Bigg’s orca whale sightings are up in Northwest WA. Here’s what we know
Sightings of Bigg’s orcas — commonly referred to as transients — are up across the inland Puget Sound area and the Salish Sea, including Bellingham Bay.
“Overall, Bigg’s killer whale sightings have increased dramatically in the Salish Sea over the last decade, so most regions are seeing many more of the mammal-eating orcas than they used to,” Orca Behavior Institute Director Monika Wieland Shields told The Bellingham Herald.
Their presence is largely due to abundant food availability and an increase in their population, according to Weiland Shields.
Bigg’s killer whales differ from southern resident orcas in that they prey on other marine mammals such as seals and whales, rather than salmon or other marine fish.
“It’s one of those good news stories,” Salish Sea Institute Associate Director Dr. Cindy Elliser told The Herald. “They’re here because there is food. This shows that if we can protect the prey, predators will come. Seeing them is a good sign that things are going well in the ecosystem.”
Several orca whales were documented swimming together in Bellingham Bay on June 4. Another group of whales was documented in the same general area on June 21.
Bellingham native and part-time resident Conner Harrington captured a video of the group of orcas seen on June 21.
“I was walking down to Boulevard Park from Bayview Drive when I heard someone say there were whales,” Harrington told The Herald. “I looked over and saw the orcas right near the boardwalk. It was incredible seeing them so close, and it was amazing to watch everyone enjoying the moment on such a beautiful day — especially on Father’s Day and the first day of summer.”
Harrington said this was the third time he’s seen orcas in the wild, but he has never seen them that close to shore.
“I’ve spent most of my life in the area, and it feels like there’s been an incredible amount of whale activity in the bay lately,” Harrington said.
Orca sightings in the Puget Sound and Salish Sea area collected by the Orca Network’s Whale Sighting Network team have steadily increased since 2014, according to the organization’s 2025 Orca Sightings Summary report.
The highest number of reports came in 2025, at 14,149. That’s up from 2,101 reports to the network in 2014. The vast majority of the 2025 reports — 11,279 of them — were identified as Bigg’s orcas.
“While a variety of matrilines have been seen in Bellingham Bay in past years, it is the T123s, a family of four, who have been sighted multiple times this June. They may have decided they like that area for whatever reason and may keep on visiting,” Orca Network Whale Sighting Network co-coordinator Rachel Haight told The Herald.
A matriline, which is an orca social unit made up of a female and her living descendants, may find a “favorite area” and revisit that spot frequently, according to Haight.
Spring has been a busy time for Bigg’s sightings over the last several years, according to Haight.
“Bigg’s orcas in general are spending more time in the Salish Sea as the southern residents spend less time here. At the same time, the Bigg’s population is continuing to increase, likely in large part due to the high availability of prey across the region,” Haight said.
An increase in reporting may also be playing “at least a small part” in the increase in sightings, according to Haight.
Orca Network’s Community Group on Facebook, which hosts real-time sightings, has seen steady growth in users in the past few years. It now has more than 126,000 members, many of whom reside in the Salish Sea and Puget Sound area, Haight said.
“Increasing community effort, open collaboration, and sharing of reports” helps make tracking orcas in a large variety of locations easier, Haight said.
“People have to first spot orcas and then know to report to the proper sources; without that, orcas may be present, but ‘unnoticed’ in a way,” Haight told The Herald.
