Orcas challenge the Bering Sea’s black cod industry

Black cod fishermen in the Bering Sea have reported an increase in orcas taking their catch off their fishing lines in recent years. Orca depredation isn’t just a costly headache for fishermen — it can be dangerous for orcas, too.

Jeb Morrow has been long-lining for black cod around Alaska for most of his life. The process includes baiting hundreds or even thousands of hooks to catch oily fish on the ocean floor. When he started fishing in the ‘90s, he heard stories from elders about orcas regularly stealing their catch, but he said it was only within the last few years that it became a reality for him.

“I can tell you without question these orcas are geniuses,” Morrow said. “They just adapt and conquer at a level that is like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

The problem is so bad that Morrow has decided to skip fishing for black cod this year. He said it’s not worth the hassle. Morrow and his crew have to be careful to protect their catch. For instance, they have someone whose only job is to look out for killer whales with binoculars in the wheelhouse. Once an orca is spotted, the crew immediately cuts and anchors the line, leaving the area as quickly as possible.

“Because you don’t want to be known as a boat that feeds the whales,” Morrow said. “If they establish you as a boat that will feed them, you’re (expletive) for life.”

Morrow said orcas are so intelligent that they’ll follow the boat for the rest of the season. And once the opportunity strikes, the orcas will continuously approach the vessel and take caught fish.

Asia Beder, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Dutch Harbor, has seen the behavior herself and said stories of orca depredation in the Bering Sea have increased in the last few years.

“Seeing it in person, I was shocked at how quickly they found us, how smart and fast they were at pulling the fish off,” Beder said.

As a management biologist, Beder finds this behavior puzzling. She said that when orcas are around a fishing boat, it doesn’t always mean they are trying to steal the harvest — they also like to play with gear. However, when fishermen aren’t catching fish, it could mean there are orcas around quietly taking caught fish.

Beder said it’s challenging to manage the amount of black cod in the fishery when fishermen can’t accurately count how many they’ve caught, knowing that the orcas are also a factor. So, in the state survey, she said fishermen have a box to check if they saw orcas around while fishing.

“I feel both sides of the equation,” said Beder. “I feel for the orcas, and I also feel for the fishermen.”

Federal agencies also manage the black cod fishery in the Bering Sea.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), orcas aren’t just going after catches from small boats; they’re going after large commercial vessels, which has resulted in a recent spike in orca deaths from gear entanglement in Alaska.

Suzie Teerlink, a marine mammal specialist with NOAA, said orcas are starting to show new feeding behaviors around large trawler nets. They’re trying to steal fish caught in nets that are typically being hauled back. Scientists aren’t sure why orcas are doing this, but it’s dangerous for them because it increases their chances of getting caught in the net and dying.

Depredation can also be pod-specific. Killer whales are cultural learners — the elders teach the young survival skills particular to their hunting area. They’re also opportunistic.

“They’re looking for calories that aren’t difficult to get,” Teerlink said, “using as little energy as possible to get as much energy, calorie gain as possible.”

Teerlink said orcas have been following fishing boats for food for ages. Orca depredation isn’t just a Bering Sea problem; it also affects fishermen in other parts of the world. She emphasized that fishermen try to avoid orcas. For instance, many black cod fishermen are transitioning to pot gear to prevent the fish from being stolen off the hooks.

“When it comes to killer whale depredation, they’ve [fishermen] been innovating ways to reduce this since the onset and have already come about with lots of different tools and ideas,” Teerlink said.

Morrow believes it’s only a matter of time before the orcas can outsmart the latest fishing gear. For example, a few years ago, fishermen created a new kind of pot called the slinky pot, which worked for only a couple of seasons.

“It was like the answer to all our problems fishing black cod in the Bering Sea,” Morrow said. “And then the orcas figured it out, like in two years, they had it figured out, and they were shredding our pots, and it was done.”

Even if the orcas can’t get the fish out of the pots, Morrow said they’ll smash onto it, so the fish aren’t good anymore. So fishermen are trying heavier, more durable pots — but only time will tell if they’ll work.

As for Morrow’s black cod fishing future, he’s not optimistic.

“If it’s just me versus the whales, they’re gonna win every time out there,” Morrow said.

So, Morrow said he might invest more time and money in other fisheries.