Is Winter a Good Time for Whale Watching in Victoria?
Winter can be an excellent time for whale and wildlife watching in Victoria, offering a different perspective on the Salish
September 24, 2026
Authentically Canadian, Locally Owned, Family-Founded — Exploring with Purpose, Protecting for Tomorrow.
🏆 TripAdvisor Best of the Best 2026 — Named #2 Experience in Canada
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Conservation Initiatives at Eagle Wing Tours
We walk the talk!
At Eagle Wing Tours, we don’t just talk about conservation. We fuel it. Through our participation in 1% for the Planet (see below), our per guest Wildlife Fee (see below), and carbon offsets we’ve raised more than $1.80 million since 2011. These funds are dispersed to a broad range of conservation, education and research organizations who are working hard to restore and protect the wildlife of the Salish Sea and beyond.
Join us on one of our tours to learn more about the many conservation initiatives that you help us support! Give us a call or book online!
1% for the Planet
In 2011, we were Victoria’s first whale watching company to join 1% for the Planet. As a member, we donate 1% of our total annual revenue to non-profit groups dedicated to sustainability and environmental protection. (gross revenue)
Wildlife Fee
In 2013, we were the first whale watching company in Victoria to add a per guest wildlife fee to support conservation research in the region. The fee, currently $6, is donated directly to 15 organizations.
Where are the funds going?
This pie chart shows where the funds from all donations are going. For a complete list of the organizations we support, see below. Currently the combination of 1%FTP and the $6 wildlife fee support up to 25 organizations.
Our four pillars of conservation
Our mission is to protect marine wildlife and the ocean environment through four main areas: conservation, sustainability, research and education.
Conservation
We directly support conservation activities.
Sustainability
We promote environmental stewardship through industry-leading sustainability initiatives.
Research
We enable research partnerships and collect research data from our vessels.
Education
And we build awareness through award-winning education and outreach programs.
Your donations are helping us do all of these things!
Meet our conservation partners
Center for Whale Research
Since 1976, the Center for Whale Research (CWR) has been the leading authority on the Southern Resident killer whales, conducting the longest-running study of this endangered population in the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea. Through rigorous annual censuses, health assessments, and behavioral research, CWR has built an unparalleled dataset that informs science, conservation, and policy. Beyond research, the organization takes direct action—such as acquiring the Balcomb BIG SALMON Ranch to restore critical Chinook salmon habitat—and engages the public through outreach, education, and immersive experiences at their Friday Harbor center. Their mission is clear: to protect and restore a thriving ecosystem for the Southern Residents and generations to come.
Pacific Salmon Foundation
Wild Pacific salmon are food for resident killer whales! They’re a keystone species in BC, supporting ecosystems, coastal communities and cultures, and more than $1 billion in economic activity. The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of wild Pacific salmon and their natural habitats in BC and the Yukon. The foundation provides money to community groups that conserve and restore salmon streams across the province, manages watershed initiatives to connect multiple stakeholders, advances science to better understand the factors that limit salmon abundance, and works with government to prioritize salmon conservation in the province.
Wilderness International
Wilderness International is a non-profit foundation dedicated to protecting wilderness areas for future generations. Since it was created in 2008, it has purchased, registered and legally protected 4.5 million square metres of valuable and endangered rainforest in Canada and Peru. At Eagle Wing, we’ve been measuring our carbon footprint since 2009, reducing what we can and offsetting what we can’t. We invest in carbon offset projects with Wilderness International to purchase tracts of old-growth forest in the Toba Valley north of Vancouver. Eagle Wing has preserved 104,172/m of old growth forest: habitat for Salmon, Bears, Wiolves, Eagles and a variety of other animals and organisims.
Photo: Toba Valley / Reinhard Mink, Wilderness International
Wild 4 Whales Foundation
The Wild 4 Whales Foundation is a not-for-profit organization created by Eagle Wing Tours in 2016 to support research, advocacy and education on cetaceans and other marine wildlife in the Salish Sea and beyond.
Organizations and projects funded through the foundation to date – LEARN MORE
Conservation organizations we’re supporting
Here’s a round-up of all the organizations and projects we—and our tour guests—continue to support through 1% for the Planet and the Wildlife Fee.
- Bay Cetology – ongoing database on Bigg’s killer whales, live hydrophone system
- Center for Whale Research – ongoing wild killer whale research
- Cowichan Lake Salmonid Enhancement Society & Hatchery classroom salmon incubation program and general support
- Eagle Wing’s award-winning Exploring the Salish Sea floating classroom education program – creating a connection between youth and the Salish Sea
- Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association – classroom salmon incubation program and general support
- The Land Conservancy – local habitat protection
- Mark Leiren-Young – documentary on “Moby Doll” the killer whale
- Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) – “See a Blow Go Slow” campaign and general support
- 1% for the Planet – membership
- Pacific Salmon Foundation – chinook salmon enhancement projects
- Pacific Wild – Protect Pacific Herring campaign and advocacy for wild wolves
- Peninsula Streams Society – beach and salmon spawning habitat restoration projects
- Porpoise Conservation Society – regional and global porpoise conservation and research
- Race Rocks Ecological Reserve – upgrades to solar panels, generator batteries, desalination system
- Rocky Point Bird Observatory – educational programs
- SeaChange Marine Conservation Society: eelgrass and shoreline restoration projects
- Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea – salmon life cycle display
- Sierra Club – habitat preservation for salmon, bears, wolves, eagles and more
- South Vancouver Island Anglers’ Coalition – Sooke River chinook salmon enhancement project
- Synergy Foundation – sustainability monitoring
- Surfrider Foundation: beach clean-ups, outreach programs
- Wild 4 Whales Foundation – marine research and education initiatives
- Wilderness International – habitat preservation in the Toba Valley
- World Fisheries Trust – herring research and enhancement
What our conservation partners say about us…
Testimonials
“Currently, only 3% of total philanthropy goes to the environment and, only 5% of that comes from businesses. The planet needs bigger support than this, and our growing network of business members—including Eagle Wing Tours—is doing its valuable part to increase giving and support on-the-ground outcomes.”
“The premier study undertaken by the Center for Whale Research has always been benign photo-identification work to document the demographics and occupancy of all ecotypes of killer whales in the Salish Sea. The Pacific Whale Watch Association currently provides early contact information useful for this study and Eagle Wing Tours, in particular, provides this information for the Strait of Juan de Fuca.”
“We’re grateful for Eagle Wing Tour’s early and generous financial support of our recently concluded five-year Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, the largest international research project ever undertaken in the Salish Sea targeted at concerns about production of Pacific Salmon.”
“Pacific Wild is grateful for financial support from Eagle Wing Tours, a sustainable marine tourism company with a passion for conservation. Your donation toward the work to save the last viable Pacific herring population on BC’s coast is making a difference.”
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