PENN COVE PARK, Wash. — Shore-based whale watchers, researchers and the nonprofit Orca Conservancy said November brought historic moments to Penn Cove, as Southern Resident orcas were reported entering the area for what many believe is the first time since whales were rounded up, captured and in several cases killed there in the 1970s.
Kat Martin was among the orca lovers who say they got a glimpse of L-pod in Penn Cove. Martin taped a series of videos during their journey in Saratoga Passage and, eventually, entrance into the cove.
"I saw the research boats at the mouth of Penn Cove and I said, oh my God, look, they're right there, let's go," Martin said. "We went to the point and watched as these whales got closer and closer into Penn Cove, all these dozens of people were standing here watching this, we had our cameras at the ready, and we said look- they're getting closer, are they gonna do this? Is this actually happening? And they crossed that threshold."
Dr. Michael Weiss, research director for the Center for Whale Research, said researchers were on scene with the entirety of L pod and can confirm they entered Penn Cove.
"They stayed in there for a while in slow travel/modified rest before exiting the cove, spreading out, and heading south," Weiss wrote in an email.
The nonprofit Orca Conservancy wrote in a social media post that the Sunday visit "made history as the first Southern Resident killer whales to return to Penn Cove since the horrific captures in 1970." The post said it's hard to say why they returned, but that a lapse in generations might mean the younger generation is more open to exploring new places, or they may have been seeking refuge from wind gusts.
Some orca lovers found a deep personal meaning in the return -- happening decades after the 1970 captures in Penn Cove that included the taking of then-calf Tokitae. Advocates fought for her return from the Miami Seaquarium for years before her passing in 2023.
"It's hard to say why these whales came back to Penn Cove," Martin said. "We will never know. We can't project human emotion onto this. We have no idea. My hope is that people see this is a good, positive thing, and I hope that this is the dawn of a new era that Southern Residents will take back the waters that they have been so avoidant of for so long."
Martin hopes people will take from this a reminder of the need to protect and support the Southern Residents by contacting legislators, volunteering time or donating funds to local conservation organizations, and taking any other action possible to make a difference.