we have the most intelligent killer whales in the world

[ratherbefishin]

our killer whales only eat Chinook salmon-and now the courts have agreed and said the killer whales have priority over chinook.....see the killer whale swims up to a sockeye or a coho and says''nope-not a chinook, won't be eating that,I only eat chinook salmon''

who comes up with such nonsense-and who believes it? Unfortionately, these people can shut down a fishery.

I'm highly skeptical of these so called experts-I was talking to a east coast fisherman about the decline in cod who said the biologists said that ''seals didn't eat cod''-and meantime the seal herd was growing expodentially while the cod were crashing....

[Spy]

Well not to knock you but I read a study a couple years ago, where this feeding pattern was mentioned! Apparently the whales would seek out the Chinooks,even though there were more sockeye & coho's available! Do I believe it, yes why not sounds plausible! Until they prove otherwise thats what I am believing! If there is going to be a closure on chinhooks then I hope it apply's to everyone commercials & natives! included!

[steel_ram]

No doubt Chinooks have a very unique and strong scent to them, and being they are significantly larger, more bang for the buck it wouldn't surprise me they targeted. How dare Killer whales target our favourite sporting species. Wolves of the sea!

[Ambush]

That would be the whales on the inside that target chinook.

Some pods on the outside are meat eaters, prefering seals, porpoise and even other whale species.

[Bushman]

Where I live on a permanent basis at the mouth of Bute Inlet on the inside passge we see pods of killer whales heading north and south on a weekly basis.
Last week we watched with excitement a pod of six or seven killer whales attack and eat several harbour porpoises near Hole in the Wall on the inside passage.
From my experience, I'd say the most killer whales that I have observed are opportunistic feeders that will dine on seals, salmon, sea lions and porpoises with equal delight.
I for one am certainly having trouble believing everything the environmental groups are spouting off about chinook salmon being the main food source of certain pods of killer whales. I'd say their information/propaganda is being used as a tool much like the spotted owl was/is being used against the logging industry. Simply listen to what the Suszuki Foundation is saying about our oceans being stripped of all life by fishermen and then put two and two together for yourself on this one.

[Downwind]

Well not to knock you but I read a study a couple years ago, where this feeding pattern was mentioned! Apparently the whales would seek out the Chinooks,even though there were more sockeye & coho's available! Do I believe it, yes why not sounds plausible! Until they prove otherwise thats what I am believing! If there is going to be a closure on chinhooks then I hope it apply's to everyone commercials & natives! included!

And shut down the disease ridden fish farms. That has the worst impact on salmon stocks!

[ratherbefishin]

remember Suzuki told us with great authority that the sockeye would be extinct in two years?-we got the biggest run of sockeye in recorded history.Then to try and explain that they said it was two years doubled up-and there would be no sockeye the following year[we had sockeye]Haven't heard any more from him on that subject.

I'm highly skeptical of any ''scientific'' pronouncements from organizations that solicit donation money-seems they have to come up with some dramatic ''scientific'' conclusion to ensure the money keeps coming in...why people don't hold them to account,I don't know

I don't know anything about killer whales feeding habits but I suspect they are like what was already said about most preditors-oportunistic.I just can't see a hungry killer whale turning up its nose at a school of sockeye,pinks or coho .

[bowhunterbruce]

the more of studies like this one being done, the more i want to puke.
killer whales are a top predator,they got that way by having the ability to adapt as thier resorces changed. completly oppertunistic, they will take what they want when they need it, like every other predator, its about survival of the spieces and anyone that believes a killer whale pod only eats springs is completly off thier rocker.
next they are going to try and tell us that killer whales dont eat at all when those same spring salmon are out in open waters.
ya ok,
its chit like this, that is really pushing me more and more towards the bush. i really wish they would stop trying to make us believe in thngs that just are not true.
bhb

[The Dude]

To add to what Bushman says, my understanding is that Resident Killer Whales (Which should have Resident Priority) generally are species-specific in feeding habits, generally salmon only, while Transient Killer Whales are nomadic, wander the Coast, and will attack and eat anything up to baby whales and sharks to Sea Lions and White-Sided Dolphins.
Now all we need to do is teach the bigger, meaner, more aggressive Transients that fish farms are full of yummy free treats, and problem solved!

[tuner]

remember Suzuki told us with great authority that the sockeye would be extinct in two years?-we got the biggest run of sockeye in recorded history.Then to try and explain that they said it was two years doubled up-and there would be no sockeye the following year[we had sockeye]Haven't heard any more from him on that subject.

I'm highly skeptical of any ''scientific'' pronouncements from organizations that solicit donation money-seems they have to come up with some dramatic ''scientific'' conclusion to ensure the money keeps coming in...why people don't hold them to account,I don't know

I don't know anything about killer whales feeding habits but I suspect they are like what was already said about most preditors-oportunistic.I just can't see a hungry killer whale turning up its nose at a school of sockeye,pinks or coho .

i use to have a great deal of respect for suzuki ,however my opinion of him has drastically changed since he became a crusading eco-alarmest, pandering to peoples fears for the sake of donations to his foundation. where this money is spent seems to be a bit of a mystery. other than a few doom and gloom ads about the tar sands i don't know of any efforts they have taken to remedy any of the eco calamitys that they speak of, their sole porpose seems to be fund raising , and not much else.

[The Dude]

Here's an article written four years ago and published in some tiny fringe-element whacko magazine.
I think they're called National Geographic.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081117-killer-whales-sonar.html

Another from 2004 by The Acoustical Society of America (Excerpt only)
http://www.mendeley.com/research/echolocation-signals-of-freeranging-killer-whales-orcinus-orca-and-modeling-of-foraging-for-chinook-salmon-oncorhynchus-tshawytscha/

Also, don't forget, PeTA is suing SeaWorld for the release of 5 Killer Whales on Slavery grounds, so the problems only gonna get worse when they get out.

[sky-gunner]

Where I live on a permanent basis at the mouth of Bute Inlet on the inside passge we see pods of killer whales heading north and south on a weekly basis.
Last week we watched with excitement a pod of six or seven killer whales attack and eat several harbour porpoises near Hole in the Wall on the inside passage.
From my experience, I'd say the most killer whales that I have observed are opportunistic feeders that will dine on seals, salmon, sea lions and porpoises with equal delight.
I for one am certainly having trouble believing everything the environmental groups are spouting off about chinook salmon being the main food source of certain pods of killer whales. I'd say their information/propaganda is being used as a tool much like the spotted owl was/is being used against the logging industry. Simply listen to what the Suszuki Foundation is saying about our oceans being stripped of all life by fishermen and then put two and two together for yourself on this one.

Well I do agree Suzuki is biased. The wales you see were transients. Our resident orcas dine almost exclusively on salmon. And let's not forget that animals, especially orcas, due to there intelligence, do everything they can efficiently. They don't waste energy hunting smaller fish, what's gonna burn more energy chasing down 3 10lb sockeye, or 1 30lb spring? You tube some videos of whales hunting. They are incredibly itelligent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxDZW4k8tCY

[lamber]

we did a dive group diving trip out of port hardy last fall and had a group of biologist staying at the resort .while we were there they did put a power point presentation together for us on the whales they were tracking on there feeding habits and how they were getting the data. they would actually tag a couple whales in a pod and follow them for a day scooping up remains of kills that they had gotten. they'd send the data out to have analyze and basically found what "the dude" stated, residents had the preferred choice of Chinook but would hunt other salmon when needed . but the transients would mostly hunt seals and other larger game. they whales are each subspecies of orcas and each group has its own hunting skill sets and dont adapt to other styles. the transients and residents are totally different genetically as well not mixing together.

[Laurence_Erickson]

cool video skygunner first time I ever saw a chinook hiding ontop of an ice flow :)

[sky-gunner]

cool video skygunner first time I ever saw a chinook hiding ontop of an ice flow :)

Lol I know it wasn't a salmon, but I still thought it was pretty neat how they worked together to get it off. And if I put up the right link, how at the end they put it back. I guess they were just training that day. I gotto say I love them killer whales, I work on the water, and see them lots up north, but they still fascinate the hell out of me.

[The Dude]

That vid was perfect. You can watch them through the entire problem-solving process. Amazing animals. I'm glad we have some in captivity, so people actually give a shit about them.

[sky-gunner]

That vid was perfect. You can watch them through the entire problem-solving process. Amazing animals. I'm glad we have some in captivity, so people actually give a shit about them.

So true dude.

[ratherbefishin]

I sure wish we could train the resident salmon eating killer whales to eat seals.....