View Single Post
Old 07-07-2015, 10:50 PM   #118
Marin
Scraping Paint
 
City: -
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 13,745
Quote:
Originally Posted by AKDoug View Post
The methodology I saw was the whales rounding up the salmon into a ball, and then feeding on the ball after they compressed it.
Salmon sometimes cause their prey to mass together for protection or to escape, sometimes referred to as bait balls. Great things to fish for salmon in when one comes across them. While never say never, I would not be surprised if what was happening is the salmon had caused a lot of smaller fish--- herring perhaps--- to form a mass and the humpbacks were taking advantage of this.

At Telegraph Cove a few years ago I asked the whale biologist who works for the whale watch company there if the true whales in the area--- humpbacks and grays--- ever ate king and silver salmon like the Orcas do. She said not deliberately, but they do often gather up smaller fish along with the krill.
Marin is offline