A pod of four orcas were seen by an aerial team for the New England Aquarium, just 40 miles south of Nantucket. The killer whale population in North Atlantic waters is very small, so coming across the whales was particularly ‘special’ for the research team.
Orla O’Brien, an associate researcher leading the aerial team believes the sighting was two males and two females, though this has not been confirmed. “Seeing them swim in formation was just unreal,” O’Brien said.
One regular killer whale in the area is “Old Thom,” a large male orca that is often found solo in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy.
