Conservation groups are demanding the Canadian government take immediate emergency action to save the Southern Resident killer whale population. According to Ecojustice, only 72 remain in the species three pods, following the recent deaths of three killer whales, including an infant.
The Center for Whale Research, based in Washington State, says that two adult male SR killer whales died since the summer of 2023. One was last seen in August 2023 and appeared thin. The other, last seen July 2023, had poor body condition at the time. A calf, born December 2023, also disappeared and is presumed dead.
These deaths bring the Southern Resident killer whale population down to 72.
“Ecojustice and their clients have learned that according to a November 29, 2024 assessment by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the last remaining 72 Southern Resident killer whales face an imminent threat to their survival and recovery despite existing protective measures. However, the ministers are yet to recommend emergency protection measures to ensure their survival,” Shayo Mehta of Ecojustice wrote in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa.
Several conservation groups are calling on the government to immediately enact emergency measures as required by the Species at Risk Act.
“Despite measures introduced since 2018, the critically endangered population of only 72 whales continues to decline. Without immediate and aggressive action, the Southern Resident killer whales risk being lost forever,” reads an Ecojustice statement.
They go on to say that since Ecojustice submitted a petition for an emergency order six months ago, there have been two losses, an adult male and a calf.
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Southern Resident killer whale population began shrinking in early the 1970s when whales were being captured for marine park exhibitions, a practice that took place from 1965 to 1975. The first US count of the southern resident orcas was in 1974, when there were only 71 whales.
In 2005 the US government listed Southern Resident killer whales as endangered under their Endangered Species Act.
The numbers rebounded in the 1990s when 97 Southern Residents were counted in 1996. But the numbers are falling again, and this time three factors are being blamed: lack of food, noise pollution and chemical pollution. All three threats are human made.
The species consists of three family pods, each organized around the mothers. They range from central California to southeast Alaska. However, the core portion of their range centers on the coastal waters of southern Vancouver Island and Washington State and the inland waters of the Salish Sea.
Southern resident orcas are fish-eaters and prefer Chinook salmon most of all.
Conservation groups say that science clearly supports more robust measures to reduce the compounded threats of underwater noise, depleted prey availability, and the risk of oil spills from increased tanker traffic in critical habitats. They are pressing DFO for an emergency order with the following measures:
- Expand SRKW vessel approach distance to 1,000 metres to harmonize with Washington State laws. The vessel approach limit in B.C. is currently 200 metres, or 400 metres in coastal areas identified as the whales’ critical habitat.
- Establish and implement meaningful underwater noise reduction targets for the Salish Sea
- Limit new vessel traffic until a long overdue regional cumulative effects management plan has been implemented as recommended by Canada’s Energy Regulator.
- Implement Chinook salmon recovery strategies to ensure the whales’ primary food source is abundant and accessible.
Ecojustice says orcas are acoustic animals. Vessel noise and disturbance make it harder for the whales to forage, rest and socialize. The number of boats near the whales is also harmful as vessels modify and change the whales’ behavior.
They go on to say that orca and all marine mammals are affected by the high levels of environmental pollutants, such as PCB’s and flame retardants. These cause issues within the immune and reproductive systems and toxins are transferred from mother to offspring. An oil spill in the Salish Sea would be detrimental to this population.
“When the government approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline, it made a promise—to all of B.C.—that it would take the steps necessary to sustain and recover our beloved orcas,” said Michael Jasny, director of Marine Mammal Protection at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It’s clear from the new findings that what has been done so far isn’t enough. The government has the opportunity to change things for the whales; it needs to seize that opportunity.”
“Despite measures taken since 2018, underwater noise continues to increase as the predicted sevenfold rise in tanker traffic from the Trans Mountain Expansion project begins to materialize,” said Karen Wristen, Executive Director at Living Oceans. “Noise pollution will continue to increase with the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and Tilbury LNG projects. Voluntary measures just aren’t going to be enough to mitigate this threat.”
“We’re counting on Ottawa to make the right decision as it is likely now or never for these orcas,” said Beatrice Frank, executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance. “They are an apex predator that support healthy marine ecosystems from which a myriad of other living beings, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, are tied to and greatly rely on. In line with this new imminent threat assessment, Ottawa must immediately implement new protections and extend a much-needed lifeline to Southern Resident orcas.”
Another threat, perhaps the most important to the SR killer whale, is the low population number. There are few females alive that are within reproductive ages, and a dwindling number of mature males capable of producing offspring and contributing to the population.
Ha-Shilth-Sa reached out to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier and are waiting on a promised reply.
