Orcas at Penn Cove
August 2025 - Our team member, Aaron, caught this amazing footage right from one of our mussel rafts. Watch the entire video on our Instagram.
Orcas Return to Penn Cove Once Again
Penn Cove has always been a haven for wildlife, teeming with birds, marine life, seals, and the rhythms of the tide. But for more than half a century, one sound was missing: the calls of the Southern Resident killer whales (also referred to as Orcas).
In the summer of 1970, Penn Cove became the site of one of the most painful events in local marine history. More than a dozen orcas, many of them young, were captured here and sold to marine parks, separating families and altering the population for generations. The trauma of that event echoed through the decades, leaving generations of whales forever changed and traumatized.
For over fifty years, the Southern Residents stayed away. That silence was broken in November 2024, when members of L Pod made an unforgettable entrance into Penn Cove. Locals watched in awe as the whales surfaced, breached, and glided through the same waters from which their ancestors were once taken.
And just this past August, they returned once again. Our Penn Cove Shellfish team member, Aaron, captured this video of the Orcas visit. Aaron carefully walked out onto one of our mussel rafts to marvel at their beauty. It was a breathtaking reminder that nature has its own timeline for healing.
No one knows for certain what drew them back. Perhaps younger generations are charting new paths, or maybe they were seeking calm waters during shifting winds. Whatever the reason, their presence carries deep meaning.
Seeing orcas return again to Penn Cove feels like the beginning of a new chapter. One marked not by loss, but by resilience, renewal, and hope.
At Penn Cove Shellfish, we feel privileged to witness that story unfold right in front of our mussel rafts.