POULSBO — A group of at least five killer whales prowled Kitsap Peninsula waters on Thursday, drawing crowds as they passed a ferry, leaped out of the water near Keyport and cruised around Poulsbo’s docks.
The Kitsap Sun reported that the whales were first reported Thursday morning by riders on a Bremerton-to-Seattle ferry.
Orca Network Director Howard Garrett said the whales are believed to represent three generations of one family.
National Marine Fisheries Service biologist Brad Hanson said the family is part of a larger group of 19 transient killer whales that were seen Saturday near Seattle and then off Whidbey Island.
Garrett said transient whale visits to Puget Sound are common
The so-called transients typically cruise the open ocean hunting for marine mammals to eat. They are distinct from the fish-eating resident killer whales that call Puget Sound home.
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