After reports that two grey whales were spotted beached on low-tide mudflats in Delta yesterday (May 10), rescue efforts sprang into action to save the marine mammals.

A mother and her calf were beached around 2 p.m. near Centennial Park at Boundary Bay in Delta.

The Pacific regional branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada used floatation devices and a vessel while the Vancouver Aquarium also attended in case of medical emergency, according to CBC News.

The whales were freed around 6:30 p.m. and headed out to deeper waters.

https://twitter.com/DFO_Pacific/status/1127052928240574464

https://twitter.com/AngelaJungCTV/status/1127046858659041281

Despite this good news, this incident appears to be a part of a troubling pattern that has been developing along the North American Pacific coastline this year.

As the Georgia Straight previously reported, a significant number of grey whales have become stranded over recent weeks along the coastlines of California, Oregon, and Washington state, leading to several whale deaths in the U.S.

The unusually large number of beachings is raising concerns among scientists.