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The orcas that make up J-Pod have not been spotted in the Salish Sea since April 10, 2021, according to researchers.
The Orca Behaviour Institute in Friday Harbour, WA, said that while the Southern Resident killer whales are known to frequent the waters of Washington and BC this time of year, we’ve passed a “grim milestone” for the endangered species.
It has been more than 100 consecutive days since J-Pod has been seen in the San Juan Islands.
K-Pod made a brief visit to the Salish Sea on July 1 before heading back west to the outer coast — other than that, K-Pod and L-Pod have not been documented in inland waters since late February.
While members of all three pods have been spotted at Swiftsure Bank off the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in July, none of them have taken their typical summer route to follow Chinook salmon migrating towards the Fraser River.
“We published a study in 2018 showing the declining spring presence of the Southern Residents and its correlation to the crashing of the Fraser River Chinook salmon runs,” said Monika Wieland Shields, director of the Orca Behavior Institute.
“We never thought their summer visits would also diminish so soon. We never thought we would see an absence of more than three months.”
J-Pod has historically been documented in the Salish Sea nearly every month of every year, the institute explained.
“For the first time since the Orca Survey began in 1976, we have gone 100 days without the most ‘resident’ of the three pods in our waters during the peak season,” explained Dr. Michael Weiss, a biologist with the Center for Whale Research. “This is a sure sign of dire, drastic changes in the Salish Sea and Fraser River ecosystems.”
Bigg’s killer whales, humpback whales, minke whales, and occasional gray whales are still being seen with regularity in the Salish Sea as the summer progresses.
Cindy Hansen or the Orca Network said that the lack of salmon may be impacting more than their health and ability to reproduce. It may also be depriving them of an “important part of who they are as a society.”
“As much as we miss seeing the Southern Residents, we all hope that they are finding plentiful food off the coast, enough for the population to grow and thrive,” said Hansen. “They used to spend their summers here, having greeting ceremonies, and socializing with one another.”
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