J34 DoubleStuf

J34, known as “DoubleStuf”, was born in 1998 to his mother, J22, Oreo. His brother, J38, or Cookie, was born six years later, and the two brothers were constant companions. They were often observed traveling together, fishing, breaching, and at play. In 2016, DoubleStuf was a fully mature 18-year-old and just about to enter his prime breeding years. However, in December of that year he was found floating near Sechelt, the victim of blunt-force trauma, and his body was towed to the beach by coast guard and Sechelt band members; a necropsy revealed the cause of death to most likely have been from a ship strike. It was a tragic loss for the whale population, to lose a male who had the potential to father many offspring. The increased shipping coming through our coastal waters only makes these types of collisions more likely.

Citizen Scientist:  Annie Smith