KITTY HAWK, N.C. (WAVY) – A survey crew that has spent the past five years tracking whale locations just had their first orca sighting — off the coast of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
According to a social media post from the Florida-based Clearwater Marine Aquarium, their research institute’s aerial survey team made the exciting, rare discovery on March 13.
This is a photo of the orca whale, also known as a killer whale. You can see it swimming along with a much smaller sea creature. The orca is the ocean’s top predator. It’s actually the largest member of the dolphin species.
According to the North Carolina State Parks website, orcas are rarely seen in North Carolina waters, even well offshore. Back in 2011, though, a pod of killer whales were observed off Oregon Inlet.
From mid-November through mid-April, survey teams researching the current North Atlantic right whale population take to the sky to search the waters below for mother and calf pairs. They spotted the orca near the Outer Banks while on one of these survey missions.
According to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s website, there are approximately 372 right whales remaining in the entire world.
There were only 20 right whale calves spotted during the 2023-2024 season. 50 calves are needed on average annually for multiple years to stop the decline. Since 2017, the whales have been experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event. There have been more deaths than births.
The biggest threats to their population are vessel strikes, ocean noise and fishing gear entanglement.
WAVY News 10 has reported on several recent whale deaths in our region alone.
An endangered North Atlantic right whale was found dead off the Virginia Beach coast last April.
Just days later, a dead whale washed ashore at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.
And this past December, a humpback whale washed up near the Bennett Street Beach Access in Kitty Hawk, NC.