An ocean wildlife survey vessel operating off British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands last week was surprised and thrilled to spot a group of five blue whales.  The four adult whales and one calf were observed for hours, and a group of three blue whales was spotted again a few days later.  The sightings are the largest blue whale sightings in Canada in over fifty years, and they give researchers hope that the struggling species might be making a comeback. 

Blue whales are the largest animals in the world, and in fact, the largest animals to have ever existed.  It was once thought that there were about 300000 of them in the oceans, but their numbers rapidly dwindled to 10000 because of commercial whaling.  Protected since 1965, they've never experienced huge population resurgence, but perhaps this recent sighting is a herald of good news to come.

Read the full story in the Vancouver Sun.