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.

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

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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.

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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

In less than a month, Department of Fish and Wildlife Officers will be back on the water enforcing the laws that protect Puget Sound Orcas.

“There’s an incentive to get close to those whales and give your client that photo of a lifetime,” said the department’s Deputy Chief, Mike Cenci. “There’s a lot of pressure there.”

We saw it firsthand last summer on an undercover trip aboard the “Serengeti” out of Victoria when our captain gave us his philosophy on following the law.

“I’ve had several close passes and it’s not good when enforcement is around but it’s kind of like you speed when the cops aren’t around right?” said our captain, Tom.

According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, officers were on the water patrolling vessels near the Orcas 15 days out of the entire five-month season.

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J1 last September, 2010.  Photo copyright Killer Whale Tales

Last seen in late November 2010, the 60 year old male has not been seen since.  While the average life span for a male in this population is from 20-30 years, no one is sure how or why lived as long as he did.  And though his disappearance is not unexpected, the passing of this iconic animal will be tough for many to swallow.

Instantly identifiable, he is probably the single most photographed wild animal on the planet.

KING 5 news aired a segment tonight.  You can view it by clicking here.  You can also watch some video we took of him last summer from the shore by clicking here or viewing it on the right side of our home page.

We will post more information when it becomes available.

Regardless, J1′s presence will be keenly missed.

Scientists with nets normally used to clean swimming pools tracked killer whales through Puget Sound last week, scooping up their oily poop.

The surprise February visit to Washington from members of J pod came just days after state and tribal leaders learned they may again have to cut back salmon fishing to boost the endangered whales’ survival.

The juxtaposition of the two events highlights a fundamental truth underscoring efforts to restore southern resident orca populations.

Scientists now know quite a lot about our resident whales’ summertime habits — but what they don’t know about the rest of their year is becoming increasingly important.

A spate of recent research suggests the Sound’s 88 southern resident orcas rely almost exclusively on large chinook salmon for their summer meals — more than previously thought. And when chinook returns to area rivers drop, whale deaths tend to rise and birthrates decline.

Yet with whale populations far below their historical average of 120 to 200, no one knows how many more chinook are needed.

At the same time, scientists remain baffled about where whales go in winter and why — and what they eat once they get there. No one expected to see J pod whales off Vashon Island in February, which is why biologists took samples and plan to test their feces to identify their food.

All these issues will likely come to a head in the next few years, as the federal government, the state and Puget Sound tribes debate the future of chinook fishing and its potential impacts on whales.

That debate started in earnest last week, when the tribes and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife sought federal approval for a four-year plan to manage commercial and sport chinook fishing. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) surprised everyone by saying they couldn’t approve it.

“They told us the risk was too high to orcas for them to accept a plan” that would remain in place that long, said Pat Pattillo, special assistant to the director of Fish and Wildlife.

To read the full article click here.

A group of roughly 14 orca whales has been spotted in San Francisco Bay waters at various times starting last week.

The pod of orca whales scouring the San Francisco coastal waters for prey has been identified.

The group of roughly 14 whales — that has been spotted at various times starting last week — are residents of the Puget Sound off the coast of Seattle, Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman with the Gulf of The Farallones Marine Sanctuary, said.

“They’re covering quite a lot of mileage,” Schramm said.

The group has been seen three separate times since Wednesday, according to Schramm. The whales were spotted twice by sight-seeing tours about halfway between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Farallon Island Marine Sanctuary on Wednesday and Saturday.

Another sighting occurred on Friday near Moss Beach when Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash., which monitors the whales in the Puget Sound, found the pod and identified them as “L” pod.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/02/orcas-hunting-san-francisco-bay-identified-pod-puget-sound#ixzz1E597ETUV