Featured Image Credit: NOAA/Fisheries
Sad news flows through the Puget Sound this week. The orca whale known as J-28 has passed away. The female was estimated to be about 24 years old, which is the prime reproductive age. For years, local residents have been able to catch a glimpse of easily recognizable J-28 thanks to a nick on her dorsal fin.
The killer whale was a member of the J-pod family of southern resident orca whales. The group was officially declared Endangered in 2005. Reports and photos show that the female whale’s health was actually in steep decline months before her last confirmed sighting on October 19th.
Unfortunately, the orca whale was also a nursing mother who left behind a 10-month old calf, J-54. Many marine mammal experts have reason to believe that the calf is also extremely malnourished and won’t live much longer. Since the mother appeared to be severely emaciated, it is highly likely that she was unable to provide enough milk for her calf. With little success, the calf’s 7-year-old sister has been seen offering him chinook salmon, while other J-pod members raise the weak calf to the surface for air.
If the calf dies, then that will leave the southern resident orca population with 80 members. Ken Balcomb, director of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island, wrote an obituary for the two whales and stated, “We have seen virtually no growth in this population in 20 years despite large amounts of money spent to study and recover them.”
Due to a baby boom that started in December 2014 and lasted until January 2016, it was believed that the southern orca whale population was on the rise. Unfortunately, 3 of the 9 calves born during that time have passed, along with 3 other adults. At this rate, the population is seeing their lowest numbers in several decades.
There are several factors playing into the declining orca populations. NOAA released a special report in 2014 that revealed the 3 main contributing causes: decline in chinook salmon populations, noise pollution and traffic from ships, and a contamination from chemicals.
For the sake of these cetaceans, we hope they catch a break. Read more as the sad story unfolds.