Janie Wray and "whale dog" Meekus stand carefully balanced in the bow of a small research boat, watching intently. While African chimps have Jane Goodall to protect them and the mountain gorillas can thank the late Diane Fossey for preserving them, in Canada lovers of humpback whales have Wray, who's determined to assure their future.

Aside from the honk of ducks and a slight murmur in the trees off Princess Royal Island, the waters of Whale Passage are silent. Suddenly, not 20 metres off the starboard bow, there is a whoosh as a gigantic humpback whale launches its entire 10-tonne body out of the ocean and lands with a mighty splash. A few seconds later, a second humpback breaches, and then another. The spectacle continues unabated for over half an hour, the enormous creatures throwing their entire bodies in the air like porpoises.

"Last week, I watched a calf breach over 75 times in a row," Wray says. "I guess it was in training to follow its mother south in the fall. We've even seen some right whales and fin whales migrating through this year. The northern whale populations are starting to recover and grow. This is the best place in the world to see and study them."

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