Not one, but two orca calves return with endangered Southern Residents
New calf L127, spotted alongside it's mother L94. According to Center for Whale Research, both L127 and fellow calf L126 appear to be active. COURTESY: Center for Whale Research
SEATTLE - Not one, but two babies born to the L pod family of endangered Southern Resident killer whales have been spotted. Perhaps, the best news of all – both calves appear to be active and thriving according to initial encounters.
The news, confirmed by the Center for Whale Research (CWR), comes as something of a relief after the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife noted two pregnancies within L pod "may have ended" one day prior.
Southern Resident killer whales are at high-risk of extinction and are considered an endangered species. Both the federal government and Washington State have spent years attempting to save the species from a variety of threats.
L pod, one of three family groups within the population, had not been seen in this area in roughly six months. L pod had dropped to its lowest number of orcas since the CWR began keeping a census.
Last week a new calf was spotted swimming off the British Columbia coast alongside members of its presumed family.
On Friday, the Center of Whale Research noted that the second baby was spotted during a survey on June 30, near the Strait of Georgia. The latest data indicates that the babies belong to L119 (her first calf), with the latest calf belonging to L94 – her third.
The sex is not yet known of either calf, but CWR researchers will attempt to get additional images in the coming days. Both are believed to be roughly two months old.
"The first year is challenging for young whales, but we hope that both calves and their mothers can survive and thrive well into the future," a release noted.
The pair of babies mark the first births to L pod since an orca named L125 was born in 2021.
The Southern Residents were once a mainstay in Puget Sound between May and September. Orcas, an alternate name to killer whale, would head toward the Fraser River and come back through the San Juan islands to hunt salmon.
Times have changed. Researchers have seen a number of issues: miscarriages, female orcas dying off before they reach reproductive age, while others simply have not had births in line with past norms.
The Southern Residents face a barrage of issues: a lack of their preferred Chinook salmon as the species faces its own potential extinction, noise pollution from a growing maritime industry and pollution.
"We have lots of dead-end matrilines that are a female and nothing but male offspring," warned Dave Ellifrit, a researcher with the Center for Whale Research, during a 2022 interview. "So, they’re dried up twigs on the family tree.
Orcas are a matriarchal society, with female orcas leading pods and teaching their young how to fish and locate food.
It’s why any birth is considered a reason to celebrate nowadays.
Baby orca spotted with L Pod for the first time in two years
The endangered Southern Resident orcas are returning to the Salish Sea with a new baby in tow this summer.
The last Center for Whale Research census listed the number of Southern Residents at 73. That was before the latest births, but also before any orcas failed to return – signaling a new death.
The L pod, if no deaths are observed, would grow to 34 with the two latest arrivals. That would be in line with the number of orcas observed between 2018-2019, but well below its peak of 59 orcas in 1995.
The status of the Southern Residents remains fragile. CWR looks at 2010 as a baseline, when 86 orcas were alive. Every year since, the population has been smaller except for one year.
This week WDFW, released a list of orcas that are considered to be in "poor condition." That report listed 10 whales that are 2-3 times more likely to die.
While the news is not too cheerful, there were silver linings within the data. According to WDFW, a member of J pod is believed to be in late-stage pregnancy based on past measurements taken from drones via SR3, a group that is contracted to work with the state.
State rules that took effect last year ban traveling within one-half nautical mile of a group of Southern Residents which include a calf under 1-year-old. Since orcas typically travel in family groups, that is most of the time when babies arrive.