PHOTO BY MEEGAN M. REID, KITSAP SUN // BUY THIS PHOTO
An orca breaches as killer whales swim through Poulsbo’s Liberty Bay on Thursday. MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN
POULSBO — A family of seal-hunting killer whales prowled Kitsap’s waters Thursday, drawing crowds of onlookers as they passed a Bremerton ferry, breached near Keyport and poked around Poulsbo’s docks and piers in search of prey.
“We saw them jumping all around. It was amazing,” said Stacia Zink, who watched the whales from Oyster Plant Park in Poulsbo. “They came right up close — just 100 yards from the dock.”
The group, which numbered at least five, is made up of transient whales, which rove the open ocean hunting for marine mammals. They are distinct from the fish-eating resident killer whales that call Puget Sound home.
The whales were first reported at 7 a.m. by riders on a Bremerton-to-Seattle ferry.
Bainbridge Island resident Mark Dawson reported seeing the whales at around 8 a.m.
“The biggest whale had a very large dorsal fin and was undoubtedly a male. There appeared to be a female and three smaller, younger orcas as well,” Dawson wrote in a report to the Orca Network.
At 9 a.m., a ferry rider took a photo of a killer whale dorsal fin in the water between Bainbridge and Bremerton. The photo was posted to the Orca Network’s Facebook page, sparking many questions about the whales’ travels.
Orca Network Director Howard Garrett said the whales are believed to be a family with three generations represented, from a grandmother and her 27-year-old son to an 8-year-old juvenile and a calf born last year.
National Marine Fisheries Service biologist Brad Hanson said the family is part of a larger group of 19 transients that were seen Saturday near Seattle and then off Whidbey Island before their appearance along Kitsap’s shores.
“We believe they’ve broken into smaller groups,” he said. “It’s not unusual to find them looking in the back routes for harbor seals, sea lions and harbor porpoises.”
The whales were spotted by several people as they swam past Keyport at around 11 a.m. Betsy Wallwork of Poulsbo jumped aboard a boat in Liberty Bay to get a closer look.
“Oh my gosh. It was incredible,” she said. “They are so huge, and it was peaceful. You’re looking for them, and they just come up right in front (of the boat).”
An employee of Liberty Bay Marina shot video of the whales circling and splashing about in a small area a few feet from moored boats.
The whales came within 20 yards of the Poulsbo Yacht Club’s dock.
“When they moved on to the next dock, there was a big commotion,” Wallwork said. “I’m assuming they caught a seal.”
Zink saw seals congregating under the pier she stood on.
“When the whales got near, the seals started to come in among the pilings, trying to hide,” she said.
Several longtime Poulsbo residents said they’ve never seen killer whales in Liberty Bay.
“And I’ve never heard of them coming this close,” Zink said.
The whales had left Liberty Bay by 2 p.m. A little more than two hours later, they popped up in Sinclair Inlet near Bremerton.
Garrett said transient whale visits to Puget Sound are common, although they rarely visit the same parts of the Sound twice.
“Their movements are sporadic and unpredictable,” he said. “They can show up at any time.”
Transient killer whales were last seen off Kitsap in early June. A group of eight whales hunted seals around Dyes Inlet, an area transients last visited in 2010.
It’s unclear whether last month’s group is the same one seen Thursday.
“It’s a little unusual for groups to stay or return,” Garrett said. “They travel a lot — about 75 to 100 miles a day.”
Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/jul/18/killer-whales-put-on-a-show-in-liberty-bay/#ixzz2ZVESpA6q
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Fonte: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/jul/18/killer-whales-put-on-a-show-in-liberty-bay/#axzz2ZUyCZp5R
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