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The Whale Hotline: 1-800-562-8832
Have a sighting to report?
Call our toll-free number: 1-800-562-8832 or email: hotline@whalemuseum.org.
Please include date & time, location or GPS coordinates, and type of mammal with your message.
 VIEW THE WHALE HOTLINE
 The Whale Hotline public sighting network was initiated in the spring of 1976 as a means for members of the public to make collect calls to report orca sightings in Washington state to the Orca Survey. In 1977 the current toll free number was established (800-562-8832) and its focus was expanded to include reports of all species of cetaceans and marine mammal strandings in Washington state. During the winter of 1978 the phone line was moved to The Whale Museum. The Whale Hotline has been maintained for more than 30 years.
In 1985, The Whale Museum also initiated and maintained the B.C. Whale Hotline in conjunction with Canadian researchers based in Victoria. Then, in 1991, the Marine Mammal Research Group was able to secure Canadian resources to permanently maintain the B.C. Hotline (800-665-5939) on Vancouver Island. In addition, we receive information from the Sea Coast Expeditions' pager network, the Orca Network listserv, or directly from individual researchers and experienced observers. Funding for the Whale Hotline comes out of The Whale Museum's general operating budget and occasional contributions.
The Whale Museum's hotline receives 400 to 1000 public sighting calls each year. The Museum maintains the data archives of this unique long-term record and makes it available for numerous research, educational, and management projects throughout the region. In addition to building a valuable longitudinal database, the hotline has successfully allowed a large spectrum of the public to directly participate in the stewardship of local marine mammals.
You may also want to view a series of charts that show since 1978 when the Southern Resident orcas were seen in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands, and when they were seen in Puget Sound (south of the San Juans). Another chart shows the breakdown, since 1976, of the monthly arrivals and departures of each pod. The data was collected and compiled by The Whale Museum staff.
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