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2nd place Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Yifan Ling USA

48°29'12.0"N 122°45'36.0"W

"This photo, taken on July 13, 2024, captures one-year-old Bigg’s orca T065B3 - known as 'Rook' - near Bird Rocks, WA," says Ling. "Against the glowing sunset, Rook proudly displays a harbour seal he found while his family patrolled nearby and later helped him capture. At this age, orcas typically rely on milk and rarely hunt alone, making this moment especially impressive. His emerging skill highlights the ecological richness of the Salish Sea, where both harbour seal and Bigg’s orca populations have rebounded thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 - a testament to the impact of long-term conservation efforts."

BEHIND THE LENS

Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025, YIFLIN1

Yifan Ling China

ABOUT THE IMAGE

  • Sunset shoot
  • Calm conditions
  • Site accessed by boat
  • F/7.1, 1/3200, ISO 1000

Yifan Ling is a Seattle-based wildlife photographer specializing in the transient (Bigg’s) killer whales of the Northeast Pacific. With a background in engineering, he is known for his precision in identifying individual orcas and documenting their behavior through high-resolution imagery. Inspired by the decline of the AT1 pod after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Yifan uses each encounter as an opportunity to collect detailed data for research. He donates his images royalty-free to institutions monitoring orca populations, with the goal of preserving their stories and supporting conservation efforts before other pods face a similar fate.

IMAGES BY Yifan Ling