Family-- Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)

IDENTIFICATION
Sei Whales can grow to about 18 metres long. They are grey with some white on the front belly. The body is often covered with scars caused by lamprey bites The baleen plates are black with greyish-white fringe. The dorsal fin is more smoothly curved and slightly higher than the Fin Whale's, and it is shaped like a sickle or scimitar. The blow is an inverted cone. The dorsal fin breaks the water just after the blow, which has a shallower angle than the blow of a Fin whale.

MEALS, MANNERS AND MIGRATION
Sei Whales often feed on copepods at shallow depths. The distribution of the Sei is poorly known. The summer range extends from Alaska to the California Channel Islands. They may be found off central California in late summer or early fall, and in winter they appear to move south and farther offshore.

STATUS
Sei Whales were hunted extensively in British Columbia waters and do not seem to have recovered. Due to few recent sightings in areas that historically contained thousands, the Sei Whale should be considered rare in British Columbia waters.

DISTRIBUTION
Sei Whales are found throughout the worlds oceans. An oceanic species, the species is rare in inshore waters of B.C. and is most common off the continental shelf of Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands.