The Killer Whale Journals: Our Love and Fear of Orcas

by Hanne Strager, Paul Nicklen (Foreword/Photographer)

When intrepid biology student Hanne Strager volunteered to be the cook on a small research vessel in Norway's Lofoten Islands, the trip inspired a decades-long journey into the lives of killer whales—and an exploration of people's complex relationships with the biggest predators on earth. The Killer Whale Journals chronicles the now internationally renowned science writer's fascinating adventures around the world, documenting Strager's personal experiences with orcas in the wild.

Killer whales' incredible intelligence, long life spans, and strong family bonds lead many people to see them as kindred spirits in the sea. But not everyone feels this way—like wolves, orcas have been both beloved and vilified throughout human history. In this absorbing odyssey, Strager traces the complicated relationship between humans and killer whales, while delving into their behavior, biology, and ecology. She brings us along in her travels to the most remote corners of the world, battling the stormy Arctic seas of northern Norway with fellow biologists intent on decoding whale-song, interviewing First Nations conservationists in Vancouver, observing Inuit hunters in Greenland, and witnessing the dismantling of black market "whale jails" in the Russian wilderness of Kamchatka. Through these captivating stories, Strager introduces us to a diverse cast of characters from Inuit elders to Australian Aboriginal whalers and guides us through the world's wild waters, from fjords above the Arctic circle in Norway to the poaching-infested waters off Kamchatka. Featuring astonishing photographs from famed nature photographer and conservationist Paul Nicklen, The Killer Whale Journals reveals rare and intimate moments of connection with these fierce, brilliant predators.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Nature, Natural History, History, Wildlife

280 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2023

About the author

I am a biologist and science writer - and a passionate reader. After graduating from the Aarhus University, Denmark, I studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as a Fulbright Scholar.

Many years ago I cofounded a whale center in northern Norway and I remain involved in cetacean research and conservation. I have served as the director of exhibitions at the Natural History Museum of Denmark and has twenty years’ experience making science and natural history accessible to the general public.

I have been awarded the Copenhagen University Natural Sciences Faculty’s prize for science communication.

Reviews

[Persephone's Pomegranate]

You had me at 'orcas.'

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Orcas breathe air like us, they love, they mourn—How we—humans choose to live with the natural world’s apex predators will define who we are to future generations. Were we hunters who merely wanted to subjugate them & lead them to ultimate extinction or were we seeking a way to coexist in peace? Ultimately, what we decide will not only shape the world the orcas live in but the world we ourselves will be living in.’

‘The whalers’ loathing of killer whales may have been prompted by competition for the whale meat but underneath that ran fear and horror. As the killer whales started eating from the whaler’s carcasses, Robertson heard the sharp crack of a rifle and seconds later, he saw one of the killer whales sinking in a whirl of spray and blood. For some crew members on the whaling ships, shooting killer whales was more than a leisure sport; it was morally justified in the same way as the Danish hunter’s shooting of the corvids. As is often the case in such conflicts, they are more governed by preconceived ideas than facts, and in both cases the competition over the resource may be exaggerated.’

“When there is big money at stake, problems are always hard to solve.”

‘My fascination with them left me unprepared for the strong emotions of fear & hatred they elicit in people. How are they perceived as a threat & a competitor in some places while revered & admired in others? Orcas are unconcerned with our attitudes. They don’t need our love or our hatred. How we understand & interact with them is instead a reflection of ourselves & how we want to live with the complexity of others.’

‘We are so used to—a world that has been systematically hunted, fished, burned, logged, & harvested that we have little idea how abundant wildlife was before so many of us humans came along—Sometimes I wonder if that is precisely what is attractive about zoos & aquaria: wild animals bereft of anything that makes them wild. Do we like nature better when it is toothless & benign, rather than when it is wild & untamed?’

‘It’s a horrific story of how killer whales were systematically persecuted and eradicated in Iceland in the 1950s, and I have never understood what the background for the conflict was or why the situation escalated so badly.’

‘There's a growing understanding about the value of wilderness, not just in terms of what it means for tourism but also the value it has for people—But the thing that bewildered him the most was that nobody hunted—fat pigeons—near the central station in Copenhagen. They think of nature as a backdrop—food as something bought in supermarkets. To Greenlandic people—on the other hand—nature & food are intimately linked.’

‘The Kingdom of Denmark colonised Greenland and its Inuit people in the late 1700s. Bound together by the centuries-long history of colonialism, the two peoples are so widely different in their ways of life that, at times, it can be difficult to find common ground. This is increasingly true as many Greenlandic people today desire greater autonomy or complete independence from Denmark. Most Danes have ties to Greenland. Either they had an uncle who worked there for a couple of years, or a schoolmate who was from Greenland, or a cousin who married a Greenlandic man or woman. Often these Danes’ connections to Greenland are characterized by a deep love of the country and its people. But the love is not always reciprocated. Like many other Danes, I also have a relationship with Greenland.’

‘All over the world, killer whales have been characterized by having cultures, which are the behaviors they learn from each other that are distinct from others of their species. If all the members of a social group with a unique culture disappear, so does that culture.’

‘Surrounding the town with a raw wilderness, the Arctic tundra embraces Tasiilaq from all sides. From the northern rim of the town, I follow a footpath leading into the wilds through the Valley of Flowers. I don’t know if the valley is named after the Arctic flowers that bloom there in the spring and summertime—but not in September while I’m there—or if it is named after the eternal flowers, of which there are thousands, in the churchyard that stretches along a creek in the bottom of the valley. In the simple burial ground, row after row of plain wooden crosses line up humbly in the yellowing grass, but the graves are demonstratively decorated with plastic flowers in screaming red, orange, pink, and yellow, as if the bright colors can defy the reality of loss and grief.’

‘Places where you are close to ancient history have a way of getting to you. The feeling of connection to whomever was here so many thousands of years ago—The animals—they were so obviously made by someone who shared our sense of aesthetics and love of wildlife. It was a humbling and overwhelming insight to feel how much we and the ancient artists were alike.’

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanne Strager is an amazingly talented storyteller. This book takes you around the world sharing accounts of different peoples and cultures relationships with orcas. I love non-fiction books that are written in such an engaging way that they wrap you up inside them. This book is as much an anthropological and sociological study as it is biology, ecology, and animal behavior. It’s a page turner and gives such interesting perspective on the relationships people can build with nature/animals. At 229 pages, it’s a quick read. I highly recommend it!

[hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing read about killer whales and human relationship with them in Norway, Iceland, Australia, Russia, Greenland, and the Pacific Northwest.

Some of these populations aren't written about often, so I was thrilled to learn a bit more about them - and Hanne Strager doesn't disappoint in this aspect.

In the context of orca literature published before, too, The Killer Whale Journals is really refreshing, relying predominantly on Strager's experience and interviews.


Further reading about killer whales in Norway:
Norwegian Killer Whales

[Inês Filipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not recommend this book enough.. It was very weird in an amazing way the way I came across this book.. I was writing a proposal for a corse about the killer whales of the straight of Gibraltar when, while searching for literature and admitably procrastinating a bit.. I stumbled across this piece and without even thinking wether or not to.. I had already ordered it.. It was due 3 days later.. And that wait was very difficult.. Even if I still had no idea what the book was about.. Read nothing about it.. No review.. But I had a feeling.. The day after ordering it I had to prepare a 3 minute pitch for the fake grant me and my colleagues were applying to.. The put h went very well and once I got home.. The best finally for that day was to find out that the book had arrived.. Haven't read a book so quickly in years.. It was just waht I needed.. But besides this.. The incredible thing.. As I was reading my first reaction was to the description of first seeing a whale or dolphin.. Spot on.. Then, one of the last sentences in chapter one (if I am not mistaken) was almost exactly what I had Said to end my pitch with the day before.. And now juts as I was finishing the book.. To my surprise and appreciation.. The stars of my pitch were mentioned.. And once again.. The angle of the description of the encounters was very similar to mine.. Don't really know what to make of this coincidences or what ever they can be called.. Other than the fact that I really want to meet the auther and work with killer whales..
P. S. Cried way too much

Thank you for this amazing piece

[saddest_orenji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué absoluta belleza de libro. La autora un día decidió dar un vuelco a su vida y, trabajando en la cocina de un barco de científicos marinos, empieza a estudiar cetáceos, más concretamente a las Orcas. En este libro habla de una forma bellísima de sus encuentros y de la relación entre humanos y orcas allá donde han compartido orillas. Relatos de una historia compartida llena de esperanza a pesar de lo amenazada que se ve siempre la fauna salvaje por nuestra especie. He aprendido muchísimo no solo de orcas, sino de lugares, costumbres y otras especies. No sé qué más decir, quisiera poder vivir un poco de su vida, haber visto la mitad de las cosas que ha visto.

[Juny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es una joya oculta que no puede ignorarse ni olvidarse una vez descubierta. Es una de las mejores obras que he tenido el privilegio de leer. La historia es fascinante y adictiva y te atrapa desde la primera página. Strager tiene un talento especial para conectar historias y para crear un mundo tan detallado que te sientes parte de él. Hacía mucho tiempo que no me sumergía tanto en un libro.

El libro habla de las orcas, mostrando su belleza y su poder, y documentando su compleja realidad. Parece que viajas por el mundo, visitando lugares como Noruega, Australia, Rusia, Canadá y Groenlandia, y se te presenta la vida de las orcas y la relación que los humanos han tenido con ellas, tanto en el pasado como en el presente. Strager comparte historias que abren un mundo nuevo, mostrando la belleza oculta en el océano.

Las orcas, a menudo incomprendidas y juzgadas precipitadamente, se presentan bajo una nueva luz en este libro. Las historias generan respeto, comprensión y admiración por estas criaturas y su entorno acuático. Sin duda, este libro merece cinco estrellas. Es un regalo para quienes sienten la llamada del océano y desean aprender más sobre las orcas y nuestra relación con ellas.

- - -

Nota: Como advertencia para algunos, el libro trata principalmente de nuestra relación histórica con las orcas contada a través de las historias y experiencias de la propia autora y de otras personas, pasadas y presentes, más que de «ciencia rigurosa» sobre estas ballenas. Por supuesto, también hay ciencia, mucha ciencia, en el libro. Aun así, Hanne Strager no decepciona con su forma de contar estas diferentes historias.

[Superstine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spekkhoggere er og forblir favorittdyret mitt.
Denne handler mer om menneskers forhold til spekkhoggere enn om selve dyret. Lærte mer enn jeg trodde! Kunne gjerne hatt mer om spekkhoggere i fangenskap, men tror det var utelatt med vilje

[Freja H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinerende og smukke dyr💙 Min drøm er at se spækhuggere i naturen en dag

[Hannah Weesner]

Barely got through it, really good research but I am not tough enough or emotionally stable enough to process this book hahaha

[Bethany Shimasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a treat to read. Strager highlights and talks about killer whales from multiple different countries and communities in an engaging and informative way. She makes these stories personal and pulls from her own experiences and the experiences of those she meets. As someone deeply embedded in the whale watching community in the San Juan Islands, it was fascinating to read about other killer whales in Norway, Iceland and Russia that mirror our SRKWs but also are unique communities of their own. The horrors inflicted on killer whales is not isolated to one place. Our history with these animals is shameful but the best and most important step is how we move forward with education, understanding and conservation. Hopefully and ideally we are making their world and ours a better place for the future.

[Ina Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved reading this book!

[Kieran Saucedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know I wanted to drop everything and become an Alaskan whale researcher until I read this book. Pure whimsy.

[Sanjot Grewal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up to read something informative about my current hyper fixation, orcas. I definitely learned a lot but also loved the story telling in this book. It felt like an adventure! It made me appreciate orcas on a whole new level and also the people (biologists, environmentalists etc.) that play hugely important roles to learn about and to preserve the lives of these beautiful animals. Loved everything about this.

[George P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely well researched by a biologist extensively involved in study of orcas (killer whales). Not highly technical so readable by anyone with basic science understanding. Weaves in a lot of first-person experience that makes the reading go rather quickly. The last 25 or so pages are references, acknowledgements etc so the text is only about 250 pages.

[Lærke Mathilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virkelig spændende bog! Den er selvfølgelig super god hvis man er interesseret i spækhuggere, men Hanne Strager er også bare en rigtig dygtig historiefortæller, så bogen er fyldt med smukke naturbeskrivelser og lærerige samtaler. Og fotografierne er jo bare prikken over i’et.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started reading this on the beach of tenerife and really liked reading about the whales. I also liked the authors personal experience as to say "the human part" of the book. Would recommend it to any lover of nature :)

[Simon Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked to like it better. Thought it would be more about orcas than about the relation between humans and orcas (I know it says in the title). But still we learn a great deal about that facsinating animal.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strager eloquently travels the world and demonstrates that while situations may be unique, the connection we feel to these charismatic creatures is universal and they're worthy of our respect and care, not our fear.

[Asha Stark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this hoping for a bit of expansion on this video (that I've watched several times) and it's exactly what I got.
Very enjoyable and illuminating.

[Michaela Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more narrative about the author's research than I expected, but I still learned a lot! I read on vacation after being enthralled by news stories of orcas sinking mega-yachts, and my husband asked me to please stop telling him whale facts.

[Melanie Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little long / more historic than necessary but still great journalism and fascinating stories about these incredible animals

[Jessi B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more subdued read for summer, I throughly enjoyed each chapter which has filled me with more knowledge and awe for theses beautiful creatures I already adored.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of all the orca books out there and this one is definitely going on my favorite shelf.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love orcas. I grew up in an environment where their iconography had long been packaged as charasmatic performers and cute, cuddly toys - a far cry from the monstrous portrayals such as Leviathan or of voracious, vicious beasts that was the common image of these creatures just decades before my birth. Throughout the world, and throughout time, human relationships with whales has been complex and oscillating; there has never been a fixed portrayal.

This book is a fascinating overview of these relationships. How they have changed, how they are changing. Can you believe that before the first Shamu leapt through a hoop at Seaworld that the US military had been commissioned by the Icelandic government to literally bomb killer whales? Yes. Hundreds, if not thousands killed from helicopters and planes. Can you believe that in the same era that a fisherman could get a dollar for a bucket of bald eagle legs, Norweigan whalers were selling killer whale meat to English fur farms? Can you believe that, even today, in Greenland killer whales are slaughtered solely to be turned into dog food?

This book made me furious. It made me despair. The pointlessness of all these wasted lives. How much we know and understand that killer whales have long lives and intergenerational cultural connections that we have been and are wiping out. That they are sick with pollutants that destroy birthlines and riddle them with cancers, that images such as a mother orca holding the corpse of her child for weeks in an act of profound grief will only become more commonplace if nothing is done. Over and over again, killer whales were blamed for issues caused by overfishing. The human made problem externalised.

The book also made me weep with hope. The acts of kindness that humans have been able to extend to killer whales - impoverished villages choosing to save a clutch of beached orcas, the urgent desire to reunite an orphaned calf hundreds of miles from home with its pod, the people of Kwakwaka'wakw Nation singing to the whales they've considered family for centuries & the whales in turn breaching and spy-hoping in recognition. The stories of orcas even assisting whalers and fishermen, the tacit understanding between predators. The Russian people protesting at the exploitation and capture of killer whales destined for aquariums, the changing tide of attitudes around the world.

The brutal destruction that mankind can wreak is beautifully contrasted by the difference our love and affection can make. There is no broad brush approach taken here, and Strager tries to take a measured understanding even of the whale-killers. I appreciated her attempt to connect with even those she vehemently disagrees with, in part to lay the seeds that may someday become co-operation rather than animosity, but also because so often the issue is not so simple. Countries and peoples that have once called for orca culls now celebrate their presence, and this change is as much economic as it is cultural. It broadened my own understanding and allowed me to see things in a way that wasn't just emotive or demonising.

Killer whale populations are fragile. I truly hope this is not the last epoch for them, that we will be able to appreciate them not just in ten thousand year old line-drawings or beautifully catalogued photographic collections. So many systemic issues must be resolved first, and love will not be enough. This book does not provide answers as such - but nevertheless, it is a beautiful report on the species and our connection with it, and, perhaps, through that connection so too can change come through.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the natural history of orcas and their habits, such as how they like to eat the tongues and lips of other whales, how they surround shoals of herring and whip them with their flukes to death, and how they bond with their infants and carry them in their mouths in grief when they die. Moreover, I learned about Scandinavia's fractious and frictitious history with whales. A lot of Nordics were whalers and fishermen. They killed thousands of whales. There are two major reasons for this according the book. First, some whales were killed during the commercial whaling industry for their blubber and baleen. Second, some other whales such as orcas were decimated because they were perceived and resented as rival predators for fisheries' harvests, such as herring, and were blamed for the loss of catch. Partially as a result, some whales are close to extinct, such as the Northern right whales who number in the hundreds and will never recover. Nowadays of course, there is attitudinal shift and growing appreciation for whales in conservation and the tourism industry. A stark example of this sea change of attitudes is in Iceland, where whale-watching is featured in tourism, whereas before in 1950-1958 there were joint American-Icelandic military operations to attack and kill orca pods and rid Iceland fisheries of them. Of course, even now, this split of attitudes remain because Norway still does some whaling. This was a very interesting, informative, nuanced read about orcas from a leading researcher who has witnessed, and lead, the change in attitudes. The book is instructive about how clashes occur between people and wildlife when people feel that their livelihoods or food resources are being threatened.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was solid and interesting (and at times sad) to read. If there’s one consistent message I’ve learned, humans impose their knowledge, experience, and hunger for money at the expense of animals. The whales are eating all the fish, we need to kill the whales so we can make money on fish. Animals eat until they have enough; humans do not stop even when they have enough. There is always more, more, more. More money to make, more mouths to feed. I want to trust there is a middle ground where humans and animals can live in a balance, without excessive taking from one side or another. I want to believe that animals are part of a natural balance, and it is humans who throw the balance into extremes, sometimes with no going back. I really enjoyed this book that blended personal stories with historical stories from different perspectives and locations around the world. I feel so bad for animals that have been hunted and killed on the verge of extinction, and sometimes to extinction.

[caroline! · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really excellent depiction of killer whales in the anthropocene, interspersed with fascinating dialogue with strager herself and the many scientists and other individuals whose path she crosses. i was very excited to learn more about orca populations that aren’t talked about a lot, although i was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more information about the whales specifically. i read this with interest, as the relationship between the public and these magnificent animals is tenuous and captivating, but that just isn’t my favorite thing to learn about any animal. that being said, strager has led a fascinating life. if i see half as many whales in my lifetime as she i will die the happiest person in the world.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging read about an amazing species. I'm surprised by how much I learned through reading. The chapter on Twofold Bay was amazing! As this is a 'nature memoir,' there is a higher emphasis on personal experience than plain fact-finding. Some chapters are more human focused than orca focused. Despite this, it's a great, well-written tale about our relationship with the world's largest predator.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Killer Whale Journals is a balanced and non-judgemental account of people's differing attitudes towards orcas, that, refreshingly, takes in experiences from around the world. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024...