In the northern Pacific, a cornucopia of birds, mammals and fish

The waters and shoreline of British Columbia, Canada, and Alaska teem with wildlife. In British Columbia alone there are about 600 species of mammals and birds, ranging in size from gargantuan killer whales and sea lions to microscopic plankton that glows when disturbed.

Kayaking offers an excellent opportunity for close encounters with myriad inhabitants of the frigid passages and the forested slopes of the northern Pacific.

Here are a few that may cross your wake.

Vani Rangachar

Times Staff Writer