Knight Inlet runs approximately 100 kilometers into the BC mainland and is located off the East Coast of Vancouver Island about 100 kilometers north of Campbell River. There are seven rivers running into Knight Inlet but only the Glendale River has a “man made” spawning channel which means many more salmon than some of the other rivers and therefore grizzly bears come from the surrounding area to feed on the Glendale at the base of the viewing stands we use. Even though there are lots of salmon the first step is to catch the salmon. These grizzly bears seem to have that part of their job completed. Photos byBruce & Carole Cripps 5-11
Sea Otter Sightings

The last 3 years we have been starting to view sea otters in our area more regularly. They are still often a distance away, but the sightings are increasing with some “rafts” of them developing in areas near the western portion of our whale watching trips. These animals were hunted heavily for their fur and were completely wiped out of British Columbia waters. Re-introduction occurred from Alaskan otters in the 1960’s. They have long been protected and their numbers have been steadily increasing along the exposed BC coast and are now moving back into inside waters. They are unique in that they don’t have the insulating blubber that other marine mammals use to keep warm. As a result they have dense (over 1 million hairs per square inch) fur and feed heavily. They are important in balancing the eco-system. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which eat a lot of kelp. Kelp is extremely important as it provides cover for juvenile fish and is where the herring spawn in the early spring. With the increase in these otters we are seeing a greater abundance and healthier kelp forests.
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