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A rare and exciting sighting of a killer whale was made off the coast of Kitty Hawk on March 13. The sighting was performed by a North Atlantic Right Whale aerial survey team with Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, who were conducting aerial surveys to track the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

The killer whale was spotted 14 nautical miles east of Kitty Hawk, swimming alongside an Atlantic bluefin tuna. The sighting was considered a rare occurrence, as killer whales are not commonly sighted in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly in North Carolina waters.

“It’s a special opportunity to come across a killer whale, especially in a scientific setting,” said Meghan Bradley, the aerial survey team lead. “There’s not a whole lot known about killer whales in the Atlantic. Their migration patterns are poorly understood due to the vast habitat range that they cover. This sighting is especially important to help us understand more about their habitat use and behavior.”

Killer whales, also known as orcas, are found in all the world’s oceans and are known for their “cosmopolitan” nature. They are most abundant in colder regions like the North Pacific and North Atlantic, but they also inhabit tropical and subtropical waters.

The researchers were conducting aerial surveys using a Cessna 337 Skymaster aircraft, flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet and a speed of 100 knots. The sighting was made by Bradley and her team, consisting of herself, another researcher and two pilots, who were able to take photos of the whale using a zoom lens through a small window on the plane.

Photo analysis revealed that the killer whale did not have the tuna in its mouth at any time while being photographed. Rather, the team observed the whale nudging the tuna to the surface as it swam. “We’re not sure if it did end up hunting and killing the tuna, or if it picked it out from another fisherman in the area who caught and released it, and it had passed in that,” Bradley speculated.

The researcher shared that their findings that day were especially serendipitous, as they were being chased by a “massive fog bank” along the coast all day long. “We had refueled and were going to resume a track line more up north, but it was covered by fog, so we picked up a line where we were. As we were spending time circling this sighting, we had about ten minutes before the fog came in and we couldn’t see it anymore. So, we were definitely in the right place at the right time.”

Marina Piscitelli-Doshkov, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the North Carolina Aquariums at Jennette’s Pier, shared her thoughts on why the killer whale may have been traveling in N.C. waters: “Killer whales normally travel in pods, but young males will leave mom and go look for a pod. This was probably a young male looking for his teenage social group and hadn’t quite found it yet.” She also shared that the killer whale species found in the Atlantic Ocean is a fish-eating one, whereas other parts of the world, such as the Pacific, see both fish-eating and mammal-eating species.

The photos were shared with other scientists and were not matched to their limited catalog of killer whales in the Atlantic. This sighting may spark further research and analysis to better understand the behavior and habitat use of killer whales in the region.

While the killer whale sighting is exciting, Bradley emphasized the importance of protecting the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population. With only around 370 individuals remaining, the major threats to their survival are entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes.

The aerial survey team has been conducting surveys since November of 2024; this is their fifth year conducting this particular research in North Carolina. Their goal is to monitor hotspots, such as dredging areas, along the coast to protect the right whale species. Bradley said, “The dredge schedule in North Carolina is very intermittent, so basically what we’re doing is flying a section of the coastline any good weather day, and trace track lines from the northern border to the southern border of the state.” Sixty-four surveys have been conducted so far this season, totaling about 400 flight hours.

The surveys take place from November through April. So far, the team has made 50 sightings, with 41 individuals noted in North Carolina waters. This is significant, as this accounts for 11-12% of the entire North Atlantic right whale population. Bradley noted that this number includes two mother/calf pairs making their way through the area. Ten news calves have been documented this calving season. “They typically make their way down to the Georgia and Florida waters where it’s warmer to have their calves,” she explained.

Beyond right whales, the team opportunistically sights other whales off the N.C. coast. “Our most often sighted large whales are humpbacks. We’ve had over 175 sighted.” The aerial survey team has also had the opportunity to sight fin whales and sei whales.

Piscitelli-Doshkov noted that spring is when the Marine Mammal Stranding Network sees the most number of strandings in the Outer Banks area. “We get a lot of the Labrador Current that comes down from up north, so we get a lot of cold-water species, and then we get all of the warm water species when the Gulf Stream starts to come in. We can get up to 30 different species in our area.” These strandings typically consist of seals, whales, porpoises and, most commonly, the resident bottlenose dolphin. To report a stranding in the local area, call 252-455-9654.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute aerial survey team is calling for continued support to protect the North Atlantic Right Whale endangered species. The two major threats right now for these whales are entanglement in fishing gear and ship strikes. To learn more about the research being conducted, go to mission.cmaquarium.org.

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