Southern Alaska killer whales eat a remarkably diverse diet
by Jeff Richardson, the University of Alaska Fairbanks
February 23, 2026
Fish-eating killer whales in southern Alaska have a diverse, seasonally changing diet featuring salmon and groundfish, according to a recently published study in the journal Ecosphere. The types of fish consumed also differ greatly across foraging hotspots in the region.
Scientists have been observing killer whales in Prince William Sound and Kenai Fjords as part of a long-term monitoring program launched in 1984 by the North Gulf Oceanic Society. Working from May to September, researchers have gathered a total of roughly 400 remnants of prey fish and scat to develop a picture of the whales’ diets.
The samples highlighted how primary prey shifted between Chinook, chum and coho salmon, depending on where and when killer whales were hunting. Their diets also included smaller amounts of Pacific halibut, arrowtooth flounder and sablefish. For some pods, or family groups, such groundfish were especially important.
Historically, killer whale diet research relied on surface sampling of prey fragments, usually scales, which allowed researchers to primarily detect salmon species. Recent techniques that analyze DNA in scat have revealed the full breadth of the whales’ diets.
Hannah Myers, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, said the change in primary prey across foraging hotspots — even those that are very close together — was notable.
“Switching between these salmon species — with important contributions from groundfish — is a different narrative from the one we usually hear about the diet of fish-eating killer whales in the North Pacific, which emphasizes Chinook salmon as their primary prey,” said Myers, the lead author of the paper.
Keep reading: https://www.uaf.edu/news/southern-alaska-killer-whales-eat-a-remarkably-diverse-diet.php
Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70509