The Alaska trio returned, Bella grounded and freed herself in Hood Canal, and J Pod showed up twice — one of the busiest weeks of the year so far.
J Pod
J Pod made two appearances this week. On March 18 they were active in Haro Strait, foraging and tail-slapping, then audible on the Lime Kiln and Andrews Bay hydrophones into the evening. They returned March 25–26, moving south through the San Juan Islands before continuing northwest past Gabriola Island in British Columbia.
March is a historically variable month for Southern Residents, though recent years like 2023 and 2025 have shown real mid-month J Pod activity, and this week fits that pattern.
T36s, T36Bs, T99s, T65As, T137s, T46s, T46B1s, T419, T420, T421
It was a full week across the region. The T36/T36Bs and T99s were the most consistent presence, ranging through Saratoga Passage and Puget Sound across multiple days, at times joining larger mixed groups that also included T65As and T137s. The T65As and T137s had their own active stretch March 20–21 in South Puget Sound. The T46s and T46B1s, including T46E Thor, made a notable run through Elliott Bay on March 18.
The T99s had a dramatic moment in Hood Canal on March 19 when matriarch T99 Bella grounded briefly at low tide before freeing herself. The week’s biggest story was the T419, T420, and T421 trio, apparently from Alaska and unfamiliar to local observers, who spent several days hunting through central and south Puget Sound, drawing large crowds along the Tacoma waterfront and into Commencement Bay.
The T419 trio had not left the region by the end of the reporting period, and with the T36/T36Bs and T99s still active in Puget Sound, this stretch of whale activity may not be finished yet.