So, Why Are There Only 74 Southern Resident Killer Whales Left?
As of January 5th 2019, there are 74 Southern Resident Killer Whales left, with two adults near starvation predicted to pass away before summer.
There’s something to be said about the human-like qualities about Orcinus orca, or Killer Whale.
Their empathy, intelligence and recognition of self makes it easy for them to strike a chord with a lucky viewer. Found in all oceans of the world, these giants have captured the hearts and sparked the curiosity of communities all around the globe.
The term “Southern Resident Killer Whale” (SRKW) refers to a community of fish-eating orcas along the West Coast of North America– most commonly found off the coast of British Columbia and Washington.
They have been spotted as far north as Haida Gwaii and as far south as California.
Unlike Transient killer whales who strictly feed off of marine mammals, or Offshore killer whales who are reliant on both mammals and fish, SRKW’s have a diet strictly involving fish.
For the SRKW’s, roughly 76 percent of their diet is Chinook salmon, often seen feeding on them in the spring. The mouth of Columbia River homes returning Columbia and Snake River Chinook, which is where the Southern Residents occupy waters inland during late winter through early summer.
Therein lies the problem.
It was once common to find Chinook salmon greater than 100 centimetres in length throughout the area of Columbia River up through Alaska. Now, it is more likely to find the Chinook length being up to 10 percent shorter. Reductions in size have been a common fate for many over-fished populations, and it has been assumed that fishing pressure has played a large role in the size reduction of the Chinook.
Chinook salmon spawn in freshwater streams and travel up to Alaska as adult fish. They return after 4 to 5 years to their spawning-site to breed and die. Salmon are especially sensitive to environmental changes, so the destruction of habitat will prevent returning salmon from migrating through to the Columbia River and ergo prevent population growth.
These killer whales are starving.
With roughly 70 percent of pregnancies ending in miscarriage, the SRKW’s are struggling to keep their numbers growing.
With a new year comes new discoveries. The founding director of the Centre for Whale Research, Ken Balcomb, explained that photos taken of J17, female, and K25, male, have both fallen ill due to lack of food. With the recent deaths of members such as J50 last year, the pod is facing unfortunate circumstances.
While efforts have been put in place to help aid these animals, Balcomb said “I am confident we are going to lose them sometime before summer.”
Their threat is imminent and the reality of their extinction is unprecedented and urgent. With the situation gradually becoming more dire with the new year, it’s unsurprising and hopeful that the Washington government was quick to respond to the situation.
On the 14th of March, 2018, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee formed a Southern Resident Orca Recovery Task Force. According to the task force’s report, “The task force’s ultimate goal is to ensure a healthy and resilient ecosystem that supports a thriving SRKW a population and prevents its extinction.”
To summarise, the task force is focused on four recommended goals in order to protect and aid this group of orcas:
- Increase Chinook abundance
- Decrease disturbance from vessels and overall noise
- Reduce exposure to contaminants
- Ensure that funding and information are in place to support policy implementation
Governor Inslee’s budgets for the next biennium include a combined roughly 1 billion dollars in investments which are set aside to help the SRKW’s. This pocket of money is not orca-specific but will overall benefit the surrounding environment in relation to the salmon and general issues regarding climate change.
This is a leading step in the right direction and holds as a great example for other states and international communities to implement policies to protect animals and habitats in need.
Potential measures, as well as support from communities nationally and internationally, will help restore Chinook salmon and, in turn, recover the Southern Resident Killer Whales population.
