Orcas Captured On Video Off Galveston Raises Marine Mammal Awareness

Tuna was on the minds of the anglers on Galveston Party Boat’s The New Buccaneer and Capt. Matt Smith as they traversed the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico on a 30-hour offshore trip.

But that changed quickly as Smith and Capt. Sam Hardeman spotted a pod of orcas.

Yes, killer whales-about 100 of them, in fact.

“I’ve been fishing out in the Gulf since I was a kid, and I have never seen anything like that. It was an incredible sight,” Smith said.

Check out the footage filmed from The New Buccaneer here.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said there is a small, resident population of orcas in the Gulf, but they are rarely seen due to living far from shore.

“It was an awesome experience, definitely once in a lifetime kind of thing,” Smith said.

“They came up to the boat like dolphins do, surfing in the wake and jumping off of the bow.”

Orcas are seen on television, typically feeding on sea lions, seals, and even penguins. None of those are present in Gulf waters, but there is plenty of fish.

“I assume they are all eating the yellowfin tuna we’ve been catching. Either that or they are eating bluefin. The last few years we’ve seen a lot of bluefins this time of year,” Smith said.

Seldom mentioned in media, Gulf waters are rich in marine mammals. Although many of them are rarely seen by the public (like orcas), their conservation is important to the Gulf ecosystem’s overall health.

According to NOAA, 28 different species of marine mammals are known to occur in the Gulf of Mexico. All 28 species are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and six are also listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (sperm, sei, fin, blue, humpback, and North Atlantic right whales).

Of the six ESA-listed whales, only endangered sperm whales are considered to occur fairly commonly, mainly off of Florida’s coast. There, according to NOAA, is a resident population of female sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, and whales with calves are sighted annually. Cuvier’s beaked whales are elusive and rarely seen at the surface, which is why their population status is unknown. These whales vary in coloration from rusty-brown, dark gray, or tan. They prefer deep water, avoid shallow coastal areas, and travel in groups of two to 7.

Bottlenose dolphins inhabit the Gulf of Mexico year-round. They are blue-gray with lighter sides and bellies and have a robust body and head. This species is the most commonly observed dolphin in nearshore waters and travel alone or groups up to 20. These are the dolphins seen around ferries and in our bay systems.

Atlantic spotted dolphins prefer tropical to warm-temperate waters over the continental shelf, edge, and slope reaches. These dolphins have variable spotting. They are very active at the surface and often breach while feeding. Group size is usually between 5-15.

Risso’s dolphins, according to NOAA, are typically found around the continental shelf edge and steep upper sections of the slope. They are light gray and often exhibit extensive scarring. These dolphins travel alone or in groups of up to 100 and maybe observed with other species.

No one enters these animals’ domain more than fishermen, and in many cases, anglers have helped locate and monitor injured marine mammals.

Anglers have been at the forefront of the conservation world, with groups like the Coastal Conservation Association working heavily with sport fish and habitat. Still, they have also been very interested in aiding all aquatic species.

Marine mammals are some of the most interesting creatures in the world, and if we open our eyes and pay just a little more attention, we might just come across a rarity or get a big surprise.

I will never forget the first time I saw a pink albino dolphin in Lake Calcasieu and saw a beaked whale while fishing 80 miles offshore in a party boat out of Galveston.That party boat by the way was The New Buccaneer. It’s our duty to make sure these creatures can thrive in the waters we know and love.

Please call the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network (TMMSN) if you happen to find a stranded marine mammal.

*Call 1-800-9-MAMMAL

*DO NOT return the animal to the sea.

*Follow instructions from TMMSN staff until the rescue team arrives.

*Keep people and pets away from the animal.

*Only one or two people are needed until expert help arrives. Do not leave the animal.

TMMSN is a non-profit organization created in 1980 to further the understanding and conservation of marine mammals through rescue and rehabilitation, research, and education.

We can all do our part to keep the Gulf wild and its inhabitants around for many years to come.

Chester Moore