Missing B.C. killer whales 'presumed dead,' only 73 left in group
Conservation efforts among the killer whale population off the B.C. coast have taken another blow, with the group monitoring the mammals announcing that several individuals previously declared missing were now 'presumed dead.'
"These whales are from the extremely endangered southern resident killer whale population, that historically frequent the Salish Sea almost daily in summer months," the Washington State-based Center for Whale Research said in a release this week. "Due to the scarcity of suitable Chinook salmon prey, this population of whales now rarely visit the core waters of its designated Critical Habitat: Puget Sound, Georgia Strait, and the inland reach of the Strait of Juan de Fuca."
With the presumed loss of these three individuals, the southern resident killer whale population off B.C. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest is believed to be down to just 73.
Killer whale K25 captured in mid-breach. Photo by Dave Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research
The three whales were given the designations J17, K25 and L84 by the center, which tracks the population. J17 and K25 had been previously declared missing last month, having already appeared to be in poor health in the months leading up to their disappearance.
J17, a 42-year-old female, was reported to be in poor condition as early as last winter, "likely due to stress," the center says, and is survived by two daughters and a son. One, J35, made international headlines after carrying the body of her own dead calf for 17 days in 2018.
28-year-old male K35, also previously observed showing signs of severe starvation, is survived by three siblings. The other missing killer whale, 29-year-old L84, has not been spotted at all this summer.
The southern resident killer whale population is considered endangered under Canada's Species At Risk Act, and has fluctuated between 70 and 99 individuals since 1976. The other distinct group of killer whales known to frequent western Canadian waters, the northern resident population, is listed as threatened.
