HOSTILE WATERS

To Catch an Orca

Live killer whale captures in the Pacific Northwest during the 1960s and ’70s fueled a worldwide orca craze. Puget Sound was the primary source of supply. But a 1976 hunt for SeaWorld in Budd Inlet was a turning point, leading to the end of an era. Just one killer whale taken from Puget Sound survives today.

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Read more about Namu and his journey that sparked
a worldwide sensation and changed everything we knew about “blackfish.”
  • CREDITS
  • Editing: Lauren Frohne
  • Interviews: Lynda Mapes
  • Cinematography: Steve Ringman, Ramon Dompor
  • Photo Research: Colin Diltz

  • Archival Footage Courtesy of Ted Griffin, Michael Harris and Baby Wild Films
  • Archival Photos Courtesy of Game Department, Ralph Munro Papers, Washington State Archives
  • Additional Footage Courtesy of NOAA
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