Humpback whales spotted in Columbia River

Humpback whales were spotted in the Columbia River near Astoria, OPB said on Tuesday.

Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium captured pictures of the Humpback whales close to Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach and multiple photographic encounters along the Columbia River at Astoria.

Oregon Public Broadcasting producer Vince Patton, who spotted the whales on Monday just downstream from the Astoria Megler Bridge leading towards Washington, shot some video footage of the sea creatures as they joined a “feeding frenzy of pelicans diving into the water”, according to OregonLive.

Biologist Deborah Jacques, who studies pelicans, said she’s never seen humpbacks so far in from the ocean.

Boothe said the Humpbacks are being seen often from Manzanita up into the Columbia River – more than thirty miles of shoreline.

“It’s really great to be able to see it, but you also wonder what’s going on out in the ocean”.

It’s a flawless storm for whale watching with calm waters brought on by the coasts summer.

Whales usually feed in clusters and fresh water does not affect them if it’s for short periods of time.

Bruce Mate, director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, told Portland CBS affiliate KOIN 6 News that the whales were likely chasing anchovies and that El Niño conditions are driving them closer to shore in search for food.

Researchers point to a significantly strong El Nino this year as a cause for the whales’ unusual appearance. According to NOAA, El Niño is, “a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the Tropical Pacific having important consequences for weather and climate around the globe”.