General News

Orcas, Dolphins Spotted off Nagasaki by Japan Coast Guard Vessels

Courtesy of Tsushima Coast Guard Office
A pod of dolphins spotted off Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Feb. 25.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:14 JST, March 8, 2023

NAGASAKI — A pod of orcas and another of dolphins were seen by Japan Coast Guard patrol boats off Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture.

According to the Hitakatsu Coast Guard Station, its Hayagumo patrol boat spotted about 10 killer whales swimming in a group about 13 kilometers off the north coast of Tsushima at around 10 a.m. on March 1.

The orcas swam ahead of the patrol boat for about five minutes and then dove down into the sea.

Courtesy of Hitakatsu Coast Guard Station
An orca swims off Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, on March 1.

The dolphins were spotted by the Tsushima Coast Guard Office’s Natsugumo patrol boat. According to the coast guard office, four or five dolphins were swimming near Tarugahama port in Tsushima at around 11:20 a.m. on Feb. 25.

The dolphins approached the patrol boat and swam alongside it for several minutes. They then moved away.