In the waters off Vancouver Island, the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales is still dwindling.
“Between July 1, 2023, and the same date in 2024, we had a decline in the population of two individuals total,” said Dr. Michael Weiss, research director at the Washington-based Center for Whale Research.
Those were adult orcas. There was one birth recorded over that period, but unfortunately that male calf didn’t survive.
“We just cannot seem to get multiple years in a row of the population growing,” said Weiss. “Every time we get growth, we get a decline following it.”
The Center for Whale Research says there are three factors colliding with one another causing the species to struggle.
“(Those factors are) a lack of their primary prey, the Chinook salmon, noise and vessel disturbance and toxic chemicals in their environment,” said the research director.
When the whales are not well fed, …