Happy Holidays Everyone!
There is still high activity in the fjords around Skjervøy; seemingly, the fjord is still full of herring.
We have seen orcas feeding multiple times in the same area. Many days, we were lucky to be there from the very early stages of the feeding alone with the group and saw the whole feeding unfold.
The orcas were swimming around, and what may have seen irregular movements and just fins popping up everywhere to untrained eyes, we could realize the hard work a smaller pod put into the herring to push it to the surface.
Hard work got paid off when, after almost over an hour, we could see a more regular “circular pattern,” and all of a sudden, panicked herring was jumping on the surface, and the seagulls that were lying on the water’s surface took off as the feeding frenzy started.
One day, we had a small pod working on the herring with a young baby, and they seemingly struggled a bit. Due to the baby, they could not dive for a long time, which made the situation harder.
We saw a lone male mingling on the horizon while the pod worked. After a while, the male decided to join in.
Probably with his help, the herring was onto the surface quickly, and the feeding was full on. I don’t know if the male belonged to the pod (but probably not), but it was so beautiful to see the cooperation and willingness to help. Of course, he joined the feast too.
We also met the animal whose tip of the dorsal fin collapsed. It is a male or a female, most likely a male, but the animal was actively involved in the feeding and seemingly doing fine. As orcas have no bones in the dorsal fin, any (even minor) damage can cause it to collapse. I do not know what happened to this animal, but we have also seen him in the past season.
We also saw the female with a small, unique black patch in her eye patch. She was occupied by a calf, most likely her own. Seeing all these unique animals, whom we can even more easily recognize, is always lovely.
Soon, we will enter 2024, and the fishing quotas will start again. We have heard rumors that the herring quotas will be 20% less compared to current years.
We are also all aware that the herring has entered the fjord system in two different locations this season, so seeing the “main location” for fisheries in January will be exciting.
It will be a game-changer either way. If they will fish less around Skjervøy this year, we hope for a long January with many whales.
-Krisztina
All photos were taken between the 24th and 29th of December, 2023, in Skjervøy.