Resident Killer Whale
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
Overview
Three distinct types of killer whales, often called orcas because of their Latin name, Orcinus orca, can be found in the Salish Sea.
People are most familiar with the fish eating ecotype or “resident” orcas. These whales are salmon eaters, preferring Chinook as shown in recent studies.
In the Salish Sea there are two resident groups, the Southern Resident community (made up of 3 pods; J, K, and L) and the Northern Resident Community (made up of 16 pods; A1, A4, A5, B1, C1, D1, H1, I1, I2, I11, I18, I31, G1, G12, R1 and W1).
Less commonly seen are the marine mammal eating ecotype or “transient” killer whales. While the fish eating residents hunt in large groups, the mammal-eating type of killer whales are usually seen in small groups of 3-5 animals.
Occasionally, “offshore” ecotype killer whales are spotted in the Salish Sea. These slightly smaller animals are thought to be fish eaters like the residents.
Orcas can be identified by the shape of their dorsal fin and white saddle patch and are individually known by name to experienced whale watchers.
Status
All ecotypes of killer whales are listed as Endangered in Washington State.
The US Federal Government lists the Southern Residents as endangered and the Canadian Federal government lists Offshore killer whales as a species of concern, the Northern Resident and Transient populations as threatened and the Southern residents as Endangered.
Toxins and Disease
Killer whales from the Salish Sea are some of the most contaminated marine mammals in the world and toxin loads are considered a factor in causing the decline of the southern resident population. Disease too is a major threat to the long term health of killer whale populations.
Oil Spills
Oil spills have been called one of the greatest threats to the long term survival of the southern resident killer whales.
To address this concern, the SeaDoc Society gathered a group of almost 40 scientists to develop a plan for keeping killer whales out of an oil spill.
To see notes from that meeting see: (attached)
To read about how the Exxon Valdez is thought to have impacted resident and transient killer whales in Alaska, see (attached)
More Information
Below this line are all the content items in the SeaDoc site that have been tagged with the term Killer Whale.
Urban Orca: killer whales in Puget Sound
Killer whales kill and then abandon a harbor porpoise off San Juan Island
On September 9, 2009, researchers who were tracking southern resident killer whales in Haro Strait noticed whales from J- and K-pods interacting with a harbor porpoise.
Three specific whales (J31, J36 and J39) spent the most of the time with the porpoise and J-31 was seen using its head to throw the harbor porpoise in air on two occasions. The entire interaction lasted over 30 minutes.
.thumbnail.jpg "Harbor porpoise killed by southern resident killer whales")
Species of concern within the Salish Sea Marine Ecosystem: changes between 2002 and 2008
Salish Sea Science Prize awarded
Salish Sea Science Prize Award Speech
February 8, 2009
Seattle, Washington
Although Congressman Dicks has always been a big fan of science-based policy and we are now fortunate to have a President of the United States who has pledged to restore integrity to US science policy, our government has not always been known for valuing science or for basing important decisions on scientific information. As we all look at the huge task before us to design a healthy Salish Sea, it is clear that many of the untold thousands of decisions that we need to make must be based on science.
The SeaDoc Society created the Salish Sea Science Prize to recognize the importance of science in providing a foundation for designing a healthy Salish Sea ecosystem. Every two years this prize will be given to a prominent scientist or team of scientists whose work has resulted in the marked improvement of management or policy related to the conservation of marine wildlife and the Salish Sea marine ecosystem. A $2,000, no strings attached prize comes with this prestigious and one of a kind award, which is given in recognition of, and to honor the spirit of Ms. Stephanie Wagner, who loved the region and its wildlife.
Among many worthy individuals and groups that were nominated for consideration by the Award committee this year, the life work of this year's winner embodies the essence of the prize. This person's work has been collaborative and transboundary, drawing on the help of both US and Canadian Scientists. It also has been scientifically rigorous and the results have changed the way we think about, manage and protect marine wildlife.
Although the first live capture of a killer whale occurred in 1961, the development of a netting technique and large-scale commercial demand lead to large increases in capture efforts in Washington and British Columbia in 1967. Before the captures ceased in 1977, more than 300 whales were likely captured, of which 55 were transferred to aquaria, while many others died.
During this time period this year's winner, collaborating with Canadian colleagues, pioneered the use of photo identification to study and individually identify killer whales. This work provided many new revelations:
• That killer whales could be individually identified
• That the Salish Sea was not home to unlimited killer whales free for the taking for display
• That Salish Sea killer whales belonged to 2 ecotypes – fish eaters and marine mammal eaters
• That resident fish eating whales had a non-dispersing matrilineal society
While many of these ideas were not initially accepted by the scientific community, this person's persistence in conducting an annual census of the Southern Resident killer whale population, one of the only true censuses conducted on any wildlife population, has come to make these facts known by school kids and citizens throughout the region and the world.
This annual census, conducted since 1975 and usually with little financial support, has become the basis of the population assessments that ultimately lead to the Canadian and US listing of the Southern Resident Killer Whale community as endangered. Additionally this person's work has served as a foundation for our understanding of resident killer whale longevity, toxics loading in killer whales, and the implications of disease on the long-term viability of this population. This person's work formed a critical foundation for both the US and the Canadian killer whale recovery plans, as well as for new legislation such as that which creates a no-vessel zone around these animals to minimize anthropogenic impact on these animals as they feed and communicate.
Without a doubt, this person's long-term research and commitment to documenting the killer whales of the Salish Sea has contributed substantially to conservation initiatives and policy in the Salish Sea, and has served as an example for the world on why science is important for designing healthy ecosystems. It is with great pleasure tonight, that the SeaDoc Society awards the prestigious Salish Sea Science Prize to Mr. Ken Balcomb.
When Food Can Kill: Salmon and Killer Whale Populations
A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry explains the process by which threatened and endangered killer whales in the waters of northwestern North America become contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, particularly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), that are present in chinook salmon, their primary food source.
Two years of this study were funded as part of the SeaDoc Society's competitive grants program.
Two main observations were made. First, nearly 100% of the contaminants in chinook salmon were acquired while they lived in the ocean. Second, southern killer whales are contaminated with higher concentrations of chemicals because 1) they eat more salmon than their northern counterparts and 2) southern salmon have higher levels of contaminants than northern salmon because the southern waters are more contaminated than the northern waters. In fact, PCB concentrations in southern salmon were almost four times those in northern salmon.
It is known that salmon can lose as much as 80% of their lipid (fat) stores as they journey back to their natal streams. Salmon stop eating during this time and draw energy from their lipid stores. Thus, they are less nutritious to whales than they would be otherwise. Furthermore, southern salmon were found to have lower lipid content than northern salmon. Whales therefore eat larger amounts of salmon and consequently are exposed to larger amounts of chemicals in the salmon. Southern whales, in particular, consume as much as 50% more salmon to compensate for the fact that their food is, per unit, less nutritious.
Salmon paradoxically help killer whales (food) and harm them (contamination). This study is important because it illustrates the increasing amount of damage to fragile ecosystems that occurs as industries continue to dump waste into rivers and oceans.
To read the entire review, Persistent Organic Pollutants in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Implications for Resident Killer Whales of British Columbia and Adjacent Waters (Vol. 28(1):148–161), visit http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/ENTC_28.1_148.pdf
Scientists try to uncover the dangers to Killer Whales
When seven resident killer whales that frequent inland waters of Washington went missing this year, there was no shortage of suspects.
Evaluating Potential Infectious Disease Threats for Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca): a model for endangered species
SeaDoc Society convenes meeting to discuss Orca deaths
Read more about the meeting in a Kitsap Sun article by Christopher Dunagan.