Three Bigg's orcas believed to be from the Gulf of Alaska spent March 11 touring Seattle and Tacoma's industrial waterways — a population rarely if ever seen in Salish Sea waters.
No confirmed Southern Resident sightings this week.
T419, T420, T421, T99s, T36s, T36Bs, T137s, T124As
T419, T420, and T421 spent March 11 touring Seattle and Tacoma’s industrial waterways. The trio was last documented near Anchorage, Alaska. Researchers believe they’re from the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Bering Sea transient stock based on morphology and sighting location. Very little is known about this population.
The T99s made multiple appearances through South Puget Sound and Commencement Bay. The T36/T36Bs traveled with the T137s and T99s before the T99s separated. The T124A family was spotted near Tacoma’s Old Town Dock on March 6.
The T419/T420/T421 trio was last seen exiting Thea Foss Waterway headed west at dark on March 11 and seen March 12 near Olympia. Where they surface next is anyone’s guess.