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Local Wildlife at Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria
Fisherman's Wharf in Victoria, BC, is a vibrant waterfront destination teeming with diverse wildlife.
Visitors often encounter harbor seals lounging near the docks, their curious eyes peeking above the water’s surface. River otters are also common sights, gracefully navigating the shoreline in search of fish and crustaceans. The surrounding waters are home to various jellyfish species, including the lion’s mane, egg yolk, and moon jellyfish, which drift elegantly with the currents. Additionally, small fish like sticklebacks and herring can be spotted darting beneath the surface, contributing to the area’s rich marine biodiversity
Bird enthusiasts will appreciate the proximity of Fisherman’s Wharf to the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a protected area supporting over 270 bird species. Here, one can observe Pacific great blue herons, gulls, and various migratory birds that frequent the region throughout the year . The sanctuary’s diverse habitats, including estuaries and mudflats, provide essential feeding and nesting grounds for these avian visitors. Whether you’re strolling along the docks or embarking on a wildlife tour, Fisherman’s Wharf offers a unique opportunity to experience the dynamic interplay of marine and bird life in a picturesque setting.
Harbour Seals
The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), or common seal, is a true ‘ear less’ seal found along temperate and Arctic coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are the most widely distributed of the pinniped family (walruses, eared seals, and true seals), they are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and Victoria, BC’s inner harbour at Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Harbour seals are brown, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils.
- An adult can attain a length of 1.85 meters (6.1 ft) and a mass of 132 kilograms (290 lb).
- Females outlive males (30–35 years versus 20–25 years).
- Harbour seals hang out in familiar resting spots or haul-out sites, generally rocky areas where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area.
- Females bear a single pup, which they care for alone.
- Pups are able to swim and dive within hours of birth, developing quickly on their mothers’ fat-rich milk.
- Blubber under their skins helps to maintain body temperature.
- Harbour seals are food for Transient Killer Whales (Orca or Bigg’s Killer Whales)
- We see these interesting ‘rock sausages’ on our whale watching & wild life tours regularly
River Otters
Otters are mammals of the weasel family. There are two distinct species of otters in BC: river otters (Lutra canadensis) and sea otters (Enhydra lutris).
- River otters are sleek, usually weigh no more than 14 kg, and have a tail that is about 2/3 the length of their body.
- They live in dens in riverbanks or shorelines and forage along the shore and in the water.
- They prey upon the most readily accessible species. Fish is a favored food among the otters, but they also consume various amphibians, turtles, and crayfish.
- The range of the North American river otter has been significantly reduced by habitat loss,
- River otters are very susceptible to environmental pollution, which is a likely factor in the continued decline of their numbers.
Lions mane jellyfish
The lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata), is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to the cold waters of the Arctic, north Atlantic, and north Pacific Oceans.
- The largest recorded example found, washed up on the shore of Massachusetts in 1870, had a body with a total diameter of 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) and tentacles over 120 feet (37 m) long.
- While the lion’s mane jellyfish generally use their stinging tentacles to prey, there is one dangerous variable that works against them. Sea anemones can capture their tentacles, which then become hopelessly tangled, torn apart and consumed.
- We typically see these jellyfish around Victoria and the Salish Sea mid August into late October.
Egg yolk jellyfish
Phacellophora camtschatica, known as the fried egg jellyfish or egg-yolk jellyfish, is a very large jellyfish, with a diameter up to 60 cm (2 ft) and sixteen clusters of tentacles, each up to 6 metres (20 ft) long. This cool-water species can be found in many parts of the world’s oceans.
- It feeds mostly on smaller jellyfish and zooplankton, which become ensnared in the tentacles
- The sting of this jellyfish is so weak, many small crustaceans, including larval crabs regularly ride on its top and even steal food from its arms and tentacles
- The life cycle of this jellyfish is well known. It alternates between a benthic stage that is attached to rocks and piers that reproduces asexually and the planktonic stage that reproduces sexually in the water column; there are both males and females in the plankton.
Moon jellyfish
Aurelia aurita (also called the moon jelly) is a widely studied species.
- The jellyfish is translucent & usually about 25–40 cm (10–16 in) in diameter, and can be recognized by its four horseshoe-shaped gonads, easily seen through the top of the bell.
- It feeds by collecting medusae, plankton, and mollusks with its tentacles, and bringing them into its body for digestion.
- It is capable of only limited motion, and drifts with the current, even when swimming.
Stickleback fish
The Gasterosteidae are a family of fish including the sticklebacks. Although some authorities give the common name of the family as “sticklebacks and tube-snouts”.
- An unusual feature of sticklebacks is that they have no scales, although some species have bony armour plates. They are related to pipefish and seahorses.
- Sticklebacks are most commonly found in the ocean, but some can be found in freshwater.
- The freshwater taxa were trapped in freshwater in Europe, Asia and North America after the ice age, and have evolved different features from the ocean variety.
- Sticklebacks are carnivorous, feeding on small animals such as insects, crustaceans and fish larvae.
- Sticklebacks are characterised by the presence of strong and clearly isolated spines in the dorsal fin.
- Their maximum length is about 4 inches, but few of them are more than 3 inches long.
- They mature sexually at a length of about 2 inches.
- The males construct a nest from vegetation held together by secretions from their kidneys. The males then attract females to the nest. The female will lay their eggs inside the nest where the male can fertilize them. The male then guards the eggs until they hatch.
Herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae. They often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast.
- The most abundant and commercially important species belong to the genus Clupea, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic
- Three species of Clupea are recognised, and provide about 90% of all herrings captured in fisheries. Most abundant of all is the Atlantic herring, providing over half of all herring capture.
- Herring played a pivotal role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe,
- These oily fish also have a long history as an important food fish, and are often salted, smoked, or pickled.
- We see them usually in late summer and early fall season around Victoria, BC. The humpback whales will feed on the Herring as they come into the Salish Sea off the waterfront.
Kelp Perch
‘Brachyistius frenatus, the Kelp perch, is a species of surfperch native to the eastern Pacific Ocean from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico where it is found in kelp forests down to a depth of about 30 metres (98 ft). This fish is also known to be a cleaner fish. This species can reach a length of 22 centimetres (8.7 in)
Sea Shiner Perch
The shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) is a common surf perch found in estuaries, lagoons, and coastal streams along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California. Female Shiner perches are deep-bodied with a dusky greenish back and silvery sides that have a pattern combining fine horizontal bars with three broad yellow vertical bars. Breeding males turn almost entirely black, the barred pattern being obscured by dark speckles. They are one of the most common fish in the bays and estuaries of their range, favoring beds of eelgrass, and often accumulating around piers as well. They feed on zooplankton such as copepods, but have been observed to bottom feed as well.
Salmon
Pacific Salmon may be Chinook, Chum, Coho, Sockeye, or Pink salmon. The Atlantic Salmon is not native to the west coast of North America, but it is commonly raised in aquaculture operations. Pacific Salmon are part of the genus Oncorhynchus, which includes also includes Cutthroat and Steelhead Trout; these species are often collectively called salmonids.
- The salmon is among the most revered of coastal animals, for its cultural and spiritual importance to First Nations, its world-famous tasty flesh, and its role in the historical economy of BC
- The most common salmon in our local waters are Chum and Coho.
- All Pacific salmon species are anadromous, meaning they spend most of their life in the ocean but migrate to fresh water to breed.
- They therefore interact with several different ecosystems, and play important roles in terrestrial, freshwater and marine food webs.
California Sea Lion
California sea lions are well known for their intelligence, playfulness, and dog-like barking. Their colour tends toward chocolate brown, although females are often a lighter golden brown. They have a dog-like face and at around five years old males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male’s head often gets lighter with age too.
These members of the Otariidae or “walking seal” family have external ear flaps and large flippers that they use to walk with on land. The foreflippers are long and paddle-like, more than a quarter of the length of the body. The surfaces of the foreflippers are naked and leathery, and claws are present but small. The hind flippers are also large. They differ from those of true seals (Phocids) in that they can be rotated under the animal when it is on land, partially supporting the body and walking with a swaying motion. Otariids also have a small but distinct tail.
Bald Eagle
The adult bald eagle is a striking dark brownish-black bird with a white head and tail. Juvenile birds are a mottled brown with white blotches. They do not obtain the full distinctive plumage of the adults until they are four or five years old. Bills, legs, and feet are a deep yellow. Bald eagles are not bald. They got the name from an old English word “balde” meaning white (white-headed).
- apex predators at the top of the bird food chain
- second in size only to California condors and about the same size as golden eagles
- wingspans range between 1.8 and 2.3 m (5.9 and 7.5 ft)
- body length varies between 70–102 centimeters (28–40 in)
- mass is usually between 3 and 6.3 kilograms (6.6 and 14 lb). Females are about 25 percent larger than males, averaging 5.8 kg (13 lb), and
- against the males’ average weight of 4.1 kg (9.0 lb)
- have lived up to 48 years in zoos, although their life span in the wild is likely an average of between 21 and 25 years
- they mate for life
- have incredibly acute eyesight – a 3 km (2 mile) visual radius
- the largest nest in the Pacific Northwest measured 5 m (15 ft) across by 7 m (21 ft) deep weighing approximately 1500 kgs (5000 lbs)
- recently removed from the endangered species list in the USA
Belted Kingfisher
The belted kingfisher is a striking, pigeon-sized bird about 13 inches (33 cm) long, easily recognized by its blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, shaggy crest, and dagger-like bill. Males sport a single blue-gray breast band, while females have an additional chestnut-colored belly band. They inhabit rivers, lakes, and coastal estuaries across North America, breeding from Alaska through southern Canada and into most of the United States. They nest in burrows—tunnels up to 8 feet long—dug into sandy or gravelly banks, where they lay 5–8 white eggs in an unlined chamber.
Known for their energetic behavior and loud, rattling calls, belted kingfishers are often seen perched near water, vigilantly scanning for fish. When prey is spotted, they launch into the air, hovering briefly before diving headfirst into the water to capture it. While fish is their primary food source, they also eat crabs, insects, amphibians, and even small mammals. Kingfishers are territorial and often follow a consistent patrol route along waterways, stopping at preferred perches to hunt and vocalize as they move between them.
Great Blue Heron
The great blue heron is a large, primarily greyish wading bird measuring 39–52 inches (99–132 cm) in height with a wingspan nearing 6 feet. It is often mistaken for a sandhill crane but can be distinguished by its folded neck in flight. This adaptable bird inhabits lakes, rivers, ponds, and marshes across North and Central America, nesting in colonies—usually high in trees—with three to seven pale greenish-blue eggs laid in stick-built platforms. A rare all-white form known as the great white heron is found in southern Florida.
With one of the widest ranges of any North American heron, the great blue thrives in diverse habitats and climates, feeding on fish, frogs, small birds, rodents, and insects. Its varied diet allows it to remain farther north in winter than most other herons, as long as water remains unfrozen. While typically shy and solitary, the heron’s presence becomes apparent in late summer as young birds disperse widely, turning up in surprising places—from backyard ponds to mountain streams—wherever food is abundant. Its call is a harsh squawk, often heard before the bird is seen.
Dungeness Crab
The Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) is a vital species to the West Coast seafood industry, ranging from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands to southern California. Named after the Dungeness Spit in Washington’s Strait of Juan de Fuca, these crabs inhabit eelgrass beds and sandy bottoms. They typically grow to 6–7 inches across and are prized for their sweet, delicate meat. Dungeness crabs are easily identified by their wide, hard shell, four pairs of legs, and distinctive hooked claws used for defense and tearing apart prey.
Like other crustaceans, Dungeness crabs grow by molting, a process that also allows them to regenerate lost limbs. Juveniles molt frequently—up to six times a year—while adults molt once annually, with females in spring and males in summer. After each molt, they grow by 15–25%, but remain vulnerable until their new shell hardens. They typically live up to five years, though some reach eight or more in colder northern waters. Mature males can grow up to 9 inches wide. Their complex life cycle and ecological role make them both a commercial and biological cornerstone of Pacific coastal ecosystems.