mers marine education research society whale domino lunge feeding seagulls above

Domino (BCY0633) lunge-feeding ©MERS, MML-42

Sponsor A Whale

Help support our work on BC's coast

The Whales

Support the Marine Education and Research Society by sponsoring a Humpback Whale! All proceeds go directly toward MERS research, education, and response efforts.

Sponsor a Whale
  • mers marine education research society whale mouth open feeding birds in background

    Twister

    Twister has been documented near NE Vancouver Island every year since 2008. He was nicknamed for a swirl on his tail; Ironically, he got twisted in prawn traps twice in 2009. Luckily, the entanglements were reported and he was rescued by those with disentanglement training.

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  • argonaut breaching with mountains in the background

    Argonaut

    Argonaut has remarkable site fidelity. Each year since 2009, he has returned to the same area near NE Vancouver Island and is there with such predictability. His name references the myth of “Jason and the Argonauts”. Our research shows he’s survived at least 2 entanglements.

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  • Mers marine education research society moonstar at northwest end of plumbers

    Moonstar

    Moonstar has come to NE Vancouver Island to feed every year since 2008. That’s when he was a first-year calf with his mom, Slash (BCY0177). In 2011, he was one of the first two whales we saw using a feeding strategy that had never been documented before – “trap-feeding”.

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  • kc breaching with trees in background

    KC

    KC was born in 2002 to Houdini (BCX0022). As a first year calf, he learned to feed with her near NE Vancouver Island. We would often see him playing in kelp and KC is short for “Kelp Creature”. KC has survived at least 1 vessel strike and 2 entanglements.

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  • mers marine education research society whale nick above water trees and house in background

    Nick

    Nick is a super mom. She has had at least 5 calves since 2008. She was one of the first Humpbacks we regularly saw near NE Vancouver Island. Sightings go back to 2002 when already an adult. Now she often feeds near Campbell River. Nick is a survivor of being hit by a boat.

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  • conger feeding

    Conger

    Conger is a bit of a movie star as a result of Planet Earth III. He has educated many humans about the importance of whales. We have documented Conger every year since 2009 and he is the 1st whale we observed “trap-feeding”. Conger’s name is for an eel-like shape on his tail.

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Our Whale Sponsorship Packages

With a minimum donation of $60, choose from one of the whales above and receive or gift:

  • A card featuring a photograph of your sponsored whale
  • A durable (Greenguard certified) sticker of your sponsored whale’s tail (approx. 5.5″ wide)
  • 1-year online access to your sponsored whale’s biography, photos, and updates, and more exclusive content
mers marine education research society whale argonaut tail lobbing

Argonaut (BCY0729) tail-lobbing ©MERS, MML-57

Online Humpback Sponsorship

Don’t need a sticker and card with your sponsorship?
With a minimum donation of $50, you receive 1-year of online access to your whale’s biography, photos, updates, and more.

mers marine education research society whales nick and stripe

Nick (BCX0565) with Stripe (BCZ0004) ©MERS, MML-42