The Decline of Southern Resident Killer Whales

Below is a report paper I had to write for my upper division writing class for school.  The topic of the report is on the issues that are being linked to the Southern Resident Killer Whales, which live in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, Canada.  Since this has research in the paper, I have included the sources.  Photo was taken by me, Haro Straight, off shore of San Juan Island, Washington, July, 2010.  An Orca which is a member of L Pod.

The Decline of Southern Resident Killer Whales

John Trammell

California State University, San Bernardino

Introduction

     Killer Whales, or Orcas, are the most widely distributed cetacean species in the world and likely represent the most widely distributed mammal species in the world (NOAA A, 2011). They are found in all of the world's oceans. Their range is limited only by natural barriers such as the polar ice packs. The largest population of Orcas are found on the eastern and western edges of the North Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, and Antarctica. Orcas are very social animals who tend to live with their families for long periods of time, some their entire lives. A family group of Orcas are called pods, whose numbers can reach as high as fifty individual whales Gordon & Flaherty 9-11, 1990). Most of the information scientists know today about Orcas comes from studying the popular J, K, & L pods; which live in the Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Southern Georgia Strait in the Pacific Northwest. This population of whales is a type of Orca called Resident Killer Whales; they live within a certain geographic region instead of migrating all over the world like Transient Killer Whales. The population of whales that make up the J, K, & L pods have been named by scientists as the Southern Resident Killer Whales. The Orca has been my favorite animal since I was a little boy. My dream to see them in their natural habitat came true in July of last year, when I traveled to the San Juan Islands in Washington. While aboard the Western Prince II, on a whale watching tour, a naturalist stated that the local population numbers of the whales are on the decline, and the Southern Resident Killer Whale population was placed on the Endangered Species List in 2005. There are currently 88 Orcas in the population; a decline from its estimated historical level of about 200 during the mid to late 1800s (NOAA A, 2011). According to The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor: lack of food, exposure to toxins, activity on the water's surface, and underwater noise are the main issues being linked to the decline of the Orca populations in the Pacific Northwest.

Lack of Food

     The Orca's diet varies depending on the population and their geographic location. The Orcas of the Pacific Northwest are exclusively fish-eaters. Some studies show that up to 90% of their diet is salmon, with Chinook Salmon being their favorite (The Whale Museum, 2011). Scientists worked on studies from 2004 to 2008 in the San Juan Islands, Washington, and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca, British Columbia, to identify what prey the Orcas were eating, and what the availability of this prey was. Following the whales in a small boat, they collected fish scales and tissue remains from predation events, and feces, using a fine mesh net. Visual fish scale analysis and molecular genetic methods were used to identify the species consumed. Chinook salmon, a relatively rare species, was by far the most frequent prey item, confirming previous studies. Of the Chinook salmon sampled, 80 to 90% were inferred to have originated from the Fraser River, located just south of Vancouver, B.C. (Hanson, M. B., et al, 2010). According to Marine Naturalist, John Boyd, the salmon populations have decreased by 95% in the past fifty years. The two main reasons for the disappearance of the salmon are the overfishing by humans, and toxic poisoning from pollution in the oceans, specifically poly-chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs). This large decrease in salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest is causing the Orcas to work harder to find food. With the decrease of their preferred food, the whales are forced to look for other fish to feed on, which is causing an imbalance in the food chain. GPS tagging of some of these killer whales shows that they have been diving up to 800 feet to search for food. Researchers tend to think that during these deep dives, the whales may be feeding on bottomfish. Bottomfish species in the area would include halibut, rockfish, lingcod, and greenling. Scientists estimate that today's lingcod populations in the northern Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia is only 2% of what it was in 1950. In some areas of the Puget Sound, rockfish species have disappeared entirely (The Whale Museum, 2011). With this secondary food choice declining along with the Chinook Salmon decline, the whales are slowly losing their food sources, causing their bodies to resort to their blubber fat for energy in between meals.

Exposure to Toxins

     Historically, humans have an act for doing things to the natural environment that cause issues for the environment and its inhabitants down the road. For years, we dumped numerous amounts of chemicals into our rivers and oceans. Over time, these chemicals were absorbed by the marine wildlife, including fish. These chemicals that are absorbed from the water can't be broken down by the organism's body, so they become stored in the fat cells. A good example of this situation would be to look at tuna. Many recommend that we don't eat large amounts of tuna, due to the risk of mercury poisoning. Mercury has been a major pollutant for years, and the fat cells of tuna fish have absorbed the chemical. Toxic substances accumulate in higher concentrations as they move up the food chain. Because Orcas are the top predator in the ocean and are at the top of several different food chains in the environment, they tend to be more affected by pollutants than other sea creatures. Examinations of stranded killer whales have shown some extremely high levels of lead, mercury, and poly-chlorinated hydrocarbons. Abandoned marine toxic waste dumps and present levels of industrial and human refuse pollution of the inland waters probably presents the most serious threat to the continued existence of the Orca population in the Pacific Northwest (The Whale Museum). The salmon that the Orcas are eating everyday contain a certain amount of chemicals in their fat cells, mainly poly-chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs). Marine Naturalist Katie Jones has said that PCBs are affecting the reproductive and immune system of the Orcas. With the decline in the food source, as mentioned above, the whales' bodies start to use to their stored fat cells in their blubber. The concentrations of PCBs in the fat gets released into the mammals blood stream, and can end up poisoning the whale. Suzanne Chisholm, the Co-Director of a documentary called “The Whale”, that was released in September, 2011, has stated that “When these Orcas die, their bodies are so contaminated that they are actually categorized as hazardous waste...these levels of toxins are extremely concentrated in the organs of these mammals”. Since PCBs were banned in the United States in the 1970s, scientists hope to see toxin levels in marine mammals, like the Orcas, decrease in the future. By the time this change happens, it may be too late.

Surface Congestion

     During the summer months, the San Juan Islands and Victoria, British Columbia, are popular vacation spots for tourists from all over the world. Many of these tourists travel to the region to see the Southern Resident Killer Whales. There are many different companies that offer whale watching tours, and with the summer months being busy, it is very common to have many vessels jam-packed with people out in the Haro Strait or the Juan de Fuca Strait. Along with the whale watching tours, the waters around the San Juan Islands are extremely busy due to international commercial shipping, fishing, and pleasure boating. On a busy weekend day in the summer it is not uncommon to see numerous boats in the vicinity of the whales as they travel through the area. The potential impacts from all the vessel traffic on the Killer Whales and other marine animals in the area could be tremendous (The Whale Museum). Orcas are mammals. Therefore, they need to breath air. With a large amount of vessel traffic, there is less open area for the whales to come to the surface to breath. This increases the likelihood of a collision between boat and Killer Whale. Besides the more dangerous boat collisions, there is a major concern of the whales breathing the exhaust coming from vessels. Breathing the dangerous fumes from the exhaust can cause major breathing issues for the whales down the road. Even kayakers can present a problem here because they're so quiet. The Orcas could be busy hunting and feeding under the surface of the water, and may not be aware that there is a kayak above them. The Orcas can hit the bottom of the kayak as they surface to breathe, which can cause some damage to their bodies (The Whale Museum). In order to protect the whales, rules and laws have been written in both British Columbia and in Washington to protect the Killer Whales. When I had traveled to San Juan Island in July, 2010, the law was that vessels must be at least 100 yards from the Orcas. Many felt that distance wasn't far enough away from the whales, so new laws were written in 2011. The new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the vessel in its path. The rules went into effect May 16, 2011, and apply to all types of boats, including motor boats, sail boats, and kayaks, in Washington's inland waters. Exemptions to the rules for safety include vessels actively fishing commercially, cargo vessels traveling in established shipping lanes, and government and research vessels. (NOAA B, 2011) These rules have made some visitors unhappy because of the urge to get as close of a look at the whales as possible, but the new rules are in the best interest of the whales. Even with the new rules in place, many conservationists are still working to change the number of international commercial vessels that travel through the area.

Underwater Noise

     The last major issue that has affected the Southern Resident Killer Whales goes alongside with the congested vessel traffic on the water's surface. Orcas communicate with each other over short and long distances with a variety of clicks, chirps, squeaks and whistles, along with using echolocation to locate prey and to navigate. According to Marine Naturalist, John Boyd, the amount of sound pollution in the water is causing the whales to slow down their communications, and to use more of their energy to increase the volume of their communications in order for their fellow members in the pod to hear them. This can cause whales to lose track of their families, and become lost. Many of the whale watching companies will power down their engines when near the whales, so as not to disturb the whales and their communications. The noise levels in the water can also effect their hunting efforts, for echolocation is used by the Orcas, and they need to be able to hear the sound waves they make to locate their next meal. The biggest producers of the noise pollution comes from the commercial tankers that travel through the area. NOAA specialists are also working with the U.S. Navy Northwest Training Range Complex, located in the area, to help reduce the amount of noise from the Naval training activity that can be disruptive to the Orcas. The sounds (active sonar, explosions, vessel/aircraft noise) that the Navy generates with increasing frequency as part of their training activities will likely have significant impacts on marine mammals and other species with in the area. NOAA has recommended that the Navy improve their ability to detect all marine mammals. If marine mammals are sighted or detected within acoustic range, then exercises should be shut down if in progress. Night time exercises should not be conducted, and aircraft are to be re-routed that are transiting in any region containing the Southern Resident Orcas. (The Whale Museum).

Conclusion

     The human species causes major impacts on the environment. These impacts have affected a great variety of species all over the world including my favorite animal. The Southern Resident Killer Whales have been suffering over the past few decades from the adverse impacts from a variety of causes. With combined efforts by everyone, we will be able to save our oceans and the wildlife that have no other place to live. Even simple steps taken by all people, by recycling and not dumping chemicals, including medicines, into the water systems will help protect the fragile balance of the environment. Respecting the Orca's right-of-way in the waterways will give them the massive amount of space they need for safe travel will help the population of pods as well. The Orca has been my favorite animal since early childhood. I want them to be around for years down the road, so that my future children will be able to enjoy their presence as well.

References

Gordon, D. G., & Flaherty, C. (1990). Orca Facts. In American Cetacean Society Field Guide To The Orca. (1st ed.). Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books.

Hanson, M. B., et al (2010). Species and stock identification of prey consumed by endangered southern resident killer whales in their summer range. Endangered Species Research,11, 69-82. doi:10.3354/esr00263 Retrieved from http://www.int- res.com/articles/esr2010/11/n011p069.pdf

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service (2011, September 23). Killer Whale (Orcinus orca). Office of Protected Resources. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/killerwhale.htm

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2011, April 14). Endangered whales to be given wider berth. NOAA issues new rules to safeguard Puget Sound’s Killer Whales. Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110414_killerwhale.html

The Whale Museum of Friday Harbor (n.d.). Issues Affecting the Southern Resident Orcas. The Whale Museum. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from

http://www.whale-museum.org/education/library/issues.html

Naturalists statements and Co-Director of "The Whale" quote above come from interview in this video from youtube.