A Canadian crew is on standby

this weekend in case good weather -- and another sighting of a

killer whale pod -- provide an opportunity to try and reunite a

young whale with his U-S relatives.

Plan "A" would involve

leading the 5-year-old orca known as Luna from his adopted home in

Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island's west coast to a spot where he'd

meet up with his pod.

That plan kicked into high gear this week

when the orcas were spotted near Tofino, British

Columbia. Ed Thorburn, a field supervisor with the Canadian

Department of Fisheries and Oceans, has been practicing leading

Luna with a small motorized boat.

But the operation will need good

ocean conditions and about 20 hours to lead Luna to Tofino. Luna

appeared in Nootka Sound more than two years ago after separating

from his U-S pod -- the "L" pod. He has managed to feed himself

but has also taken to socializing with humans, cozying up to boats

and nuzzling seaplanes. If the follow-the-boat approach fails, the

fallback plan would be to move Luna to a net pen near Victoria, and

wait there for his pod to swim by, then release him.