Five things to know about orca and how to help the endangered species
The Pacific Northwest whale watching season runs March to October, with killer whales better known as orca most sighted during the warm summer months.
Here are five things you may not have known about orca:
There are two types of orca in the Pacific Northwest.
According to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center at Fort Warden State Park, both resident orca and transient orca populate the Pacific Northwest.
Resident orca are fish-eating orca, and typically inhabit the inward islands of the Washington coast and British Columbia. Resident orca only eat salmon and typically travel in groups.
Transient orca are mammal-eating orca and typically travel offshore, rarely in the Puget Sound and inward islands. Transient whales hunt harbor seals in small groups, unlike resident orca, usually a mother whale traveling with her babies. Transient whales are much harder to spot and study as they typically stay under the surface of the ocean and rarely breach.
There are three types of resident orca, but one is endangered.
According to the Marine Mammal Commission, there are three populations of resident orca: Alaska residents, northern residents, and southern residents. Washington state is only inhabited by northern resident orca and southern resident orca. Northern residents are located around Vancouver Island and stretch upward into Canada, while southern residents live in the Puget Sound area.
Southern resident orca are endangered as they have continued to decrease in population throughout the last 20 years. The decline is “most likely due to three distinct threats: decreased quantity and quality of prey, the presence of persistent organic pollutants, and disturbance from vessel presence and noise,” the Marine Mammal Commission’s website states.
There are fewer than 100 orca in the Pacific Northwest.
As of Dec. 31, 2021, the Center for Whale Research listed 73 Southern Resident orca, including 24 members of the J Pod, 33 members of the L Pod and 16 members of the K Pod. These numbers are extremely low, and are causing many to worry about the possibility of extinction.
There are nine species of whales in Washington State.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington is home to nine species of whales, not just orca. The nine species include:
▪ Killer whales (Orcinus orca).
▪ Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus).
▪ Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus).
▪ Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus).
▪ Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
▪ Minke whales (Balaena acutorostrata).
▪ North Pacific right whales (Eubalaena japonica).
▪ Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis).
▪ Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus).
There are ways you can help save the orca and keep other species from endangerment.
The Washington Department of Ecology has put together a list of things you can do to help endangered orca and keep the ocean clean for our shoreside neighbors:
▪ Take care of your home’s septic systems. Runoff can end up in oceans, lakes and other bodies of water and cause pollution.
▪ If you’re washing your car, make sure to have extra water and suds go into grass, not storm drains that lead to the ocean.
▪ Don’t use fertilizers or other chemicals on your lawn before a rainstorm. All fertilizers and chemicals can enter storm drains and into the ocean.
Check your car for oil leaks, as oil can enter storm drains and leak into lakes or the ocean.
▪ If you have a boat, be conscious of any leaks, sewage holding takes, and litter.
▪ Volunteer to help in an oil spill response team.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Five things to know about orca and how to help the endangered species."
