‘Beloved’ whale skips migration to get to WA early each year. It may be why he’s alive

Whale watchers look forward to one of their favorite whales arriving early in Washington each year — and the time has come.

The gray whale, who they lovingly call Little Patch for the small white patch on his left side, arrived in Puget Sound on Monday, Dec. 12, according to Orca Network.

“Little Patch, or ‘LP’ for short, was first ID’ed in April 1991 and has since become one of the most recognizable and beloved gray whales in the region,” officials with the Pacific Whale Watch Association wrote on Facebook.

Most “Sounder” whales, or North Puget Sound gray whales, show up in spring to feed on ghost shrimp, but not Little Patch. This is the third year in a row he’s arrived in December, skipping the annual migration south to breeding lagoons in Baja California, Mexico, the organization said.

His peculiar habit may be the reason he’s still alive today, experts said.

“The decision by Little Patch to do so during the ongoing Unusual Mortality Event (UME) no doubt has played a role in saving his life,” Orca Network wrote on Facebook.

The event started in 2019, and resulted in an increased number of gray whales getting stranded along the entire West Coast of North America, from Mexico to Alaska, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This year, there’s a newbie out there with him, Orca Network said. The whale, ID’ed as CRC 2440, doesn’t have a nickname yet. The whale first arrived in the Salish Sea off Victoria, British Columbia, in January and has stuck around since, Orca Network said.

The organizations ask boaters in the Salish Sea, the Whidbey Basin and northern waterways to be extra cautious and vigilant, since gray whales move slowly and lack dorsal fins, making them harder to see. They also dive deep and can “surface unexpectedly anywhere.”

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