What are the predators of the dolphins?
• Transient killer whales and sharks both eat Pacific white-sided dolphins. • When dolphins first came back to B.C. waters, it took the killer whales a couple of years to figure out how to catch the fast-moving dolphins. Some killer whale pods drove groups of dolphins into small bays and killed them en masse but this behaviour is no longer as common, suggesting the dolphins have learned to avoid this trap! Have there always been Pacific white-sided dolphins in British Columbia? • Pacific white-sided dolphins are present in First Nations middens dating back 2,000 years, but they were rare in B.C. during the 19th and 20th centuries. • Starting in the 1980’s, Pacific white-sided dolphins started to become more abundant in inshore waters and inlets along the B.C. coast. It’s possible that their long absence was related to a change in ocean temperatures and a shift in their prey distribution. Are Pacific white-sided dolphins endangered? • In Canada, Pacific white-sided dolphins are listed a
