How a group of orcas were captured — and some freed — in B.C. waters over 50 years ago

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Dive into Whale Tale with CBC's Grant Lawrence: The existent communicative of the capture, flight and bequest of immoderate of the West Coast's astir singular orcas

Dive into Whale Tale with CBC's Grant Lawrence, a 10-part vigor series

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

A achromatic orca and a achromatic orca leap successful an aquarium tank.

March 1, 1970. It was a blustery, acold greeting disconnected the confederate extremity of Vancouver Island erstwhile 4 men connected a boating travel spotted thing antithetic successful the waves.

A white dorsal fin.

A achromatic orca.

Seeing the creatures is extremely rare; successful 2020, Stephanie Hayes, a marine biology PhD campaigner with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, told CBC News lone astir 10 achromatic orcas had been recorded successful history.

This achromatic orca and its pod, 4 achromatic and achromatic slayer whales, became known arsenic the Pedder Bay 5.

A achromatic and achromatic photograph of a achromatic orca and a achromatic orca beside a boat.

Enter Bob Wright. The 40-year-old master angler was besides the proprietor of Sealand of the Pacific, an aquarium successful Oak Bay, B.C., conscionable extracurricular Victoria connected Vancouver Island's confederate tip. The aquarium was a large portion of Wright's increasing waterfront empire astatine the Oak Bay Marina, astir a five kilometre thrust from downtown Victoria.

A brace of young whale trainers and budding conservationists happened to beryllium accompanying Wright that time successful 1970: 25-year-old Don White and 20-year-old Graham Ellis, who would spell connected to go 1 of the world's starring experts connected orcas.

A achromatic whale and a achromatic whale are pictured successful a achromatic and achromatic image.

The 3 men would soon find themselves connected other sides of the slayer whale seizure and captivity debate.

In his bid Whale Tale, CBC's Grant Lawrence shares the communicative of the Pedder Bay 5, however they were herded and captured, and however 2 of them were released — a enigma connected B.C.'s seashore that remains to this day.

An orca successful the aerial supra the h2o with the words 'Whale Tale with Grant Lawrence. The existent communicative of the capture, flight and bequest of immoderate of the West Coast's astir singular orcas.'

Listen to Whale Tale below:

North by Northwest11:03Whale Tale Chapter 1

Grant Lawrence launches his his caller play communicative series, Whale Tale. Over the adjacent respective weeks, he'll archer the communicative of a unsocial household of orcas successful Desolation Sound, and a dive into a enigma surrounding the pod that dates backmost implicit 50 years.

North by Northwest12:12Whale Tale Chapter 2

CBC's Grant Lawrence brings america the 2nd section of his caller bid Whale Tale, astir a peculiar household of orcas successful Desolation Sound, and a enigma surrounding them that goes backmost much than fractional a century.

North by Northwest13:26Whale Tale Chapter 3

CBC’s Grant Lawrence returns with the 3rd section of his caller bid Whale Tale. This week, helium takes america backmost to a peculiar evening, erstwhile whale hunters captured and intimately studied a radical of orcas.

North by Northwest13:00Whale Tale Chapter 4

CBC’s Grant Lawrence returns with the 4th section of his bid Whale Tale, telling the communicative of a achromatic whale tangled and drowning beneath the waves.

North by Northwest13:55Whale Tale Chapter 5

CBC's Grant Lawrence returns with the 5th section of his bid Whale Tale, taking america to the confederate extremity of Vancouver Island successful 1970.

North by Northwest14:10Whale Tale Chapter 6

Grant Lawrence returns with the sixth section of his bid Whale Tale, pursuing a unsocial household of West Coast orcas.

North by Northwest14:11Whale Tale Chapter 7

Grant Lawrence returns with the seventh section of his series, Whale Tale, pursuing a unsocial household of West Coast orcas.

North by Northwest15:15Whale Tale Chapter 8

Grant Lawrence returns with the eighth section of his series, Whale Tale, pursuing a unsocial household of West Coast orcas.

North by Northwest14:38Whale Tale Chapter 9

Grant Lawrence brings america the penultimate section of his series, Whale Tale, pursuing a unsocial household of West Coast orcas.

North by Northwest15:33Whale Tale Chapter 10

CBC's Grant Lawrence is backmost with the last section of his vigor bid Whale Tale.

With files from Grant Lawrence and Courtney Dickson

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