Whale-watchers horrified to witness fishermen harpoon two orcas [View all]

[Eugene]

Related: St. Vincent to outlaw killing of orcas (iWitness News)

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Source: Washington Post

Whale-watchers horrified to witness fishermen harpoon two orcas

By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. April 6 at 8:35 AM

It was the moment the whale-watchers had been waiting for.

As their boat bobbed on the warm waters of the Caribbean, the tour guide told the 40 or so cruise-ship passengers that a pod of orcas had swum into viewing distance.

They were passengers on a larger ship that was sailing the Caribbean Islands and had booked this separate expedition with Fantasea tours off the coast of St. Vincent, the main island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, according to local media reports. The whale- and dolphin-watching tour promises “a show put on in their natural environment” that would be “spectacular beyond words.”

But as the whale-watchers looked on, a small fishing boat motored nearby, closing the gap between it and the four killer whales. Bolted to the front of the boat was a small, rifle-powered harpoon.

Ken Issacs, a crew member on the whale-watching boat, realized what was happening, according to Caribbean360.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/04/06/dozens-on-whale-watching-tour-horrified-to-witness-fishermen-harpoon-2-orcas/?utm_term=.5b94c4cde563

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Cruise Ship Cancels Tours in St Vincent After Slaughter of Killer Whales in Full View of Visitors (Caribbean 360)