Read Orca Networks entire post here:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs077/1101447505873/archive/1109937656234.html

Read more: http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2012/03/16/balcomb-wants-to-know-if-young-orca-was-bombed/#ixzz1pgGklf5Q

With a body of evidence still under scrutiny, local biologists remain guarded about whether the recent death of a 3-year-old killer whale is the result of unnatural causes.

But some local killer whale experts are drawing their own conclusions.

“It didn’t die of disease or starvation,” Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research said of the young female killer whale, known as L112 at the center. “Clearly the animal was blown up.”

Read the full article here.

On December 8, 2011 NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Protected Resources Division issued a scientific research permit amendment to the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) to authorize satellite tagging of up to six Southern Resident killer whales. On February 20, 2012, the first satellite tag was deployed on an adult male, J26, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as part of a NWFSC research cruise.

Read the complete story here.

Several risk factors were identified as part of the ESA listing process for Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs), and were included in the recovery plan. These include prey quality and quantity, water pollution and environmental contaminants, vessel effects and sound exposure, and cumulative effects. A number of scientific studies conducted over the past several years have investigated foraging and dive behavior, behavioral responses to vessels and anthropogenic noise exposure in Southern Residents. All of these studies have provided important scientific information that has helped guide recovery efforts and other management decisions of endangered SR killer whales.

Read the whole story by clicking here.

Congratulations, L-pod!  The addition of a new member to this struggling population of critically endangered whales is great news!!

Read the entire article by clicking here.

by KING 5 News and Associated Press

Posted on May 15, 2011 at 2:35 PM

The scientists wanted to know how orcas, commonly known as killer whales, communicate when hunting mammals, which can hear their distinctive calls.  The researchers thought the predators might switch to very high frequency whistles to co-ordinate the hunt.

But the orcas actually go completely silent and are somehow still able to form organised hunting groups.

Read more by clicking here.

It’s a little known aspect of whale watching on Oregon’s coast, but this time of year is also orca season, usually in the Depoe Bay and Newport areas, but often seen from Cascade Head all the way down to Florence.

Read the whole article here.

This time of year is orca season along the Oregon coast, when pods of “transient” killer whales show up, usually in the Depoe Bay and Newport areas, but often seen from Cascade Head all the way down to Florence. The orcas usually show up in mid April and stay around for a few weeks. (Photo courtesy of the Whale Watching Center

NOAA’s Fisheries Service issued new rules today on vessel traffic, aimed at protecting Southern Resident killer whales in Washington’s Puget Sound. These charismatic marine mammals, popular with tourists, whale-watch operators and the general public, were added to the Endangered Species list in late 2005.

NOAA’s Fisheries Service issued new rules today on vessel traffic, aimed at protecting Southern Resident killer whales in Washington’s Puget Sound. These charismatic marine mammals, popular with tourists, whale-watch operators and the general public, were added to the Endangered Species list in late 2005.The Southern Resident population peaked at 97 animals in the 1990s, and then declined to 79 in 2001. It has seen slow growth since then, and now stands at an estimated 86 killer whales, about half of which are sexually mature. Scientists have identified the major threats facing the population as a shortage of its preferred prey of Chinook salmon, disturbance from vessels, and water pollution.The new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the vessel in its path. This doubles the current approach distance of 100 yards. The rules go into effect May 16 and apply to all types of boats, including motor boats, sail boats and kayaks, in Washington’s inland waters.Exemptions to the rules for safety include vessels actively fishing commercially, cargo vessels travelling in established shipping lanes, and government and research vessels.The whales, which depend on their highly sophisticated natural sonar to navigate and find food, can be affected by underwater noise from boats and disturbed by vessels, including non-motorized ones, that approach too close or block their paths. The agency’s killer whale recovery plan, released in early 2008, calls for actions to reduce disturbance from vessels.When the regulations were originally proposed in July 2009, they included a half-mile wide no-go zone along the west side of San Juan Island from May 1 through the end of September, where vessels were prohibited. Due to the extensive responses that were received during the public comment period, the final regulations do not include the no-go zone, and NOAA’s Fisheries Service will instead continue to gather information to consider the concept in future rulemaking.See the Fisheries Northwest Region Website for more information on this action: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/Recovery-Implement/Orca-Vessel-Regs.cfmNOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage