More News About the Decline of the Southern Resident Orca Whale Population

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Status of the Southern Resident Killer Whales Updated 10/29/08

Whales at Risk

Killer whales lose blubber, health due to salmon shortage in B.C.

Judith Lavoie , Canwest News Service

Published: Tuesday, October 07, 2008

VICTORIA - Killer whales in the waters off southern Vancouver Island are losing blubber and developing strange behaviour patterns because of a shortage of salmon, say whale experts. Some endangered southern resident killer whales are developing "peanut heads" because they are not getting enough food, said Howard Garrett of Washington-based Orca Network.

"They are looking sick. There is usually a thick layer of blubber just behind the skull and that seems to be the first place to be drawn from when they need to draw down blubber," he said. "In some of them, there's a dip right behind the blow-hole and, when you see that, you know the whale has been hungry."

The Center for Whale Research is having difficulty finalizing numbers for the three resident pods this year because the whales are so spread out.  Researchers believe there might be some losses, but, tentatively, the number of southern residents is set at about 87.  As the whales search for elusive chinook salmon there are unusual liaisons, Garrett said.  "A small group from L Pod have been travelling with J Pod all summer long and twice J Pod has split into two completely separate groups, out of acoustic range from each other," he said. "It's an indication that they are searching high and low and in every nook and cranny for fish."

Environmental groups are holding a news conference Wednesday in Vancouver to protest the federal government's fisheries policies.  "The announcement marks a tipping point in a two-year battle between the federal government and concerned scientists and environmentalists about the need to protect the orcas from threats to their critical habitat," according to a news release from Ecojustice.  "There are ongoing scientific concerns about conservation of the species, particularly in light of the fact that killer whales are not looking good this year," said Lance Barrett-Lennard, co-chairman of the federal government's Resident Killer Whale Recovery Team.  The recovery team worked with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to produce a killer whale recovery strategy, which was finalized earlier this year.

The strategy's objectives are to ensure the whales have an adequate and accessible food supply, that chemical and biological pollutants and disturbance from human activities do not prevent recovery and that critical habitat is protected.

John Ford, marine mammal scientist at DFO's Pacific Biological Station, is an expert on the eating habits of resident killer whales. Ford wrote last year in a University of British Columbia paper, that "resident killer whales may be dependent on chinook salmon, and the abundance of this prey species may have a direct effect on their survival."

In the U.S., Garrett has firm ideas on what should be done to save the orcas.  "There is already a lot of effort to restore salmon on the U.S. side, and we need to tie orca recovery to salmon recovery every step of the way," he says.  That means tighter fishing restrictions, buffer zones around salmon streams and the removal of dams on the Elwha River and the Snake River in Washington state.

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Waking up to Whales on the West Side

6:00am:  So what exactly is life like on an island surrounded by blue seas miles off shore of the Coast of Washington State?  Well, if this morning is any indicator...  there is a little fox mother outside of my office slider playing with a tennis ball and checking out the few tomatoes that have actually ripened this "summer"-it's been so cool this season that even the vegetables are confused. The fog has rolled in across the Haro Straits, cloaking the west side of San Juan Island in a chilly fall mist.  And the southern resident community of resident Orca whales has just passed my house headed North. In reading this, it sounds surreal, but it's our life!

Monday night I attended a gathering for the Soundwatch  Boater Education Program- a little get together at Snug Harbor to show appreciation for all the work that has been done by not only the program but the local volunteers. It was a fantastic evening spent under a starry sky, with warm breezes and an even (thankfully) warmer fire. Great to see Kari Koski who heads up the program, lots awesome volunteers and local scientists gathering to say goodbye to the end of another beautiful season with the orcas. Soundwatch has been INSTRUMENTAL in boater education this year, coordinating enforcement and educational efforts in the never ending attempt to teach boaters about not only the plight of the whales but also the impact we have through our actions.  I am quite sure if the whales could communicate with us, Kari would be first on their list.  For this reason, I am personally donating all proceeds from  Zazzle sales between August 1 and November 30 to Soundwatch- without them, I may not have the shore based photos I do! I am hoping to have at least a check for $1,000 for them for the holidays! :)

On a more somber note, I did run into Ken Balcomb from the Center for Whale Research- and it certainly sounds as though the orca whales are having a particularly bad year as far as sustainability goes. The salmon in these waters will need to begin to recoverer in order to provide the food needed for the orcas.  Although CA and OR have begun to provide strategies to protect the salmon, WA has been very slow to follow. In the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast salmon runs are undergoing their worst ever crisis, as is evidenced by the collapse of the Central Valley fall chinook salmon and the California Delta food chain. The coho salmon, an endangered species, have also collapsed to record low population levels, due to decades of habitat destruction, over- fishing and pollution. Addressing the long-term restoration and management of salmon is imperative in the region if the food chain is to be sustained- and at the top of that food chain are our beloved orca whales.  We will have to watch, in the interim, to see how badly these declining numbers of feeder fish impact the Southern Resident Community of Orca Whales, who do not feast on seals and other abundant mammals. They need the salmon for  their survival, as do we all.
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San Juan Islands Has it All!!!

Located in the pacific northwest, the San Juan Islands have something for everyone- kayaking, biking, sunshine, great Inns full of charm, incredible shopping and WILDLIFE!!!! Today, the whales were the center of attention, with J Pod showing up at 6:34am on the West Side of the San Juan Island, heading North and close to shore.  They made it to the light and abruptly turned south....

By Noon, they still hadn't made a decision as to what direction they felt like traveling- actively engaged in a hearty round of what people often call "the West Side Shuffle." Lots of socializing, lots of play and a little resting along the way.  As of this writing, at 3:10pm PST- the pod remains south of False Bay, lots of fun to be had by all on the west side today!!!

It is important to stress that the wildlife in the pacific northwest is not only cherished but also protected. The National Park Service's Organic Act of 1916 gave us the responsibility to "… conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many of the local parks and adjoining areas have been designated as refuge areas by the USFWS.

Like so many beautiful coastal places, the San Juans and commensurate tourism are developing at a rapid pace, natural habitats are being altered and the marine environment is showing signs of stress. Within the County, there are now over 40 listed species of concern. Environmental stewardship begs us to constantly remember how fragile the ecosystem within which we live truly is and consistently focus on our footprint's impact upon the existing fragility - being sure NOT to add to it. 

Just the other day, while at Lime Kiln, we sat on the rocks watching the whales go by. To our right, on an outcropping- a large harbor seal had hauled out to sun himself. Harbor seals often haul out at low tide to digest food, rest, give birth, or nurse young. We watched in AMAZEMENT as 15- 30 people began crawling down the rocks to "get a better picture." The seal became more and more stressed as the onlookers got closer.  Finally, we headed over to the Park Ranger who advised this has been an ongoing problem at the Park, signs have been posted and they're trying to figure out how to keep this from continuing.  In the interim, I hope people realize that while cute, harbor seals are wild animals that reach five to six feet (1.7-1.9 m) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). If disturbed too often, they have been known to abandon favorite haul-out sites or their pups....and this is pupping season in the Islands. So please, remember the law- keep yourself 100 yards away from all wildlife on the islands! The path toward sustainability requires that residents and visitors take personal responsibility  for the natural wealth in order to protect the future for all, reducing our impact in the interim.

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The West Coast Agrees to Protect the Oceans!

FINALLY! A little something something for the oceans....read on...

Governor Gregoire, Governor Kulongoski, and Governor Schwarzenegger announced the release of their landmark Action Plan for the West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health on Tuesday, July 29, 2008. We've been waiting since 2006!

On September 18, 2006 the Governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced the West Coast Governors' Agreement on Ocean Health. The Agreement launched a new, proactive regional collaboration to protect and manage the ocean and coastal resources along the entire West Coast, as called for in the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission. 

The Agreement seeks to advance the goals of:

Clean coastal waters and beaches; 

Healthy ocean and coastal habitats; 

Effective ecosystem-based management; 

Reduced impacts of offshore development; 

Increased ocean awareness and literacy among the region's citizens; and

Expanded ocean and coastal scientific information, research, and monitoring;

Sustainable economic development of coastal communities. 

The Agreement also underscores the importance of managing activities that affect our oceans on an ecosystem basis. That is, managing human activities and their impact on ocean resources in a way that accounts for the relationships among all ecosystem components, including people and other species and the environment in which we all live. 

The Agreement directs staff of the three Governors to take certain immediate actions, and to develop a more extensive action plan within one year. The three states prepared a discussion paper to guide public input on actions for consideration during development of the action plan and sponsored a series of meetings to obtain public and stakeholder input on the Agreement. The public comment period on the draft Action Plan is now closed. Thank you for your input. The draft Action Plan was released on October 19, 2007 and public comments were accepted through December 1, 2007. The Governors released the final Action Plan in July 2008. View the press release here.  Via letters to the House and Senate, the Governors have request $5 million to support implementation of the Action Plan.  

Maybe the Oceans will catch a break by 2030!