Ocean brawlers: Whale watchers get uncommon view of orcas and humpbacks combating in Salish Sea
Members of the Pacific Whale Watch Affiliation (PWWA) caught a uncommon view of aggressive exercise between two giants of the ocean on Thursday, when a big group of transient Bigg’s orcas squared off with a pair of humpback whales over the course of some hours.
Capt. Joe Zelwietro of Eagle Wing Excursions noticed a gaggle of about 15 killer whales being “unusually lively” within the Juan de Fuca Strait, a stretch of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and Washington state, shortly after 11 a.m. PT, the PWWA stated.
A couple of minutes later, Capt. Jimmy Zakreski of B.C. Whale Excursions seen there have been two humpback whales in the course of the group of orcas, the affiliation stated.
“Round these elements, it is quite common for us to come across orcas. It is also quite common for us to come across humpbacks,” stated PWWA government director Erin Gless in an interview.
“It’s not quite common for us to come across them in the course of a brawl.”
Through the three-hour encounter, which occurred round 40 kilometres west of Victoria, observers say the mammals breached, slapped the water with their tails and made loud vocalizations earlier than they lastly disappeared into the fog.
“I am nonetheless making an attempt to wrap my head round it as a result of it was completely unbelievable,” stated Mollie Naccarato, a captain and naturalist with Sooke Coastal Explorations on south Vancouver Island.
“At first the orcas appeared to be chasing the humpbacks, however then when there was house between them, the humpbacks would return towards the orcas.”
Gless says the orcas had been seen circling the 2 humpbacks and sometimes nipped at their flippers and tails.
Territorial or predatory?
Bigg’s orcas feed on marine mammals akin to seals, sea lions, and porpoises, however do sometimes hunt bigger prey, she stated. That is in distinction to the northern and southern resident orca teams, which feed totally on fish.
“Orcas are the one pure predator that humpback whales have on this area,” Gless stated. “Despite the fact that humpback whales can get to be the scale of a college bus, a gaggle of very skilled hunters can assault [them].”
Gless says there was some debate amongst whale watchers who witnessed Thursday’s interplay as as to if the behaviour was territorial or predatory.
Some consider the killer whales had been performing surprisingly as a result of they had been irritated concerning the humpbacks being on their turf, whereas others thought the group of orcas confirmed a number of of the typical emblems of a gaggle looking method.
“We noticed a few of that splashing round … getting on prime of the again of the humpbacks as they had been making an attempt to breathe,” she stated.
The humpback whales concerned had been recognized as BCX1948, referred to as Reaper, and BCY1000, referred to as Hydra.
Reaper is a minimum of 4 years previous and has been matched to winter breeding grounds off Jalisco, Mexico; Hydra, an grownup feminine, has been matched to breeding grounds in Maui, Hawaii, the place she’s given start to a minimum of three calves.
Gless says no person noticed how the battle was resolved as a result of it was significantly foggy when either side swam off. A couple of teams might be again out on the water Friday, making an attempt to identify the 2 humpbacks to see in the event that they made it out alive.
Gless says the orcas’ behaviour wasn’t totally out of the bizarre however it’s an encounter whale watchers have not often witnessed, particularly not up shut.
“We actually received to see one thing spectacular,” she stated.
Nevertheless it may change into extra frequent because the populations of each species proceed to develop, she added.
