Lobster fishermen in northern Cape Breton got an up-close glimpse of a pod of killer whales this week, a sighting that a marine biologist says is on the rise.

Bernie Lamey was hauling lobster traps on Monday not far off Cape Smokey, a famous Cabot Trail  landmark, when a couple of orcas started circling the boat.

Within 10 minutes, the fishermen had spotted about a dozen. The orcas seemed to be in a playful mood.

"They came around our boat, bumped into the boat, rolled around, showed their bellies…