The Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast have long been a hotspot for fans of guillemots and puffins. But as of last week, a much bigger black-and-white animal has been stealing the show: orcas. Sightings have become more regular than ever before, much to the delight of wildlife spotters and boat tour operators.
Andrew Douglas, who owns Serenity Boat Tours, said he was “like a little child … excited as hell” when he first saw the orcas last year. “The big dorsal fins on the males are just absolutely huge, it just makes you smile, it’s really cool,” he said. Since then, he and his crew have spotted pods a handful of times - previously, he’d only seen orcas once, when he was 20. Now his tours are busier, with participants constantly asking, “When will we see the orcas?” But as Douglas notes, “they’re just unpredictable, so you never know.”
Cetacean experts say it’s too early to pin down why orca and dolphin sightings have dramatically increased, but they suggest it could be a sign of a healthier marine ecosystem. Douglas thinks a government ban on sandeel fishing, enacted about two years ago, is a major factor. “That’s the best thing the government’s done so far,” he said. “You don’t pinch from the bottom of the food chain … it’s made a massive difference for the birds as well.” Sandeel are the “tiny, tiny fish” that feed lower-level species, and their return has attracted mackerel and herring, which in turn draw orcas.
Crewman Aaron Fordy has seen the orcas four times and can recite the dates from memory. “You’re used to dolphins and porpoises … and then you get an orca which is massive, big dorsal fins, they stick out like a sore thumb,” he said. The first time, he and his crewmate “were both ecstatic … jumping about.” Videos sent to researchers in the Shetlands revealed that multiple different pods have been sighted, not just one returning group.
Dr. Conor Ryan, an honorary research fellow at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, said there’s “not really a clear picture” yet, citing factors like better publicity, orcas moving inshore, or growing populations. However, he cautioned that orcas in British waters have struggled to breed due to pollution, and the Shetland population is on the verge of dying out. He agreed the sandeel fishing ban is “a very logical place to look for an explanation,” noting that top predators suffer when the bottom of the food chain is removed.
Julia Sutherland, a researcher at the University of St Andrews, pointed out that orcas are “highly mobile animals” and that social media may be boosting reporting. But she added, “What we know about killer whales here in the UK is we’re lacking so much knowledge … so it’s quite hard to draw really concrete conclusions at this stage.” Dr. Luke Rendell, also from St Andrews, described orcas as “exploratory and curious animals” and suggested their new appearances could be due to exploration or a reduction in food resources elsewhere. Either way, for now, the orcas are the stars of the Northumberland coast - and they’re not explaining themselves.