SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Marine wildlife enthusiasts are brimming with excitement following a recent whale pod sighting.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) says that a Bigg’s killer whale calf was spotted last Thursday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Unlike Southern Resident Orcas, Bigg’s whales have held a steady population in the hundreds throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The calf was seen swimming next to 14-year-old Sedna, whom the Association believes is their mother.

According to the PWWA, Sedna’s grandmother Wake was among the last group of whales captured to perform at SeaWorld in the 1970’s.

Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro happened to be on a fishing trip and witnessed the whales being taken. That event led to him filing a lawsuit against SeaWorld and ending their practice of taking whales from U.S. waters.

Coincidentally, Munro passed away last Thursday, the same day the new calf was spotted for the first time.