Killer Whale Sighted Off Coast of Nova Scotia
April 5, 2008
Killer Whales. Orcas. Orcinus orca. Most people think of the Pacific Northwest and the waters of Alaska when you mention killer whales. These magnificent marine mammals can be found in all oceans of the world and there is a track record of sightings of killer whales in the waters of the Northwest Atlantic off the coastlines of New England and the Canadian Maritimes.
Just recently in late March the crew of the Canadian fishing vessel, the Gladiator 3, fishing on the Scotian Shelf approximately 140 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia (an area where the F/V Andrea Gale of the Perfect Storm also fished) had a trip that they won’t forget. A killer whale, estimated to be between 25 to 30 feet long spent two days cavorting with the crew while they were long lining for halibut. The killer whale was eating halibut right off of their lines.
Picture of killer whale near stern of F/V Gladiator 3 off the coast of Nova Scotia. All photographs were taken by James Peterson.
Read Carla Allen’s article about the fishing trip in the Sou’Wester, a Canadian Fishing and Marine Industry publication, describing this remarkable encounter between the ship’s crew and the lone killer whale. Her article provides a good overview of the killer whale population in the North Atlantic.
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