The fashionistas of the ocean have spoken, and it’s official — salmon hats are making a comeback.
Initially a trend in the 1980s, the dead salmon hat is once again hitting the runways of the Salish Sea in Washington, at least among orcas. One trendsetting female first wore the stylish headpiece in 1987. Within a matter of weeks, three pods of killer whales in Puget Sound donned the dead fish accessory. But as fads do, as quickly as it started, it was soon dead in the water.
Three-and-a-half decades later, Blackberry the orca has brought it back. Local photographers and researchers were shocked to see her attempting the daring look. “We saw one [orca] with a fish on its head. So that was fun –- it’s been a while since I’ve personally seen it,” said Deborah Giles, research director at Wild Orca.
Putting her own spin on it, Blackberry perfectly balanced the large dead fish next to her blow hole. In the 1980s, perching the salmon closer to the end of the orca’s snout was the more popular option.
Photo: Shutterstock
Whales seem to like hats
Flamboyant headgear has often been a popular choice in the cetacean world. Just last year, hundreds of whales were spotted donning kelp hats. Research suggests that kelp hats are both stylish and practical. They offer antibacterial properties and a rough surface to rub off stubborn barnacles.
Blackberry belongs to a group of killer whales known as the “J pod,” and this year, they have stayed in the region much longer than they usually do. The whale sighting network believes this is because of the abundant salmon stocks available at the moment. Like the kelp hats, researchers suspect that the vogueish salmon hats might serve another purpose. In this case, they also act as a lunch box.
Stashing away food for later has been seen in killer whales before. Other orca populations sometimes stow chunks of food under their pectoral fins in case they feel peckish. In the 1980s, researchers were less able to study the salmon hat craze. This time, drones have allowed scientists to follow the trend. Observing one male with a drone, Giles and her team noted that he wore the hat-cum-snack-box for half an hour before eating it.
The researchers hope to follow more of the J-pod to finally understand the logic behind the trend. We just have to hope that the revival lasts longer than it did in the 1980s.
