclusion that they do this because it’s pure fun.

Dall’s porpoise, named after the American naturalist H.W. Dall, resembles the Orca but is much smaller, averaging 1.8 metres (6 feet) long and weighing in at about 180 kg (400 lbs). They live in the Pacific Ocean ranging from Baja California to Alaska, the Bearing Strait and off the coast of Japan. They eat small fish and cephalopods and have been known to prefer to eat at night.

Sexual maturity for the female is 7 years old and 8 years for the male and they have a gestation period of 10 – 12 months. With a normal life span reaching 15 years, many do not reach old age, as thousands are killed by Japanese whalers every year. The moratorium imposed in the mid 1980’s on the whaling industry, did not do this cetacean any favors. Instead it increased the number harpooned, most probably due to the fact that whales were now illegal to hunt. Fishing net entanglements are also a large problem for the porpoise. It’s a wonder it’s not yet on any endangered species list.