Press Release –
Date: January 11, 2019
Center for Whale Research
Subject: The Southern Resident killer whale population is now 75
Read Orca Calf Offers Hope for a Fading Group in the Pacific Northwest by Jacey Fortin in The New York Times
Video footage by CWR's Jane Cogan (and Tom Cogan); CWR's Melissa Pinnow and Dave Ellifrit are interviewed.
On January 10, 2019, TV stations in Seattle aired live aerial footage of several groups of killer whales in Puget Sound near Seattle, and discerning viewers were able to see a very small whale among them. CWR researcher, Melisa Pinnow, was able to see that L pod individuals were in one of the groups with a new baby. It was associated with a female, L77. The whales were still in Puget Sound by nightfall. At 5:45 am this morning they were heard on the CWR sponsored hydrophone at Bush Point in Admiralty Inlet. We dispatched a research team from San Juan Island, and they encountered the whales exiting Admiralty Inlet at 9:50 am with their new baby! The mother is L77, a 31-year old mother of two known calves. Her first known calf was born in 2010 and died the same year, and her second known calf is L119, a female born in 2012. The new calf with her will be designated L124, sex unknown at this time.
Approximately 40% of newborn calves do not survive their first few years, but we hope that this one makes it to maturity, especially if it is female. The Southern Resident killer whale population is now 75.
The Center for Whale Research is dedicated to the study and conservation of the Southern Resident killer whale (orca) population in the Pacific Northwest
ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center
The Orca Survey Outreach and Education Center has been closed for a few months for construction, but as of today we have the dust cleaned up and we are OPEN! Please come see us! Located at 185 S. First Street in downtown Friday Harbor. Winter hours are Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm.
SUPPORT our Research and Education Efforts
The Southern Resident orcas need your help like never before. For the 74 whales to survive, and for their community to grow, they need us to be their voice. Our goal is to grow the Center for Whale Research membership program to be a strong collective voice for the whales.
Orca Task Force Background
On March 14, 2018, Governor Jay Inslee signed Executive Order 18-02: “. . . designating state agencies to take several immediate actions to benefit Southern Residents [killer whales], and establishing a Task Force to develop longer-term action recommendations for orca recovery and future sustainability.”
The Orca Task Force (Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force) include representatives from the state legislature; officials from tribal, federal, local, and other state governments and the Government of Canada; and spokespersons for the non-profit sector and private sectors.
The Task Force was “charged with preparing a comprehensive report and recommendations for recovering Southern Residents, with a full draft due by October 1, 2018, and a final report by November 1, 2018. The report should detail actions that will address all of the major threats to Southern Residents, including prey availability, toxic contaminants, and disturbance from noise and vessel traffic. A second report outlining the progress made, lessons learned, and outstanding needs will be completed by October 1, 2019.”
On January 15, Washington Governor Jay Inslee delivered his 2019 State of the State Address, where he affirmed that protecting the embattled Southern Resident orca population is a priority.
WA Governor Jay Inslee's
Orca Task Force
UPDATE
Based on the year one Report and Recommendations of the Orca Task Force (Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force), Governor Inslee has chosen on "three key problems impacting the health of orcas":
-
Lack of food
-
Toxics in the water
-
Noise disturbance from boats and other vessels
The Orca Task Force identified these as the most significant threats to the SRKW's survival.
A policy brief updated this month (January 2019), outlines some details and funding for specific actions to be taken.
On January 23, several bills that support Inslee's proposed actions to save the Southern Residents were introduced in the state Legislature:
-
House Bill 1579 and Senate Bill 5580 intends to increase habitat for Chinook salmon and other forage fish
-
House Bill 1578 and Senate Bill 5578 intends to reduce threats to Southern Residents by improving the safety of oil transportation
-
House Bill 1580 and Senate Bill 5577 intends to protect Southern Resident orcas from vessel noise and disturbance.
CWR Ken Balcomb's letter to Governor Inslee about Task Force's year one Report and Recommendations
Dear Governor Inslee,
Thank you for your good faith effort to convene a Task Force to make recommendations to you regarding how to recover the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and for the honor of inviting my participation in the process. You have before you the list of recommendations that were discussed at length among the Task Force members, and I herein submit my minority report ...
Memorandum of Facts regarding Orca Demographics
To: Federal Agencies involved in Restoration of the population called Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW), listed as Endangered under the ESA
I have conducted research on the “Southern Resident” population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the eastern North Pacific Ocean and adjacent inland marine waters since 1976, following the ending of captures of these animals for the public display industry. Approximately fifty killer whales had been removed from this population in a ten year period prior to my research and seventy remained. I have kept records of all births and deaths determined for this population from April 1976 to date.
New Release, December 11, 2018
TEDEd Animation
The amazing grandmothers of the killer whale pod
Darren Croft
Let’s Begin…
Pods of killer whales inhabit the waters of every major ocean on Earth. Each family is able to survive thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter: the grandmother. These matriarchs can live 80 years or more and their expertise can mean the difference between life and death for their families. Darren Croft details the lives of killer whales and the dangers facing their survival.
Ken Balcomb Interview
A must see interview with Ken Balcomb speaking about the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Production by Peterson/Hawley Productions .
43 years of
WHALE RESEARCH
For over four decades, the Center for Whale Research has been conducting annual photo-ID (photo-identification) studies, Orca Survey, of Southern Resident killer whales – one of the most magnificent and beloved animal populations in the world. Our long-term research has generated unprecedented baseline information on the whales’ population dynamics, health, demography, social structure, and individual life histories. Thanks to the Center’s research, more detail is known about the endangered Southern Resident killer whales than any other group of marine mammals in the world. As a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization, our mission is to facilitate the recovery of this beloved population of Orcas through non-invasive scientific study, public awareness and education, and conservation action. Please support our important work today!
Center for Whale Research
SOCIAL MEDIA
Just in case you missed it ... here is what we are talking about.
© 2018 Center for Whale Research
The Center for Whale Research is a 501c3 nonprofit organization registered in Washington State.
All rights reserved. No part of the material found on this website may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any means, without the prior written consent of the Center for Whale Research. All members of CWR are non-voting members.
