Preventing extinction of southern resident killer whales, one whale at a time

Last month, our co-founder and Chief Scientist, Dr. Rob Williams, presented preliminary findings to Washington state’s Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel on our efforts to update what we know about the threats (lack of salmon, ocean noise, and toxic pollution) to southern resident killer whale (SRKW) recovery, to put those threats in the same mathematical currency, and to run different scenarios to see what it would take to prevent the extinction of this iconic population. Sadly, the answer was disheartening and underscored the seriousness of this issue.

When we led a similar effort in 2017, we concluded we could save SRKWs from extinction if we could all work together to get the orcas 30% more salmon. Back then, that seemed unattainable, but our scientific models showed we could recover SRKWs if we increased the number of Chinook salmon in the sea by 15% while doubling the whales’ hunting success by reducing noise from boats and ships. We knew in 2017 that our model relied on science that was already a few years out of date. Since 2017, the whales have been declining faster than our models predicted. We set out to find out why and what we could do about it.

 © Center for Whale Research

Forecasting what it will take to prevent extinction

In 2021, many of you gave generously to help us work with Drs Ben Nelson and Eric Ward to update the part of our model that tells us how SRKW birth and death rates change in good and bad salmon years. With support from Puget Sound Partnership (PSP), we integrated those relationships in a new cumulative effects model and ran management scenarios to see what it would take to reverse the decline. With PSP funding, we expanded our models to include more and better information on contaminants, disease, parasites, inbreeding, and the occasional case of direct, human-caused mortality from vessel strike, etc.

We also turned our direction from hindcasting what got the whales in this mess over the last 40 years, to forecasting what it will take to allow these whales to persist in a warming climate. We found that even our most optimistic salmon recovery targets from 2017 will not be enough to prevent the extinction of this iconic population. We need to slow the decline, buy some more time, and try to prevent sick whales from dying. And it looks as though we have one killer whale generation—28 years—to turn things around before the population tips over into an accelerating decline toward extinction. Inbreeding and climate change make this difficult task even more vexing.

Collectively, we’ve made progress on the noise front. Ship slow-downs by Ports of Vancouver, Seattle, and Tacoma are resulting in less ship noise, and our work is proving that the whales are feeding more when we make less noise in the Salish Sea. Keeping smaller boats farther from whales, and fully protecting foraging hotspots, is helping. In our own organization, we have scaled up the use of innovative, non-lethal deterrents to reduce seal predation on salmon at human-built bottlenecks, such as dams, fish ladders, and the Hood Canal Bridge. All of these efforts are helping but they are not enough to turn the population’s decline into recovery.

SRKW behavioral health metrics program

This year, inspired by our new understanding of the challenge we face saving SRKWs, we started a new SRKW behavioral health metrics program in partnership with Dr. Joe Gaydos, scientist director at the SeaDoc Society.

Dr. Rob Williams, left, with Dr. Joe Gaydos using a hydrophone to listen to underwater sound in Haro Strait. © Steve Ringman, The Seattle Times

If you were short of breath, or feeling sluggish, you’d probably decide to go see a doctor. Your doctor would measure your breathing and heart rate and compare these to normal values. Similarly, in whales, abnormal behavior can be a powerful early warning that a whale is in trouble. 

Fortunately, we have longitudinal data on breathing rates and swimming speeds of individual whales of known age and sex going back to 2003. We collect the data from land-based viewing sites using a surveyor’s theodolite as a completely noninvasive way to measure impacts of vessels on SRKW behavior, including foraging. We’ve reused the data to map foraging hotspots, and we are showing how the distribution of those foraging hotspots changes between good and bad salmon years. We’ve even used the data for noninvasive physiology studies that showed that a mother orca needs 42% more calories when she has a calf swimming beside her to keep up with the group.

Now, we are reexamining those meticulous data records and are finding hints that “whales of concern”, (meaning whales that have poor body condition and may not survive the season) tend to take shorter breaths and feed less often than healthy whales of the same age and sex. We believe the whales’ behavior can tell us when they are sick, long before they show up skinny or with that characteristic sign of fat loss behind the head (peanut-head) that indicates that a whale is near death. If we can detect warning signs sooner, then we can get wildlife veterinarians like Joe Gaydos out on the water to test whether an individual has a treatable infection, or would benefit from treatment for parasites.

Southern residents in their Salish Sea home. © Lindsey Stadler

Southern residents need our help now more than ever

There is a perception that the SRKW population has always been small, and it fluctuates between 70 and 100 individuals. What this last year of working with top experts in genetics, population dynamics, wildlife health, and ecotoxicology has taught us, is that the whales are telling us something. There is a pattern here. We are not seeing random fluctuations in a small population. We are seeing a population declining by 1% per year, on average. Due to lack of mature females and inbreeding, that decline will accelerate toward extinction if we don’t mitigate threats now. We need all hands on deck to keep whales from getting sick, and sick whales from dying. And we need your help.

Conservation is a crisis discipline. Agencies tend to react to crises after they’ve become too obvious to ignore. If we’re going to prevent the extinction of our beloved southern resident killer whales, we need to look forward, not back. Frankly, that innovation comes from the conservation science sector, not the management sector, and it is fueled by individual philanthropists like you, not government grants. 

The southern residents need your help now. As Oceans Initiative urgently scales up our work on the relationships between killer whale behavior, health, and population growth, we hope our community will turn their dedication into action. Can we count on your support today to help fund our continued research and the development of our SRKW behavioral health metrics program?

Free Marine Biology Camp Painting Class with Artist, Sophia Trinh (and a nonprofit fundraiser)

On Thursday, April 16, we have a very special guest, Sophia Trinh, joining our Virtual Marine Biology Camp. Sophia has very generously offered to lead a free ocean-themed painting class for kids of all ages. In this hour-long session, we’ll be learning to paint the iconic killer whale!

Sophia Trinh is an American-Vietnamese watercolor artist from Seattle, Washington. She started painting at the age of four and soon developed a love for watercolors. Today, Sophia’s work is a synthesis of creativity, and imagination, science, and geometry. She is inspired to use art as a tool to engage others, and communicate ideas. Sophia’s hope in sharing her art with the world is that others will be encouraged to find space in their lives for art and creativity. You might enjoy following Sophia on Instagram.

In addition, Sophia has kindly agreed to donate an original painting of an endangered North Atlantic right whale (shown above) to Oceans Initiative. Oceans Initiative works with colleagues at New England Aquarium and NOAA to try to help protect these endangered whales by reducing impacts of ocean noise, ship strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear. We invite you to make a donation to support our conservation mission. Sophia will select the winner of the painting.

  • Visit our Get Involved page to make a tax-deductible donation in the USA.
  • Our Canadian friends and neighbours may make a tax-deductible donation here.

Whether you donate or not, please know the art class is free, like all of the sessions we’ve done so far. We hope to see you online Thursday, April 16, at 11 am (Seattle time) for this very special ocean-themed painting class with Sophia! Watch for updates, as we identify the best free platform to use, so you can watch Sophia live on Thurs. Please have ready your watercolor paints, paintbrushes, paper, and a rag or towel. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Virtual marine biology camp

During the school shutdowns, we’ve decided to launch a (very) informal, impromptu, virtual marine biology camp. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, and you should see us in your news feed when we go live, Mondays and Thursdays at 11 am Pacific time. For Paddington Bear fans, you’ll note that this is conveniently timed to coincide with elevenses. We’ve been using this as an excuse to bake yummy treats, for educational purposes of course. The recipes help us practice our reading and math skills. What are you making for Monday’s elevenses?

Thanks, GeekWire, for the great profile of this event. We did this primarily as parents of an almost six-year-old kid who is really missing her friends. Please like, comment, share, and tell us in the comments below what you’d like to see us cover in future episodes. We’ll keep this up as a free community service as long as schools are closed, kids are interested, and our nonprofit team has the capacity to keep up with demand.

We’re Hiring!

Please visit our Careers page for information about current openings.

UPDATE (March 05, 2020): Thank you to everyone who has submitted an application. We were truly impressed by both the number (almost 200!) and quality of applicants. Due to our organization’s small size and the sheer number of applicants, we had to interview people on a rolling basis and are currently in the the final stages of the interview process. Thank you again for your time and interest in working with Oceans Initiative and please keep an eye on our social media channels for information on upcoming projects and job openings in Canada and the US.

Four PAID Field Technician Positions Available: Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Research, Summer 2020. 

June 25 – September 4, 2020 (1 month minimum; start/end dates flexible; preference given to applicants available for the entire period), with a possibility of extending fieldwork through September. 

Oceans Initiative is a team of scientists on a mission to protect marine wildlife. Our US team is based out of Seattle, WA. We are currently recruiting 4 highly motivated field technicians to collect behavioral and AIS data on killer whales and vessels from land-based study sites on San Juan Island for our summer 2020 field season. Experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, and SRKW identification skills, are highly valued. Must be able to work independently and as part of a close-knit team where a positive attitude is essential. Applicants with substantial experience in theodolite tracking, project leadership, and project management may be considered for a coordinator role. Applicants must be eligible to work legally in the U.S. for the duration of the employment period. 

The primary goal of this project is to measure the effectiveness of recent efforts to reduce impacts of vessel noise and disturbance on foraging of SRKWs. Data collection involves: recording behavioral observations of SRKW activity in Haro Strait, theodolite tracking of vessel and whale movement, storing and processing AIS data, and documenting small vessel presence and activity within 1000m of the whales. 

Qualification requirements: Student or recent graduate of a biology/marine biology, marine science, oceanography, zoology or related program, or related experience. Excellent communication skills. Experience working as a naturalist on a whale watching boat in the Salish Sea would be helpful. Genuine interest in killer whale behavior, and conservation. Valid driver’s license and clean driving record. Must be able to collect data on uneven terrain, in variable weather conditions (4-37C, 40F-100F, rain, humidity and biting insects). Knowledge of digital SLR cameras and lenses an asset. Familiarity with data storage and management processes. Ability to work on-call, dawn-dusk, for multi-week shifts with scheduled days off. 

Duties include: staying current on location of SRKW through frequent monitoring of sightings network, high-quality data collection, data management, meticulous note-taking, providing daily communication with executive team via Slack, maintenance of field equipment, and some content creation for social media posts.  

Preferred applicants will be available for the entire 2 month period, with the potential of extending into September. Those with first hand marine mammal observing experience and/or experience working on whale-watch vessels in the San Juans, are especially encouraged to apply. If you have experience with theodolite tracking of cetaceans, please mention this clearly in your cover letter, and mention the software you have used to track cetaceans.

This position is PAID (remuneration dependent upon qualifications and experience) and housing on San Juan Island will be provided. While technicians will have to provide their own food and transportation to and around the island, one round-trip ferry ticket will be provided–any additional trips off-island must be covered by the individual. 

Interested applicants must send a cover letter, CV and dates of availability to team@oceansinitiatve.org before April 3rd, 2020 to be considered. Applicant must be authorized to work in the US as we cannot sponsor overseas visas. Preference will be given to applicants who can stay through the entire project. Application review will begin immediately. More information about Oceans Initiative can be found at www.oceansinitiative.org  or by contacting us directly at team@oceansinitiative.org

Thank you,
Erin Ashe, PhD
Rob Williams, PhD
Laura Bogaard, BASc

PS: We have seen this ad shared to other sites, where it has been described as a paid internship. This is well suited for an early career researcher, or a naturalist wishing to gain experience in science, but our team is unable to provide the one-on-one mentorship we would normally expect in a paid internship. We are looking for people who are ready to work as paid field technicians. These are short-term, contract positions to carry out specific tasks. They are not intended to become full-time salaried positions, or to support data collection for your graduate degree.

Where are the Southern Resident killer whales?

“We hope that they are finding fish in peaceful, clean waters. And when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them.”

— Sarah Colosimo

It’s another beautiful summer on San Juan Island for our field team, where the days are long and end with glorious sunsets. Seal pups and fawns mark the beginning of new life. And the town is bustling with tourists who have come to see the resident star attraction of the islands; but the whales are not here.

We haven’t seen the Southern Resident killer whales since their fleeting visit in early July. Their appearance spanned the course of two days as they performed their classic “westside shuffle” along the shores of the island at a hasty speed, treating those who were lucky enough to witness this brief encounter. As quickly as they appeared, they too quickly disappeared. It has now been over a month since we have seen them.

The absence of the whales we know and love from these inland waters this summer is unprecedented and impossible to ignore. It is particularly prominent for us, given the purpose of our team being on island is to observe these whales. However, the reality begs us to accept that the whales are not here because this is no longer a viable habitat for them. Perhaps the whales have finally realized this too, and are unable to energetically contend with the declining salmon runs, vessel noise, and toxins that have become the reality of the Salish Sea.

Waiting for Southern Resident killer whales on San Juan island. © Farrell McClernon

The story of the Southern Resident killer whales is undoubtedly devastating. Last summer, we watched on from the shore as a mother carried her deceased calf for days on end and as a starving juvenile wasted away until she eventually disappeared. As their numbers continue to decline, with additional missing whales this year, it is hard not to feel as though all is lost and the damage is irrevocable. But we urgently need to escalate our efforts to restore the Salish Sea in the hopes that the whales will return, before we lose them forever.

It is bittersweet to be without the Southern Residents this summer. While we are without our study species in the place that has historically been considered their critical habitat, we can only hope that it is because they have found an abundant source of salmon that is filling their bellies and supporting their survival. If there is anything that these whales have demonstrated to us, it is the ability to endure and persist. Wherever the Southern Resident killer whales are, we hope that they are finding fish, in peaceful, clean waters, and when they return to the Salish Sea, we will be waiting for them.