(Image belongs to me - photo is of J-27 Blackberry)This month I would like to shine a spotlight on a special population of Orca that are in dire need of help, despite the fact that these whales are the single most well-studied and popular group in the world.
The Southern Resident Killer Whales are a small population of Orcas that reside almost year-round in the north eastern Pacific Ocean. They are an extended family that is comprised of 3 different pods: J, K, and L. They are often seen in the waters of the Salish Sea, which include the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Strait of Georgia, and Puget Sound, as well as the connecting channels and waters around the San Juan Islands in Washington state and the Gulf Islands in British Columbia. However, they have been sighted as far north as southeastern Alaska and as far south as central California.
In the late 1800's, it is believed that the Southern Residents once stood at around 200 individuals. Today, they sit at a mere 83 individuals. Calves have a mortality rate of about 50% before they turn 1 year old, while the majority of calves that do survive their first year turn out to be males.
(J-50 Scarlet is the only surviving female calf that has been born in the last 12ish months, though the sex of two L pod calves remain unknown)One of the factors that significantly contributed to their current endangered status and caused a massive ripple effect was the scramble to capture these whales for marine parks in the mid to late 1960's and early 1970's.
From 1964 to 1976, a total of 45 Southern Residents were captured for the purpose of being put on public display in marine parks such as SeaWorld; while some died during the captures. These early captures took an unfortunately heavy toll on the Southern Resident population as a whole, as all of the whales captured during this time were young whales - often 4 years or younger. Because of the young age of the whales captured, almost an entire generation of whales were lost that could have produced calves and contributed significantly to the population.
While capturing whales in Washington State was prohibited in 1976, the Southern Residents are still struggling to survive today. Some of the most serious threats they face include noise pollution and chemical contamination. These whales are among the most heavily contaminated in the world due to the high levels of toxins that accumulate within their bodies, including insecticides like DDT, PBDE's
(most often used as flame retardant), and PCB's. Many of the areas they frequent are also extremely popular shipping channels while other areas are well-known Navy testing sites. The sonar used by the navy has been shown to severely impact these whales' ability to use their own sonar to track and forage for food, which is already the biggest challenge they face.
Resident Orcas are just one eco-type of many, though they are an eco-type only found in the Pacific Ocean. Resident's are known to only prey on salmon, most notably the Chinook salmon, which happens to also be endangered like the Southern Residents. This is largely due to habitat degradation and overfishing - though farmed fish have also proven to be extremely detrimental to the survival of wild salmon.
There are many ways that you can help this special population of Orca - whether it's doing volunteer work, protesting or petitioning lawmakers, or simply changing your day-to-day habits.
1. Avoid eating salmon, or make sure the seafood you eat has been sustainably caught/farmed.
(Salmon Confidential - Save Our Wild Salmon - Southern Resident Killer Whale Chinook Salmon Initiative)2. Support legislation that works in favor of the whales, such as the removal of dams to promote healthy salmon runs.3. Sign petitions protesting the construction of oil pipelines or drilling that would destroy pristine lands and harm all wildlife. Oil spills are one of the most notorious killers of wildlife and the effects linger for decades after. One example are the AT1 Transient Orcas that reside mainly in Prince William Sound, Alaska. In the early to mid 1980's, this genetically distinct group of Killer Whales numbered just 22 individuals, but were still able to reproduce successfully. However, in 1989 their fate was sealed when a supertanker called Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, dumping an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sound. On the day the spill occurred, the whales were sighted swimming through the oily waters, and likely fed on seals caught in the oil. As a result, the AT1's have lost a total of 15 whales since 1989. Today, they are simply existing with a mere 7 individuals with no calves sighted since 1984, and not enough pod members to maintain any kind of genetic diversity. The AT1 Transients are considered to be functionally extinct and will soon be nothing more than a memory. Meanwhile, overturning a few rocks here and there along the shores of the sound where the spill occurred reveal spots of oil that still remain more than 27 years later.
4. Support responsible whale watch organizations/companies, or watch whales on land with help from
The Whale Trail.
5. Always comply with laws and regulations put in place for the protection of all sea life, which includes keeping a respectable distance as well as shutting your engine off when marine life is close to your vessel.6. Report those who violate state or federal laws regarding the harassment or disturbance of marine mammals.
(NOAA - Marine Mammal Protection Act)7. Never dispose of your old fishing gear at sea. Many whales, turtles, and even fish die as a result of becoming entangled in old fishing lines/nets. Please always find a way to re-use or properly dispose of your fishing gear so that it does not cause any harm to marine life.
8. Engage in 'citizen science' by
alerting researchers at the Orca Network or the
Salish Sea Hydrophone Network when you spot the orcas so researchers can track their travel.
9. Reduce your water usage and be mindful of how much water you use. Use low-flow faucets and shower heads, fix leaky faucets, wash only full loads of laundry/dishes, don't run water too long, etc.
10. Use natural products that do not contain harmful chemicals/ingredients. These chemicals can be washed into the ocean and cause harm to all sea life.
11. Avoid using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers in your yard, as these can also end up in the ocean.
12. Donate to organizations dedicated to helping the Southern Residents, such as
The Whale Museum, the
Center for Whale Research, and
Orca Network.
13. 'Adopt' a Southern Resident Orca through The Whale Museum!14. Spread the word and tell people about the plight of these whales, and let them know what they can do to help!
Things that may not directly affect these whales but are still harmful:1. Sunscreen. Most sunscreen contains harmful ingredients that may protect you, but hurt the ocean. Some of the ingredients have been known to contribute significantly to coral bleaching, which ends up killing large coral reefs.
2. Take-out and/or leftovers from the restaurant. Restaurants are notorious for using things like plastic and styrofoam containers, which can take up to thousands of years to break down and often contain toxic chemicals. Instead, try to frequent restaurants that use recyclable containers, or bring your own re-usable containers to package your food in.
3. Maintain your vehicle properly. If your car is leaking anti-freeze or oil, not only can it poison a dog or a cat that may happen to ingest it - it can be washed out into the ocean and poison marine life. Many countries have places where you can dispose of old fluids, do not just dump it into storm drains!
4. Clean up after yourself when visiting the beach. During high-tide a lot of garbage gets washed into the ocean which can release toxins, or cause physical harm to marine life whether they mistake it for food, or they become entangled in it.
5. Recycle as much as possible. You may not realize it, but many places have recycle centers for just about anything! From vehicle fluids, to various types of plastic and glass, even batteries and light bulbs. A quick google search will usually bring up recycle centers in your area.
(links may be titled the same, but contain slightly different information)Who are the Southern Residents?(my post^^ - has not been updated since last year)NOAA - Killer Whale Species ProfileNOAA - Support Salmon Restoration EffortsNOAA - Clean up Existing Contaminated SitesBuy 'Into Great Silence' by late researcher Eva SaulitisExxon Valdez SpillMarineBio.org - 101+ Ways to Make a DifferenceCoral Reef Safe SunscreenNat Geo - 10 Things You Can Do To Save The OceanSaveTheSea.org - 10 Things You Can Do To Help The OceanHuffPost - 8 Ways You Are Harming The Ocean & Don't Even Know ItLiveScience - 7 Everyday Toxic Things You Shouldn't Toss in the TrashOcean Conservancy - Top 10 Items Found in the Ocean(Please keep in mind that since the Southern Residents reside in the waters off British Columbia/Washington, it is easier to list websites, petitions, and groups that are specifically focused in the Pacific Northwest. However, please do not let this stop you from doing your own research and doing whatever you can to help in your area - no matter if you live a hundred feet from the ocean or a hundred miles!)