Alana Lyons, 38, of Fremont was showing her family from Georgia around the Ballard Locks on Monday, Aug. 10, when the fish and seals suddenly vanished from the water. Then came a splash, then cheering.
Several black fins broke the surface just after 5 p.m. A pod of transient orcas had entered the Ship Canal and was cruising below the spillway at one of Ballard's most beloved landmarks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Locks, shared video and confirmed the pod was a group of Bigg's killer whales. Photographer Seonwoo Lee, who said he spends a lot of time at the Locks, captured photos and said he had never seen orcas there. Boat rental company Ahoy Rentals filmed the pod heading back out through the canal.
Lyons said she counted at least four orcas. Her stepdad spotted what may have been a baby swimming alongside an adult.
Why scientists are celebrating
The timing matters. August is peak season for Chinook salmon passing through the Locks' fish ladder, and seals and sea lions typically crowd the area to pick off fish funneled through the man-made structure.
But these transient orcas don't eat salmon. They eat marine mammals.
Deborah Giles, a scientist at the SeaDoc Society, told the Seattle Times the sighting represents the best possible outcome for salmon recovery. Seals and sea lions have exactly one natural predator: orcas.
"There's no better deterrent than a mammal-eating killer whale," Giles said.
The USACE noted the orcas' appearance during the salmon run may have been coincidence, or the activity of harbor seals and sea lions gathering where salmon concentrate may have drawn the marine-mammal hunters into the area.
Marine biologists, lawmakers and tribes have debated for over a decade how to control record numbers of seals and sea lions overpredating salmon statewide. Proposed deterrents have included firecrackers, seal bombs and recordings of orca sounds. In 1996, Seattle tried submerging "Fake Willy," a 16-foot fiberglass orca purchased from a Scottish fish farmer for about $3,000, into the water near the Locks. Radio listeners helped fund it. The marine mammals ignored it. The fiberglass replica now stands on display near the Locks visitor center after going missing for years and turning up outside a Mexican restaurant.
The real orcas, it seems, are more convincing.
Bigg's transient orcas also appeared at Golden Gardens in February 2024, making this the second notable orca sighting at Ballard's waterfront in roughly two years.
Ballard community week ahead
- Tuesday, Aug. 11: Dancing 'til Dusk at Ballard Commons Park, 6–9 p.m. The JerKels (Retro Americana). Free.
- Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16: Free Summer Concerts at the Locks, 2–4:30 p.m. Mach One Jazz Orchestra (Aug. 15) and Pacifica Big Band (Aug. 16). Concerts run every weekend through Sept. 7.
- Golden Gardens Direct shuttle: King County Metro and SDOT's free beach shuttle connects Ballard to Golden Gardens through the end of August.
- Tuesday, Aug. 25: Dancing 'til Dusk at Ballard Commons Park, 6–9 p.m. Louisiana Night.
- Sunday, Aug. 30: Dancing 'til Dusk fundraiser at Golden Gardens Bathhouse, 5:30–9 p.m. DJ Battle with Lilli Ann Carey and Friends. Suggested donation $25. Theme: Ball Blanc (wear white).
