Southern Resident Killer Whale Calf Dies Days after Birth; Second Newborn Appears Healthy

The new year came with both joy and sadness for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Researchers first spotted J35, also known as Tahlequah, carrying her deceased calf off Alki Point in West Seattle on December 31. Tahlequah is the same whale that garnered international headlines and concern in 2018 when she carried another deceased newborn calf for 17 days.

Yet, while scientists monitored J pod, they saw another newborn calf nearby in apparent robust health. We don't know the gender or the mother of the calf yet. This newest member of J pod brings the number of Southern Resident calves under 5 years old to 11, six of which are female. The death of one Southern Resident calf-and the birth of another-brings into focus both the challenges and opportunities encountered in working toward species recovery.

"It's important for people to understand that it's not unexpected to have 50 percent mortality in calves," said Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. "Southern Residents are still reproducing. We are hoping that calf production and survivorship improve in the future, and the other new J pod calf gives us hope for that."

J35 was spotted again on January 10 still carrying the body of her deceased calf in Haro Strait, Hanson said. The pod will likely migrate out of Puget Sound in the coming days, for feeding grounds on the coast. While J35 endured another loss, she has two other offspring: a 4-year-old calf, Phoenix (J57), and 14-year-old Notch (J47), both males. So, while we grieve the loss of the calf, we also celebrate signs of resilience.

Southern Residents' Decline and Survival Challenges

The loss of J35's calf underscores the serious challenges facing the Southern Resident killer whales. They're a West Coast icon and Species in the Spotlight that we're working hard to protect. Only 73 whales remain. The death of J35's calf highlights the difficult odds of recovering the population. Only one-third of pregnancies yield a viable calf, and about 50 percent of the calves that are born die before reaching maturity.

Killer whales are highly intelligent creatures with strong social bonds. The grieving behavior displayed by J35 is seen in other social mammals, such as elephants and primates. It's an act that understandably evokes strong emotions. Like people, killer whales form incredibly strong, lifelong bonds. J35's behavior reflects the depth of killer whale social structure and the grief they experience.

Collaborative Efforts to Protect These Endangered Whales

NOAA Fisheries is working with partners, such as the Center for Whale Research , the SeaDoc Society , the Orca Network , and many citizen scientists. They contribute images and real-time location information for individual whales. These collaborations allow us to study these whales at the individual level and build detailed health histories. This detailed work helps us understand what contributes to losses like J35 experienced and how to address those risks and threats.

We also work with many partners to provide the endangered population with the habitat, prey, and protection they need. For example, better securing, restoring, and protecting nearshore habitat is vital to increasing the survival of young salmon , which Southern Residents depend on for food.

A new law in Washington State requires boaters in Washington waters to stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident killer whales at all times. That will help give the whales the space they need to forage, communicate, and rest in their inland critical habitat. We are a partner of the Quiet Sound program, which is currently operating a seasonal, voluntary Large Commercial Vessel Slowdown in Puget Sound. It has reduced underwater noise in the slowdown zone by 50 percent.

"There's a lot of work to be done. It can feel horribly challenging, but-taking the long view-I remain optimistic for the future of Southern Residents," Hanson said.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.