Southern Resident Killer Whales Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Reducing collisions between ships and whales? There’s apps for that, but they need work

By Tom Banse November 8, 2022

A way to prevent large ships from striking and killing whales is to transmit alerts to the officers at the helm when whales are nearby.

Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often in the Pacific Northwest that ships collide with whales. But when it does, it's upsetting, tragic and the whale probably dies. Three separate teams have developed smartphone-based systems that can alert commercial mariners to watch out, slow down or change course when whales have been sighted nearby. A recent ride-along on a big Read More

Babies On Board! Three Endangered Northwest Killer Whales Look Very Pregnant In Aerial Photos

By Tom Banse September 15, 2021

Comparison photos captured by the research nonprofit SR3 showed endangered Pacific Northwest orca J36 is pregnant.

Research photos taken with a drone show multiple killer whales are close to giving birth in one of the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered pods. The late-stage pregnancies stirred excitement among whale watchers -- and also renewed worries about the availability of adequate food supply for the mothers and babies.Read More

Study: Chinook Salmon Are Key To Northwest Orca Population All Year

By NWPB News March 4, 2021

A young resident killer whale chasing a Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091.

By analyzing the DNA of orca feces as well as salmon scales and other remains after the whales have devoured the fish, the researchers demonstrated that the while the whales sometimes eat other species, including halibut, lingcod and steelhead, they depend most on Chinook. And they consumed the big salmon from a wide range of sources — from those that spawn in California's Read More

New Washington Whale-Watching Boat Rules To Help Struggling Orcas Take Effect In 2021

By NWPB News December 26, 2020

An endangered female orca leaps from the water while breaching in Puget Sound west of Seattle. The orca is from one of three groups of southern resident killer whales that frequent the inland waters of Washington. CREDIT: ELAINE THOMPSON/AP

According to the rules approved by the commission last week, from July through September, commercial whale watching companies can view endangered Southern Resident orcas during two, two-hour periods daily, The Skagit Valley Herald reported.Read More

Federal Study Recommends Keeping Snake River Dams In Place, With Congress Having Final Say

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2020

The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

Debates have dragged on for decades about whether to remove or alter the four dams. The Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration received almost 59,000 comments on the draft EIS this spring. The agencies are expected to finalize this plan by Sept. 30.Read More

In Northwestern Washington, A Free-Flowing Middle Fork Nooksack River Is Just Months Away

By Bellamy Pailthorp July 16, 2020

A view of the dam on the Middle Fork Nooksack River on Monday, July 13, 2020. CREDIT: American Rivers

A dam removal that has been 20 years in the making reached an important milestone this week. Explosives ripped through the concrete on the Middle Fork Nooksack, east of Bellingham. Read More

Pandemic Gives Pacific Northwest Whales A Respite From Din Of Underwater Noise

By Tom Banse May 13, 2020

Underwater noise impacts on endangered orcas were already under study before the coronavirus pandemic opened the door for a natural experiment.

American and Canadian marine scientists -- and one talented dog -- are seizing an unexpected opportunity presented by the coronavirus pandemic. They are trying to establish whether Pacifc Northwest whales benefit from the current drop in boat traffic and underwater noise.Read More

Draft Federal Plan Recommends Keeping Lower Snake River Dams In Place

By Courtney Flatt February 28, 2020

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration laid out a range of six alternatives in a draft environmental impact statement. The most controversial measure would have been to remove or alter the four Lower Snake River dams.Read More

Dams Vs. Salmon: Workshops Aim To Get Past ‘My Study Can Beat Up Your Study’ On Snake River

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2020

Protesters call for the removal of dams on the Snake River to help salmon spawn — and consequently feed Puget Sound orcas. The protest came outside a meeting of the governor’s orca task force in Wenatchee on Tuesday. CREDIT: ELLIS O'NEILL/KUOW/EARTHFIX

More than 300 people showed up to hear speakers talk about why it’s important to either keep or alter the dams. The panel stems from a Washington state study that will guide the state’s position on dam removal.Read More

Public Invited To Clarkston-Pasco-Vancouver Workshops On Question Of Snake River Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 4, 2020

Upcoming public workshops will examine a draft report that gauges how people in Washington want to deal with the fate of the dams. At the workshops, officials will present the report’s findings, followed by a panel discussion. People can submit written and online comments on the draft report through Jan. 24.Read More

Federal Managers Propose Northwest Habitat Protections For Orcas And Humpback Whales

By Jes Burns November 11, 2019

Aerial photograph of adult female Southern Resident killer whale J16 with her calf J50 in 2015, when the calf was in its first year of life. CREDIT: JOHN DURBAN (NOAA FISHERIES), HOLLY FEARNBACH (SR3) AND LANCE BARRETT-LENNARD (VANCOUVER AQUARIUM), TAKEN BY AN UNMANNED HEXACOPTER DURING RESEARCH AUTHORIZED UNDER NMFS PERMIT #16163

One of the habitat designations is specifically for Southern Resident Killer Whales, which spend about half the year in the Salish Sea north of Seattle. They feed on salmon. There are fewer than 80 of these orcas remaining. Read More

Don’t Want Plastic With Your Seafood? Neither Do Otters And Orcas In Northwest Waters

By Tom Banse October 2, 2019

OSU masters student Katherine Lasdin separates the innards of a donated rockfish at the Port of Newport, Oregon, for later analysis to see if it ingested microplastics. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/N3

Plastics in the ocean food chain has become a hot topic for local scientists, for similar reasons city and state policy makers and activists are debating plastic bag bans and how to reduce plastic straw and bottled water usage. All are concerned that the world's oceans are awash in plastic trash and fibers.Read More

Judge Strikes Down Ballot Measure On Whale Watching Distance Rules In San Juan County

By Tom Banse August 19, 2019

Southern Resident orcas in the J pod made a rare 2019 appearance in inland waters on Thursday, August 15, near Lime Kiln State Park off of San Juan Island. (Image taken under the authority of NMFS permit No. 22141) MEGAN FARMER / KUOW

Whale watch tour companies have knocked a proposed orca protection initiative off the November ballot in San Juan County, Washington. The ballot measure would have asked voters to greatly increase the stand-off distance between boats and endangered killer whales.Read More

Eastern Washington Wheat Farmers Say Removing Snake Dams To Help Orcas Would Hurt Them

By Eilís O'Neill August 15, 2019

Eastern Washington's Snake River is dotted with wheat-loading facilities. CREDIT: EILIS O'NEILL/KUOW

Washington's Snake River dams are important to wheat farmers.The state's wheat crop brings $700 million into the state's economy, more than any crop except apples. The vast majority of that wheat gets exported, most of it to Asia.Read More

Group Gauges Interest In San Juan Islands Sanctuary For Retired Captive Orcas

By Tom Banse July 15, 2019

SeaWorld parks said it has no interest in turning over its captive orcas to the Whale Sanctuary Project. MIKE AGUILERA / SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO

An environmental nonprofit is gauging interest in the creation of an orca enclosure in Washington's San Juan Islands. The organization is hosting public outreach meetings over the coming week in six Western Washington locations.Read More

Puget Sound Whale Watchers Accused Of Loving Endangered Orcas To Death

By NPR News June 18, 2019

The question of whether boat-based watching tours are really harmless has become more urgent in Washington state, where Southern Resident killer whales have been declining since the 1990s.Read More

Wildlife Managers To Northwest Seals And Sea Lions: Stop Eating So Much Salmon … Or Else

By Tom Banse April 12, 2019

Sea lions have been eating steelhead and other fish at Willamette Falls in ever greater numbers.Photo courtesy of ODFW

Politicians and wildlife managers are engaged in a fresh debate about whether to intervene in nature to save an imperiled species. The question is whether humans can get seals and sea lions to lay off Chinook salmon so there's more for killer whales to eat.Read More

To Help Orcas Catch More Salmon, Washington Plans To Increase Spill At Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 30, 2019

In an effort to help imperiled salmon, Washington officials are proposing more water be spilled at dams during fish migration. The hope is that this would also increase the amount of food for orcas in Puget Sound.Read More

In State Of State Address, Jay Inslee Calls For Climate Change Action, Addressing Mental Health

By Austin Jenkins January 15, 2019

Climate change topped Gov. Jay Inslee's list of priorities in his 2019 State of the State speech. CREDIT: AUSTIN JENKINS/N3

Warning that Washington state is at a "tipping point," Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday delivered a State of the State address that called on lawmakers to address carbon pollution, "transform" the mental health system and save Puget Sound orcas.Read More

Whale Researchers Rejoice: New Calf Born To Endangered Puget Sound Orcas, But Odds Are Tough

By NWPB News January 12, 2019

Baby orca L124 was spotted Jan. 11, 2019 with its mother, L77. CREDIT: CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH

Researchers say there's a new calf among the population of critically endangered killer whales that live in the waters between Washington and Canada.Read More

Another Endangered Puget Sound Orca Suffering From ‘Peanut Head’

By John Ryan January 3, 2019

Orca J17 in Haro Strait on Dec. 31, 2018. CREDIT: MELISSA PINNOW/CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH

A southern resident orca appears to be emaciated, suffering from the disfiguring condition called “peanut head.” Whale researchers encountered the southern resident orcas' J-pod on New Year's Eve as they swam in Haro Strait.Read More

Washington Tribes Oppose Canadian Pipeline, More Oil Tankers In Salish Sea

By John Ryan December 1, 2018

Representatives of Washington tribes perform a "paddle song" at the start of a hearing in Victoria, B.C., on the Trans Mountain Pipeline. CREDIT: NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD

Tribal leaders and members from Washington state crossed the Salish Sea to oppose a pipeline that could bring more oil tankers to waters on both sides of U.S.-Canada border. The Canadian government wants to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline and triple the flow of oil from Alberta to the Pacific coast.Read More

Super Bacteria In Puget Sound Wildlife Could Endanger Humans

By John Ryan November 27, 2018

Transient whales are shown on Friday, August 10, 2018, as crews attempt to locate the JPod. (Image taken under the authority of NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit No. 18786-03) CREDIT: KUOW PHOTO/MEGAN FARMER

Last year, researchers reported finding 35 kinds of multi-drug-resistant bacteria in the exhaled breaths of killer whales off the San Juan Islands. Sewage treatment plants are usually effective at getting rid of bacteria — that’s their main purpose — but they fail to screen antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals from reaching otters or other aquatic organisms.Read More

Orcas Need Salmon. Dams Hinder Salmon. Remove Snake River Dams? Feds Say It’s Not So Simple

By Courtney Flatt October 5, 2018

As the Northwest’s killer whales have gained worldwide attention, more calls are being made to bolster the population of salmon they eat. One big way to do that, supporters say, is by removing Lower Snake River dams. But the federal government isn’t so sure that’s the answer.Read More

Another Puget Sound Orca Struggles, But 3 Others Are Pregnant

By John Ryan September 30, 2018

Drone photography reveals the bulging midriffs of pregnant orcas in 2015 and 2018. NOAA/SWFSC

The lean profile of the whale known as K25 is yet another sign of trouble for the region’s endangered orcas. Since last November, three members of the long-endangered population have died, most recently an emaciated young female known as J50.Read More

Efforts Continue To Save ‘Critically Endangered’ J-50 Orca, But It May Be Too Late

By John Ryan September 13, 2018

Southern Resident killer whale J50 and her mother, J16, off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew, B.C., on August 7. CREDIT: BRIAN GISBORNE, FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA

Officials in Canada and the U.S. are hatching a plan to temporarily capture and treat an emaciated orca. The young whale known as J-50 hasn't been spotted in nearly a week and could already be dead.Read More

After Dramatic Weekend For Orca Biologists, New Attempts To Help J-50

By Paige Browning September 5, 2018

Veterinarians are again trying to help the emaciated young orca named J-50, after a dramatic turn of events over Labor Day weekend.Read More

Canadian Judge Halts Tar Sands Pipeline, Citing Impacts To Puget Sound Orcas

By John Ryan August 31, 2018

Canadian federal judge Eleanor Dawson said that regulators failed to consider the pipeline's potential impacts of increased shipping on Southern resident killer whales. CREDIT: CANDICE EMMONS / NOAA FISHERIES/NORTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

A Canadian federal judge has halted construction of a pipeline that would have sent more oil tankers through Washington waters.Read More

Can Washington Make A Plan To Save The Orcas?

By Eilís O'Neill August 8, 2018

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's orca task force met in Wenatchee this week to come up with a long-term plan to help the recovery of the orca population that spends much of its time in or around the Puget Sound.Read More

Veterinarians Grapple With How To Save Puget Sound Orca: Salmon Laced With Meds Or Syringe?

By Tom Banse August 6, 2018

An emaciated orca from the Pacific Northwest’s critically-endangered resident killer whale population could get a pole injection of medicine under the latest preferred option of an emergency response team. Officials with the lead federal agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, described the changing situation Monday morning.Read More

Group Hatches Plan To Save Emaciated And Endangered Puget Sound Orca

By Tom Banse August 5, 2018

This picture from July 21 shows shrinkage around orca J50's head from weight loss, aka "peanut head syndrome." CREDIT: KATY FOSTER/NOAA

An emaciated, four-year-old Puget Sound orca is drawing alarm. Whale scientists and the federal agency NOAA are weighing what it means to provide food and medicine to this endangered orca. The declining health of the orca has become apparent as it swims and feeds in the border waters between Washington and British Columbia.Read More