Researchers find cautious optimism with recent visits by Southern Resident orcas

From first light until long after sundown, Monika Wieland Shields was busy at work spotting Southern Resident Killer whales in late May.

In the past, it was normal to see them perform what locals call "the west side shuffle," moving back and forth just off the coast of the island foraging for fish and socializing along kelp beds for hours at a time.

Times have drastically changed. Since 2013, the Southern Residents have gone missing for bigger chunks of the season – a concern, as Puget Sound once served as their "refrigerator," a source of Chinook salmon.

Not that long ago, May through September was peak season for the Southern Residents to spend time near the San Juans. Orcas would head up toward the Fraser River, and come back down through the islands to hunt their prized salmon.

This year, J-Pod arrived as it once had almost every season – launching researchers like Shields into action.

"It feels like going back in time," said Shields, the director of Orca Behavior Institute. "We’ve seen a ton of social behavior which we take as a good sign."

For more than a week, J-Pod – one of the three groupings of orcas that make up the Southern Resident Killer Whales – dazzled local whale watchers like the old days. Naturalists lined the rocky shores of the west side from Lime Kiln to the Westside Preserve, snapping photos as the sound of orcas taking giant breaths echoed along the coastline.

"When they are fat and happy they have time to play," explained Shields. "We have seen foraging, as well. Some of the 2-year-olds have surfaced with pieces of fish in their mouth, so they’re learning how to forage on their own."

The appearance also allowed scientists the opportunity to determine that J-59, the newest calf born to J-Pod is a girl – an important discovery, as the Southern Residents are matriarchal.

"That’s the most exciting news for me," explained Dr. Michael Weiss, with the Center for Whale Research. "Population growth for the Southern Residents is really limited by how many reproductive-aged females we have since they have such a long stretch between births."

Female orcas within the Southern Resident population historically give birth every five years, or so. However, fewer successful births have occurred in recent decades.

Researchers have seen a number of issues: miscarriages, female orcas dying off before reaching reproductive age, while others have simply not had offspring. Matrilines – familial lines tracing back to females – have died off, threatening the future of the orcas famous in the Pacific Northwest.

Biggs killer whales have followed a very different path.

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The lesser discussed killer whales, known also as Transient killer whales – or orcas, unlike their name suggests, have spent more and more time in Puget Sound. In 2021, the Orca Behavior Institute traced a record number of unique sightings recording more than 1,000 sightings of Biggs killer whales – up several hundred for recent highs.

Weiss was actually on San Juan Island to carry out research on Biggs killer whales when the Southern Residents showed up. A reminder of just how uncommon their arrival was this season.

"It’s been a bit crazy," he said, noting it’s brought a spark of hope.

"Long-term I still think there’s that darkness, though. The underlying fact that we haven’t fixed a lot of the real issues underlying the Chinook salmon decline, and ultimately the whales decline – but it’s hard not to feel excited and a little hopeful when they’re here, they’re on the west side and they’re active in their social groups. We all are feeling excited, and we’re letting ourselves feel a little hopeful even though we know there’s a long battle ahead to get at the root cause of the whale’s decline."

That decline Weiss is referring to is a lack of prey for Southern Residents to feed on.

Overall, three issues are regularly discussed when referring to the decline of the Southern Residents: food, pollution and noise pollution – but as Weiss points out: Biggs killer whales are reproducing faster, and increasing in numbers while navigating the same waters.

The key difference between the two species is that Southern Residents rely on salmon as their food source, typically Chinook salmon – another endangered species. Biggs eat marine mammals, which are much more plentiful right now.

Just this month, a new research paper published by the University of British Columbia reported that Southern Resident killer whales have not been getting enough to eat since 2018. The paper’s bottom line: they get less energy from food than what they are expending – further stressing an already dwindling population.

"It just comes down to a fed whale is a happy whale," said Weiss. "A happy whale is a health whale is a whale that can reproduce."

One whale will not save the entire population; but a single female whale can have a big impact if they survive to reproductive age. As it stands now, the lack of reproductive females within the Southern Resident population has long been a concern.

Part II of FOX 13’s coverage on Southern Resident orcas and their failing matrilines airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m.