Orcas getting their own back

So I just saw this news story: “Gangs of aggressive killer whales are shaking down Alaska fishing boats for their fish: report” and I had to write about a similar experience.

I don’t know if I’ve written about it before, but after I graduated from University of Waterloo in 1985, I got a VIA Rail Youthrail Pass (30 days unlimited train travel on VIA Rail) and decided to see Canada. I ended up visiting my brother out on Vancouver Island, where he “worked” on the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges. His job was to man what was probably the smallest vessel in the Canadian Navy, a 2 person patrol boat. It was also probably the only vessel in the Canadian Navy equipped with a downrigger and a recreational fishfinder. Officially, I think his job was to look after the engines, but the other guy assigned to the boat didn’t seem to mind letting Dave drive or do anything he wanted to do. Including bringing his little brother for a day out on the range.

The reason I wanted to go out on the range is because of that downrigger and fishfinder. The offical duties of the boat didn’t take up much of the day, so the rest of the time they’re trolling for salmon. And being very successful at it, I might add. We ended up with enough to give the base commander a few salmon to thank him for letting me come, grilled salmon for dinner that night, and smoked salmon for later – I took some on the train going home later and it sure made up for how bad train food was.

So at one point during the day, I was reeling in a salmon when the line when “PING” and snapped. Dave said “You didn’t keep the tip up”, and I was just about the argue the point when a whole pod of orcas surfaced all around the boat, moving fast. Obviously one of them had stolen my salmon. But that was just an appetizer for them – off on the horizon where they were heading so fast, we could see a fishing boat trying desperately to back off their purse sein. They could see the orcas coming and wanted to open the purse before the orcas got into it and tore their nets up. We could soon see the orcas jumping out of the water in his nets. Poor guy probably lost his catch and thousands of dollars in nets, but man it looked cool to watch.