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Danielle Spencer has shared a photo of a killer whale in Picton Harbor, one of twelve they visited on Tuesday.
A pod of a dozen killer whales has delighted viewers near Picton, looking for stingrays near the ferry terminal.
Several boats have captured and shared their photos of their encounters, described as an “impressive” display of the “beautiful” whales around Picton and Waikawa on Tuesday afternoon.
An Outward Bound expedition in Tōtaranui / Queen Charlotte Sound saw the capsule and reported its sighting to the Orca Research Trust, which tracks individual killer whale sightings for research purposes.
Trust founder Dr. Ingrid Visser said the pod of about 12 orcas were probably hunting stingrays.
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He could see at least two adult males in the pod from various photographs, and with a careful evaluation of an orca’s fin he was able to identify it as Pseudo Olav, named for its similarity to a larger orca named Olav.
Both were missing the upper edge of the fin, along with a third orca named Patu, so the three were often confused. Multiple photographs from different angles were invaluable, Visser said. “There is an art in it.”
Orca had been entering Picton longer than Visser began his research in the early 1990s, he said.
“They can live up to 100 years, and have been doing so for generations, visiting to hunt, even taking out dolphins in the Marlborough Sounds … although they rarely go that far.”
Michael Cunningham / Stuff
Dr. Ingrid Visser with a killer whale at Taiharuru in 2009. Visser has been studying marine animals for over 30 years.
The pods often comprised between six and 12 whales, fluctuating as the groups socially bonded and split again. It was not uncommon to have multiple adult males in a herd, as they tended to spend their entire lives with their mothers, Visser said.
“It’s a matrilineal society, so adult males are mommy’s boys.”
There were less than 200 killer whales living around the New Zealand coastline and they were rated critical nationally.
Reports of individual sightings helped researchers map population size and behavior, revealing areas important to the species and the cumulative impact of human behavior, from pollution to aquaculture to boat traffic.
Killer whales were also an “indicator species,” as their key position in the food chain meant unusual data generally indicated broader ecosystem problems, Visser said.
Andy Jackson / Stuff
The killer whale can live up to 100 years, but with one of the highest incidences of boat strikes in the world, their numbers are constantly monitored.
While there were no records of people attacked by wild killer whales, it was illegal to get within 50 meters of the killer whale or to fly over with drones without special permits.
“New Zealand has the highest incidence of boat crashes in the world, people get too close to get that special selfie … we just have to be respectful.”
Visser also asked people to be diligent this summer to keep craypot lines as short as possible, to reduce New Zealand’s high tangle rates.
Report your sighting urgently by calling 0800 SEE ORCA (0800 733 6722)
