Caught on camera: Humpback whale sighting in the Columbia River

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A humpback whale was spotted in the mouth of the Columbia River near Warrenton, Oregon over the weekend.

Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer shared footage of the sighting with KOIN 6 News. The whale was breaching in the area for a couple of hours on Saturday, the mayor said, and was last seen near the Washington side of the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

“I thought it was a gray [whale], because the only humpbacks I’ve seen were breaching more dramatically, but it’s definitely a humpback whale,” Warrenton said. “[We] saw it chasing a school of anchovies located between buoy 12 and 14.”

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Oregon State University Stranding Program Manager Jim Rice confirmed that the whale in the video is a humpback.

“It’s not uncommon for humpbacks to venture into the mouth of the Columbia River, especially this time of year,” Rice said.

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