Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says two of its officers were injured during an encounter between a vessel and a humpback whale off B.C.’s coast.

The agency says the incident occurred Sunday near Calvert Island, which is located north of Vancouver Island.

“The animal involved in the incident has not yet been identified,” DFO told CityNews in a statement.

“DFO is working with partners in the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network to locate and identify the animal and document any injuries.”

The nature of the officers’ injuries has not been disclosed.

“Our focus at this time is on the health and safety of the fishery officers involved, and protecting their privacy; therefore, no further information will be provided at this time,” the department said.

Fisheries and Oceans has not confirmed the exact nature of the incident or whether it involved a vessel strike. However, non-profit organization Ocean Wise says vessel strikes are a growing threat to whales, with global shipping traffic increasing by 300 per cent over the last two decades. It says most strikes go unnoticed by boat operators.

The DFO asks members of the public to report all instances of collisions with whales to its marine mammal incident hotline at 1-800-465-4336.