Fishermen hunting squid spot a pod of killer whales in a Tasmanian river – baffling experts who say orcas have never been sighted in the area before
- Six to eight killer whales were spotted on the Tamar River in Northern Tasmania
- It’s the first official record of Antarctic type B Killer Whales off the East Coast
- Experts say the species should be in Antartica this time of year
Dramatic footage appearing to show killer whales frolicking in a river off Tasmania’s north coast is thought to be the first sighting of the orcas ever recorded in the region.
Dean Hodgetts was out squid fishing with friends when he encountered the pod of orcas in Tamar River, near George Town, just after 11am on Sunday.
At first, he thought the huge splashes of water and fins propping above the water in the distance was an indication he was in for a good fishing haul.
‘There was some big sprays and I thought it might have been dolphins or seals or something feeding on salmon,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We decided to tear down there and when we got down there they had gone, and then lo and behold they popped up right next to us.’
He filmed the extraordinary moment a pod of roughly six killer whales travelled beside his boat.
Mr Hodgetts, who has been fishing in the area for the past 20 years, said it was the first time he had seen an orca in the river.
It’s a sentiment that has been echoed by marine experts, who believe the specific type of orca has never been seen so far from Antarctica before.
A collective of experts including researchers from the Department of Primary Industries and The Killer Whales Australia Team think the species were Antarctic type B Killer Whales.
The species are usually found in inshore waters, pack ice and the Antarctic Peninsula Area, according to information on the Australian Environment Department Website.
The pod of killer whales were sighed by Dean Hodgetts and friends when they were out fishing on the Tamar River off Tasmania’s north coast
Marine Researcher David Donnelly told the ABC there is widespread speculation around why the animals may have strayed this way, including trying to shed algae from their skin in warmer waters.
He said its unusual to think why them may be this far north when they should be in Antarctica.
‘We’d expect them to be working around the ice edges, working into the Ross Sea, looking for seals, not up here in the lower latitudes,’ he said.
The pod of Type B Killer whales were spotted in the River Tamar in Tasmania’s north
Meanwhile Hodges, who captured the video said he is still shocked to see how far and wide the story travelled.
‘I put it up on a local fishing page that’s just Tasmania based- I think it’s only about 4,500 members- and it’s just gone ballistic after that- I think it’s been shared over 1300 times or something,’ he said.