Killer Whale Steals Halibut From End Of Fisherman’s Line In Video From Alaska
A killer whale gave one Alaskan fisherman a big surprise when it decided to steal the halibut he was about to catch and have it for lunch.
The incident was caught on a remarkable video that gives a rare glimpse of Alaskan wild. While sightings of killer whales, or orcas, are common in Alaska it’s pretty unusual for one to steal a fish right off the line.
Video of the killer whale stealing the halibut was uploaded to Facebook by Laurie Jones, who titled it “Catching ‘Big Fish’ in Alaska.” By early Tuesday the video had already been shared close to 21,000 times and liked 5,000 times.
In the video, the camera is trained on crystal blue water as a fisherman reels in the large halibut. As it starts to come into sight, a large flash is visible behind it as an orca whale closes in. The whale takes a bite at first but lets go, and it appears that the fisherman might have a chance to get it on board.
But one of the fisherman’s friends advises him to leave the halibut in the water, and the killer whale comes back again, taking the fish and racing in the other direction until it appears the fishing line breaks.
Jones didn’t include any details about the video, like when it took place or whether the fishermen knew the orca was present. Grind TV speculated that the men could have been trying to entice the whale to take the hooked fish, a tactic fishermen sometimes use when looking for sharks.
The video of the killer whale stealing the halibut from the fisherman is reminiscent of another recent viral video. After some flooding near Myrtle Beach, a young woman fishing in an inlet was surprised when a bull shark swooped in and snapped her catch right off the line.
