Possession is nine tenths of the meal
September 9, 2010 11:43 AM Subscribe
Fisherman versus killer whale [SLYT, some NSFW language]
So long, thanks for the fish!
posted by Danf at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Danf at 12:03 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
You can tell that these guys spend a lot of time around the whales. They were more excited about their fish than the goddamn orcas circling the boat.
posted by CaseyB at 12:06 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by CaseyB at 12:06 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
Could a typical young [fisher]man, armed only with a knife, (say, six or eight inches long) be trained to consistently "win" fights with a [whale]? Assume no element of surprise.
posted by blue_beetle at 12:08 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by blue_beetle at 12:08 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
I'M IN UR OCEAN STEALING UR SAHMUN
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:12 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:12 PM on September 9, 2010 [5 favorites]
Assume no element of surprise.
I have the odd feeling that not all commenters there were answering the question seriously and sincerely.
posted by kmz at 12:19 PM on September 9, 2010
I have the odd feeling that not all commenters there were answering the question seriously and sincerely.
posted by kmz at 12:19 PM on September 9, 2010
I be back to say that the fpp title of Fisherman vs. Killer Whale was a bit misleading. Perhaps "Fisherman Feeds Killer Whale" or "Fisherman helps Killer Whale catch a fish".... loses all the punch there, don't it?
posted by HuronBob at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2010
KILLER. WHALE. This the second time in as many weeks that I have to bring this up. Again, KILLER. WHALE. Those whales did not "take" the fish from the fisherman. The fishermen are lucky that all those whales just didn't go YUM HUMANZ! instead.
posted by KingEdRa at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2010
posted by KingEdRa at 12:22 PM on September 9, 2010
Seriously - there's how many whales circling, chasing the fish, and they're all "Dude, they totally got your fish, haw haw". Whereas I would've been like "DUDE! THERE ARE TEH KILLER WHALEZ EVERYWHERE! THIS IS REDICULOUS!!!1!"
And I'm not sure how, but I definitely would've managed to work the lolcats inflection into my voice.
posted by antifuse at 12:23 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
And I'm not sure how, but I definitely would've managed to work the lolcats inflection into my voice.
posted by antifuse at 12:23 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
YOU SON OF A BITCHES!
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2010
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:26 PM on September 9, 2010
Orcas are jerks.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:37 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:37 PM on September 9, 2010 [3 favorites]
SONS OF FISHES!
*(I know that's not accurate.)
posted by papercake at 12:38 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
*(I know that's not accurate.)
posted by papercake at 12:38 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've mentioned this before, but there are virtually no documented attacks by killer whales on humans in the wild. It's actually kind of weird when you consider how long the two species have been interacting...
posted by quin at 1:01 PM on September 9, 2010
posted by quin at 1:01 PM on September 9, 2010
Love how the whale smugly swam by their boat a few times near the end.
posted by BurntHombre at 1:02 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by BurntHombre at 1:02 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
I sent the video to a coworker, and he sent me back this video of a seal stealing a fish.
posted by yeoz at 1:16 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by yeoz at 1:16 PM on September 9, 2010 [4 favorites]
Orcas are a hell of a lot cooler than these fishermen. For those who don't know, orcas display a complex social behavior that is centered around matrilineal family structure. From Wikipedia:
Because females can reach age 90, as many as four generations travel together. These matrilineal groups are highly stable. Individuals separate for only a few hours at a time, to mate or forage.
Clans are the next level of resident social structure, and are composed of pods with similar dialects and common but older maternal heritage. Clan ranges overlap, mingling pods from different clans.[90]
The final association layer, perhaps more arbitrarily-defined than the familial groupings, is called the community and is defined as a set of clans that regularly commingle. Clans within a community do not share vocal patterns.
posted by Dia Nomou Nomo Apethanon at 1:26 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Because females can reach age 90, as many as four generations travel together. These matrilineal groups are highly stable. Individuals separate for only a few hours at a time, to mate or forage.
Clans are the next level of resident social structure, and are composed of pods with similar dialects and common but older maternal heritage. Clan ranges overlap, mingling pods from different clans.[90]
The final association layer, perhaps more arbitrarily-defined than the familial groupings, is called the community and is defined as a set of clans that regularly commingle. Clans within a community do not share vocal patterns.
posted by Dia Nomou Nomo Apethanon at 1:26 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
The fishermen are lucky that all those whales just didn't go YUM HUMANZ! instead.
Lucky for us, we are kind of bony and low in taste. If we tasted good, I'm sure that the killer whales would have cleaned us up a long time ago.
posted by Forktine at 4:46 PM on September 9, 2010
Lucky for us, we are kind of bony and low in taste. If we tasted good, I'm sure that the killer whales would have cleaned us up a long time ago.
posted by Forktine at 4:46 PM on September 9, 2010
I see your seal stealing a fish and raise you a deer stealing a wife.
posted by homunculus at 4:50 PM on September 9, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by homunculus at 4:50 PM on September 9, 2010 [6 favorites]
So I had pulled the motor off my skiff, and was standing on the bow, paddling it across the mouth of the harbor to the boatyard, when a huge pod of orcas came rushing up the sound. I got that feeling you get when you look over the edge of a cliff and the wind blows in your face...
I am so glad they prefer eating seals to eating me.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 5:37 PM on September 9, 2010
I am so glad they prefer eating seals to eating me.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 5:37 PM on September 9, 2010
Ocean predators eat salmon. Hardly surprising. One eagle we encountered years ago was smarter and even more frustrating than that whale, though. It waited until we had landed the flippin' thing and removed the hook, then swooped in, and stole it whole off the deck. Very annoying, but hilarious as well.
No video sadly, but this comes close.
Soon, they'll be waiting until we clean and filet them before they make their move.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 5:49 PM on September 9, 2010
No video sadly, but this comes close.
Soon, they'll be waiting until we clean and filet them before they make their move.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 5:49 PM on September 9, 2010
OMG! This is from Ketchikan, Alaska, I was living there when it happened. A friend of mine is a friend of the charter captain of that boat and passed on this clip to me a few years ago. I can't believe it is showing up now. Really it's not so weird a thing, the captains focus on the schools of salmon, as do the orca. I've been passing this on for years and never thought about posting it. Thanks for the memories, quin!
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:02 PM on September 9, 2010
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:02 PM on September 9, 2010
Forgot to say, my favorite thing about that is the orca circling the boat, rolling on its side and giving the stink eye to the guys, as if to say, "give me my damn fish back!"
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:04 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:04 PM on September 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
So I had pulled the motor off my skiff, and was standing on the bow, paddling it across the mouth of the harbor to the boatyard, when a huge pod of orcas came rushing up the sound. I got that feeling you get when you look over the edge of a cliff and the wind blows in your face...
I was paddling my kayak about 12 miles off the California coast on the way to Catalina. There were still hours to go and I was mostly on auto pilot when I saw movement under my right arm. The tiger shark was probably 10 feet long but sitting beside it in the water it seemed huge. It brushed the front of my boat and then disappeared. Had that same feeling.
posted by Tenuki at 9:18 PM on September 9, 2010
I was paddling my kayak about 12 miles off the California coast on the way to Catalina. There were still hours to go and I was mostly on auto pilot when I saw movement under my right arm. The tiger shark was probably 10 feet long but sitting beside it in the water it seemed huge. It brushed the front of my boat and then disappeared. Had that same feeling.
posted by Tenuki at 9:18 PM on September 9, 2010
I've mentioned this before, but there are virtually no documented attacks by killer whales on humans in the wild. It's actually kind of weird when you consider how long the two species have been interacting...
It means they are very good at what they do.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:09 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
It means they are very good at what they do.
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:09 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Statistically, that salmon was actually more likely to be killed by a pig.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:50 AM on September 10, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by MuffinMan at 3:50 AM on September 10, 2010 [4 favorites]
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posted by farishta at 11:57 AM on September 9, 2010 [6 favorites]