Orcas Move South Into Kitsap Waters

Wednesday, October 1, 2008
KINGSTON, WASHINGTON - All three groups of Puget Sound killer whales made a sudden foray into Central Puget Sound on Tuesday morning, when observers spotted them off Kingston.

Each fall, as chinook salmon runs dwindle in the San Juan Islands, the sleek black and white mammals travel south along the Kitsap Peninsula, where they hunt for increasing runs of chum salmon until winter sets in. It appears their southerly travels have just begun.

On Tuesday, observers reported seeing all three pods together — a so-called "super pod." They were off Kingston about 8:45 a.m., according to Howard Garrett of Orca Network, a nonprofit group that keeps track of whale sightings. Somewhere around Kingston, the orcas turned around and were sighted in several places off Whidbey Island to the north. Some animals spent about four hours off Whidbey's Fort Casey, Garrett noted.

"They were lollygagging between Port Townsend and Keystone for quite some time," he said.

On Wednesday, all three pods appeared to be back in the San Juans, but observers said they were heading south again by late afternoon.

Typically, J pod, one of the three groups, will move in and out of Central and South Puget Sound throughout the winter. K and L pods normally come and go less frequently. Sometimes they move out into the ocean and along the coast, staying until spring.

Over the next few weeks, residents of Central and South Puget Sound may have a chance to watch orcas from shore or aboard one of the Washington State Ferries. Orca Network, www.orcanetwork.org, provides a Web site and sends out e-mail notices of whale sightings to anyone who signs up.

Any observer who spots a group of orcas is asked to call (866) ORCANET or e-mail info@orcanetwork.org. Observers are asked to provide the location, time of spotting, direction of travel and number of whales. If possible, count the males, which are those animals with an extra-tall dorsal fin.

For information about killer whales and other water-related issues, check out the blog Watching Our Water Ways at kitsapsun.com.

Source: The Kitsap Sun