Meg Farris

WWL-TV

NEW ORLEANS — A rare sight off the Louisiana coast is surprising experts and could have them re-evaluating the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.



The exclusive video WWL-TV first showed Wednesday night of killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico now has the attention of U.S. government experts.

Orcas usually don't come close to the mouth of the Mississippi River, so why are they there now? Scientists are asking for your help to find out.

"This is really an amazing story that you have told. We have not heard about this before," said marine biologist Dr. Moby Solangi, president of The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport.

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It all started Saturday when a group of friends were fishing in the Gulf, 50 miles south of South Pass. Then, the unexpected happened. A pod of orcas or killer whales were spotted at least 100 miles from their natural, deep, cold water habitat. They sent the video to Eyewitness News, who contacted experts at IMMS.

"That is concerning, you know,” said Dr. Solangi. “It's when these animals start showing signs of change, we need to pay attention."

IMMS has now alerted NOAA, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as was done when young pygmy whales, near death, beached themselves in Mississippi months ago. They were 200 miles away from their home.

"It's been remarkable,” Dr. Solangi said of the pygmy whales, the only ones to survive in captivity. “We have never expected this. We never expected them to live more than a couple of days."

Working with NOAA, the pygmy whales could be released in a month.

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The orca video has scientists asking questions since these mammals, that normally live in the area where the BP oil spill flowed for 87 days in 2010, are moving, and a larger number of dolphins and turtles are dying.

"That certainly disrupted their habitat,” said Solangi. “There's no question. These are top predators and if they're moving somewhere, something may be going on."

Is their food source gone or changed? Are there new toxins, salinity changes, noise and seismic pollution from oil exploration and drilling, pipelines, dredging, and ships? These are all questions scientists will be exploring.

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The scientists at IMMS in Gulfport are asking for your help. If you're out in the Gulf and see any marine mammals out of their normal habitat, or beached, try to video it, get your GPS location and let them know at 888-SOS-DOLPHIN, (888-767-3657) Send videos to contactus@imms.org., or visit www.imms.org.