Perhaps thanks to the movie Free Willy, orcas are arguably one of the most popular marine animals. People travel from around the world to try to glimpse them in Antarctica, Alaska and Norway. But can you see them here in the UK?
Marine mammals including humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncatus), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus)and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) all swim in our seas. And orcas (Orcinus orca) are sometimes also seen off our coasts – but you would be very lucky to see them.
Are there any killer whales in UK waters?
“Orcas are one of the most exciting visitors to our wild isles,” says the Save Our Wild Isles website.“The waters around Shetland in Scotland are a hotspot for orca activity, with some pods travelling from Iceland to get there.”
These transient populations are seasonal visitors that come to our shores in the summer months to feed.
“Any areas with lots of seal pups are good places to look for orcas, so Orkney, Shetland and the Pentland Firth,” says wildlife expert Jonathan Willet in an article for Wilderness Scotland. “The seal eaters are from the Icelandic population and follow the Herring shoals (and trawlers) south and stay for the seal feast.”
In addition to these intrepid voyagers, the UK also has one pod that calls our waters home. “On the west coast of Scotland, one pod of orcas lives in UK waters year-round,” says Save Our Wild Isles.
Known as the ‘west coast community,’ these killer whales have only been recorded in the UK. They are found in the western waters of the UK and Ireland, even swimming as far south as Cornwall.
One member of this pod became something of a celebrity: a male called John Coe who has been spotted in the Hebrides regularly since 1992.
It’s easy to spot John Coe. He “has a large chunk out of the bottom of his dorsal fin,” according to the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust’s website. As well as cruising through the Hebrides, he “is sometimes seen off the coast of Ireland and Wales,” often with a male called Aquarius.
Sadly, John Coe and Aquarius are the last known members of this critically endangered population.“They are a living example of the lasting damage of human activity,” says Save Our Wild Isles.“Specific pollutants that harm orcas have been banned since the 1980s, yet decades later, the lack of breeding success among these individuals is evidence of the damage caused by this historical chemical pollution.”
When one of the pod – a female called Lulu – was found dead in 2016, conservationists became even more fearful that this community will soon become extinct.
John Coe is believed to be over 60 years old, and Aquarius only a little younger. This means thetwo iconic orcas are likely nearing the end of their lives. Male orcas usually live to around 60, while females can survive until they’re 90. When the pair die, the UK’s only population of resident orca will be lost forever.
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