Orcas come to the fjords surrounding Lofoten in Norway, to feed on the abundant herring · Paul Nicklen
Almost everywhere, the pace of degradation is frightening. Intense overfishing is punctuated by what has become the norm: pollution, industrial expansion, and careless development.
Orcas hunt for herring in Norway’s Andfjorden. Members of the pod coordinate their moves, herding a mass of herring into a manageable ball. They then whip their tails against the ball, stunning or killing the fish · Paul Nicklen
As orcas get in place around a school of herring, they stay in close contact with calls, whistles, and echolocation clicks · Paul Nicklen
The government recognized the vital role that herring play in providing jobs and nourishment to so many, as well as the iconic cultural status that the species holds for the Norse people, and so invested in protecting the fish.
After herring at the edge have been stunned, orcas feed, not taking big gulps of the fish, but picking them off one by one · Paul Nicklen
A humpback whale fin surfaces in the northern fjords of Norway · Paul Nicklen
Humpback whales rise from the depths of Norway’s fjords with power and grace · Paul Nicklen
Progress must continue, but not at the cost of life on Earth. What we do or fail to do in the next ten years to preserve the ocean’s ability to provide vital ecological services — like releasing oxygen, absorbing carbon, and supplying food — may be the most important thing we do for the next 10,000 years.
A huge male orca surges out of the dark water at magic hour in the fjords of northern Norway · Paul Nicklen
The path ahead is not an easy one. In the fjords of Lofoten, the courage of young people has changed the future. In the “iskant,” the government has bowed to the oil industry.
An adult male orca in the deep waters of the Andfjorden. Their tall dorsal fins distinguish them from females · Cristina Mittermeier
