Issues Affecting the South Resident (Killer whales)

 

Issues Affecting the South Resident Orcas
Orcas, also known as killer whales, are opportunistic feeders, which means they will take a
variety of different prey species. J, K, and L pods (specific groups of orcas found in the region)
are almost exclusively fish eaters. Some studies show that up to 90 percent of their diet is
salmon, with Chinook salmon being far and away their favourite. During the last 50 years,
hundreds of wild runs of salmon have become extinct due to habitat loss and overfishing of
wild stocks. Many of the extinct salmon stocks are the winter runs of Chinook and coho.
Although the surviving stocks have probably been sufficient to sustain the resident pods, many
of the runs that have been lost were undoubtedly traditional resources favoured by the
resident orcas. This may be affecting the whales’ nutrition in the winter and may require them
to change their patterns of movement in order to search for food.
Other studies with tagged whales have shown that they regularly dive up to 800 feet in this
area.Researchers tend to think that during these deep dives the whales may be feeding on
bottomfish. Bottomfish species in this area would include halibut, rockfish, lingcod, and
greenling. Scientists estimate that today’s lingcod population in northern Puget Sound and the
Strait of Georgia is only 2 percent of what it was in 1950. The average size of rockfish in the
recreational catch has also declined by several inches since the 1970s, which is indicative of
overfishing. In some locations, certain rockfish species have disappeared entirely. So even if
bottomfish are not a major food resource for the whales, the present low numbers of available
fish increases the pressure on orcas and all marine animals to find food. (For more information
on bottomfish see the San Juan County Bottomfish Recovery Program.)
Toxic substances accumulate in higher concentrations as they move up the food chain. Because
orcas t 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 polychlorinated 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 this orca population. Unfortunately, the
total remedy to this huge problem would be broad societal changes on many fronts. But
because of the fact that orcas are so popular, they may be the best species to use as a focal
point in bringing about the many changes that need to be made in order to protect the marine
environment as a whole from further toxic poisoning.
The waters around the San Juan Islands are extremely busy due to international commercial
shipping, fishing, whale watching, 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 this vessel traffic with regard to the whales and other
marine animals in the area could be tremendous.
The surfacing and breathing space of marine birds and mammals is a critical aspect of their
habitat, which the animals must consciously deal with on a moment-to-moment basis
throughout their lifetimes. With all the boating activity in the vicinity, there are three ways in
which surface impacts are most likely to affect marine animals: (a) collision, (b) collision
avoidance, and (c) exhaust emissions in breathing pockets.
The first two impacts are very obvious and don’t just apply to vessels with motors. Kayakers
even present a problem here because they’re so quiet. Marine animals, busy hunting and
feeding under the surface of the water, may not be aware that there is a kayak above them and
actually hit the bottom of it as they surface to breathe.
The third impact is one most people don’t even think of. When there are numerous boats in the
area, especially idling boats, there are a lot of exhaust fumes being spewed out on the surface
of the water. When the whale comes up to take a nice big breath of “fresh” air, it instead gets a
nice big breath of exhaust fumes. It’s hard to say how greatly this affects the animals, but think
how breathing polluted air affects us (i.e., smog in large cities like Los Angeles, breathing the
foul air while sitting in traffic jams, etc).
Similar to surface impacts, a primary source of acoustic pollution for this population of orcas
would also be derived from the cumulative underwater noise of vessel traffic. For cetaceans,
the underwater sound environment is perhaps the most critical component of their sensory and
behavioural lives. 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. They may also rely on passive listening as a primary sensory source. The long-term
impacts from noise pollution would not likely show up as noticeable behavioural changes in
habitat use, but rather as sensory damage or gradual reduction in population health. A new
study at The Whale Museum called the Sea-Sound Remote Sensing Network has begun studying
underwater acoustics and its relationship to orca communication.