Manitoba scientists who study Manitoba’s north say more killer whales are venturing to the Churchill region.

University of Manitoba’s Steve Ferguson studies the evolutionary ecology of large arctic mammals, including whales, and the impact of climate change on their populations.

He said there have been more reported sightings of the whales the last eight years. He said their increasing numbers in the match up with decreasing amounts of sea ice.

Tour operators in Churchill say they want to offer tourists an up close encounter with nature. Some sense the whales are starting to come more often, but others said it’s because the whale tours are venturing farther out into the ocean.

Last month, one local tour company says they caught a rare pod of killer whales near Churchill. “They were out there patrolling in a group and they managed to kill a beluga whale right in front of us,” said operator Dwight Allen with Sea North Tours.

He said the experience was a little scary seeing how big the whales are in person, but the tourists were excited and felt the experience was rewarding.

Operator Wally Daudrich has been providing tours for two decades in Churchill. He doesn’t feel a sighting is necessarily rare, and worries they could scare off the belugas from tourists.

But scientists said it’s not clear if that would be the case. Daudrich said he hopes to show off the belugas when they are calm and curious.

Both Allen and Daudrich said it’s too early to market them to tourists in addition to polar bears and belugas, but Ferguson said it could one day be possible.

Every year, about 10,000 visitors make the trip to Churchill.