Humpbacks make a comeback in British Columbia
Whale numbers double at a feeding site in Canada
Humpback whales in a region of British Columbia doubled in number between 2004 and 2011, a study finds. The Gil Island waters, a labyrinth of fjords, has been proposed as critical habitat for the creatures and intersects shipping routes to ports slated for expansion.
Prior to a whaling ban in 1966, the North Pacific humpback population fell from an estimated 15,000 individuals to 1,400; a study published in 2011 suggests numbers have rebounded to 20,000.