Pod of killer whales trapped by sea ice off Japan coast, fighting for life
A pod of killer whales, including several young calves, is trapped in drift ice off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, and unable to escape, local officials reported Tuesday.
Fishermen near Rausu, a town on the Shiretoko Peninsula, spotted the killer whales, also called orcas, about one kilometre offshore at around 7:30 AM and promptly notified authorities.
Drone imagery showed the group of 16 to 17 killer whales huddled in a small patch of open water, surfacing for air amidst the encroaching ice. By noon, the whales had vanished from view, raising concerns for their well-being.
“We have no choice but to wait for the ice to break up and for them to escape that way,” a Rausu municipal official told NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster.
The drift ice, which originated from the Amur River in Russia’s Far East and traveled across the Sea of Okhotsk, was first observed near Shari on the peninsula’s northern side on Monday, according to Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun. It then progressed southward, reaching Rausu by Tuesday morning.
Officials noted that the lack of wind has caused the ice to remain largely stationary, exacerbating the situation for the trapped killer whales.
In a similar incident in 2005, a pod of killer whales became trapped in sea ice off Rausu, with no viable rescue options. Most of the marine mammals died while waiting for the ice to break.
