Posted on January 13, 2022 by Al Bergstein
Reports in from Pacific Whale Watch Association that whale sightings were up was reported in The Canadian press, (CBC), as good news. It is, in totality of sightings for Biggs and humpbacks. But if you read the details, you find that Southern Resident Orcas sightings are actually down. Let’s take what we can of the positive but not be fooled into thinking we have turned around the issue of local residents. As mentioned in the article, the Biggs eat seals and sea lions, which have been overpopulating the area and eating vast amounts of food that competes with the resident southerns. (another way to think of this is that because we have depleted the salmon runs there are fewer fish to feed all the mammals that eat them). This may help balance out the food chain, but we won’t know for a number of years.
… it’s a different story for the endangered Southern Resident whales — the other principal killer whale found in the region — as their sightings dropped to a record low last year. The salmon-eating mammals were documented on just 103 days, or 28 per cent of the year.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/record-whale-sightings-2021-1.6311282
Read the whole story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/record-whale-sightings-2021-1.6311282
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Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Sea Life | Tagged: biggs whale, humpback, orcas | Comments Off on Good news, bad news for whale sightings in 2021
Posted on May 10, 2021 by Al Bergstein
Good news on the Orca front.
The three J pod calves are doing well. In fact, the whole southern resident pod is looking better than in a decade, according to researchers out with the orcas. “We hope it continues and these calves can thrive,” researcher John Durban says. Lynda Mapes reports. (Seattle Times)
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/southern-resident-orcas-celebrate-3-healthy-calves-as-researchers-find-j-pod-in-best-overall-condition-in-a-decade/
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Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: orcas | 3 Comments »
Posted on August 20, 2018 by Al Bergstein
It seems there is something happening, right now. I called for looking into a moratorium on chinook harvest in the Salish Sea and just off the coast, and now (totally separate from my article) Canadian environmentalists and a restaurant in Seattle are also calling for a halt for the demand for Salish Sea chinook. I’m reaching out to a Seattle fisheries expert who claims it won’t matter. We’ll see if he has time to help me and you understand why. More to follow.
A Seattle restaurateur has stopped offering chinook salmon at her restaurants. Renee Erickson, chef and owner of a group of restaurants, including The Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard, said she made the decision after learning about the plight of J50, the young, ailing orca whale.
http://kuow.org/stories/chef-renee-erickson-pulls-king-salmon-from-menu-after-learning-of-starving-orcas
and
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-chef-renee-erickson-takes-chinook-salmon-off-menus-to-help-ailing-puget-sound-orcas/
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: ballard, chinook, orcas, Puget Sound, renee erickson, Salmon, Salmon Recovery | 1 Comment »
Posted on December 7, 2015 by Al Bergstein
Your good news of the morning.
The Center for Whale Research says yet another orca calf has been spotted swimming with the southern resident killer whale population. This is the seventh new calf born to the endangered population of cetaceans in the last 12 months. The young orca was photographed in November, but due to poor visibility and unfavourable sea conditions, it took several weeks to confirm that there was indeed a new calf in L pod. It has been designated L-123 and is believed to be the first offspring of 12-year-old orca L-103. (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/orca-calf-born-1.3352683
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Filed under: Orcas, Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Orca baby boom: 7th calf born to endangered southern resident population -CBC
Posted on September 16, 2015 by Al Bergstein
More good research. Monitoring at all levels is the most critical element in securing future funding for environmental projects, and validating ones that have been done. It has been the neglected part of all funding over the decades, and glad to see another good outpost established.
Researchers have installed another underwater listening station in British Columbia’s Salish Sea to better understand how shipping noise impacts at-risk whales. The installation Monday was part of a program run by Port Metro Vancouver, the University of Victoria’s Ocean Networks Canada and the hydrophone’s manufacturer. Underwater noise has been identified as a threat to orcas that make their home in the waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland and are listed as at risk by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.(Canadian Press)
http://globalnews.ca/news/2222637/new-hydrophones-monitor-ship-noise-in-salish-sea/
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: hydrophone, noise, ocean, Ocean Networks Canada, orcas, Puget Sound, Salish Sea | Comments Off on New hydrophones monitor ship noise in Salish Sea – Canadian Press
Posted on September 3, 2015 by Al Bergstein
It’s been long overdue. Nice to see that the Feds are finally putting money into enforcement of the protection zone, rather than sitting back and hoping for good behavior. I would agree with the assessment that it’s likely recreational boaters (think of charters coming from all over) rather than locals or the whale watching industry. I’ve met a lot of whale watching businesspeople and they are smart enough to know that crowding the whales can lead to them losing their businesses.
Against a backdrop of rocky bluffs, a pod of orcas jumped out of the emerald waters of the Puget Sound before splashing their massive black-and-white bodies back into the water. Shadowing the whales on a recent afternoon were several recreational and commercial whale-watching boats that ferry people out to watch the orcas breach, one of nature’s most impressive spectacles. But the combination of boats and whales has state and federal authorities worried now that the Southern Resident pod of killer whales has four new calves. Manuel Valdes reports. (Associated Press)
http://phys.org/news/2015-09-patrols-boaters-line-killer-whales.html
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound, whale watching, whales | Comments Off on Patrols keep US boaters in line, protect killer whales- AP
Posted on July 23, 2015 by Al Bergstein
Official orca census: 81 whales, including 4 babies. Up from 78 .
Researchers tracking the southern resident killer whales have photo confirmation of each whale, said Ken Balcomb, a senior scientist with the Center for Whale Research.
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Resident Orca count at 81. Good news – Seattle Times and others
Posted on July 2, 2015 by Al Bergstein
Some good news it seems, though preliminary.
A census of the killer whales that frequent Puget Sound is due today, and it appears that the total population of the three Southern Resident pods is 82, up from 79 last year at this time. But that’s not the end of the story, because two small groups of orcas have not been seen recently — so a final count must wait, according to Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research, which conducts the annual census. Chris Dunagan reports.
http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2015/07/01/orca-census-shows-increase-in-southern-resident-population/
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Orca census shows increase in Southern Resident population -Watching Our Waterways
Posted on January 2, 2015 by Al Bergstein
News on the new birth of a calf is tempered by sobering data that it may not make it. A true life animal drama happening right in front of us.
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…While studying the photos of the calf it appeared to [Ken] Balcomb and his team that newborn J-50 had teeth marks on its dorsal fin, which could indicate a difficult birth, where another whale had to use its mouth to help pull the baby out of its mother’s uterus…. Perhaps the most important missing link to the story is J-36, the 16-year-old daughter of J-16, who wasn’t seen when the baby was discovered amidst the clan. Under normal circumstances, J-36 would be traveling with or near her family. Having strung all the pieces together, Balcomb speculates that J-36, who is of prime breeding age, is the mother of J-50, and could have died during a complicated birth–meaning that J-16 is the calf’s grandmother and will not be able to provide milk. “Worst case scenario is we have another example where a female died giving birth,” Balcomb said. “Best case is that grandma (J-16) is mom, and J-36 missing is coincidence.” Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)
http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/287228441.html
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Update: Newborn joins J-pod; mother may be missing – San Juan Journal
Posted on December 25, 2014 by Al Bergstein
Probably going to happen, but unlikely it’s going to have much affect. The need for more chinook is likely to be more useful. Not even NOAA could point to any science saying this is a successful strategy, but it’s a popular one among some people. Some of them are wealthy shoreline land owners on San Juan Island who want the boats out of the backyard.
In the wake of the death of J32, a pregnant female of the Southern Resident orca whales, a call to action resurfaced last week for a “No-Go” whale protection zone off the westside of San Juan Island. Orca Relief Citizens Alliance is urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to adopt its outline and begin the formal public process of establishing a no-go zone. Emily Greenberg reports. (San Juan Journal)
http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/286607561.html
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Push for ‘No Go’ zone revitalized in attempt to limit stress on whales -San Juan Journal
Posted on December 12, 2014 by Al Bergstein
It appears that the fetus died first and may have caused the death of the mother. Still no firm understanding if the fetus was impacted by environmental issues, or whether it was a natural death.
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/orca-necropsy-shows-fetus-died-first-report-1.1662531
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Orca necropsy shows fetus died first: report – Times Colonist
Posted on November 24, 2014 by Al Bergstein
The efforts are still not working to save the Southern Resident Orcas. Good intentions alone won’t do the job.
A decade after gaining federal protection, the Southern Resident orcas of Puget Sound aren’t making progress. With 78 whales, the population has 20 fewer than when the group was first listed under the Endangered Species Act. A calf born in September offered a glimmer of hope, which was quickly snuffed out when the baby disappeared before the end of the month. Much like the presumed death of calf L120, what exactly is hindering the species’ recovery remains a mystery. A lack of food coupled with an abundance of toxins and boat traffic are thought to be contributors. But what could reverse the orca’s downward trend has yet to be pinpointed. Kimberly Cauvel reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)
http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/southern-resident-orcas-defy-recovery-efforts/article_f6b38b5a-70ad-5616-983e-adb984819aa0.html
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Filed under: Orcas | Tagged: orcas | Comments Off on Southern Resident orcas defy recovery efforts – Skagit Valley Herald
Posted on October 2, 2014 by Al Bergstein
Chris Dunagan at Watching Our Water Ways blogs: “As chum salmon swim back to their home streams in Puget Sound this fall, three killer whale pods — the Southern Residents — can be expected to follow, making their way south along the eastern shoreline of the Kitsap Peninsula. These forays into Central and South Puget Sound could begin any day now and continue until the chum runs decline in November or December. The Southern Residents, which typically hang out in the San Juan Islands in summer, have not been spotted for several days, so they are likely somewhere in the ocean at the moment, according to Howard Garrett of Orca Network. (Kitsap Sun)
http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2014/10/01/killer-whales-expected-to-head-south-any-day-now/#axzz3EsDVWuTD
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Filed under: Orcas | Tagged: hood canal, orcas | Comments Off on Killer whales expected to head south any day now- Kitsap Sun
Posted on April 25, 2014 by Al Bergstein
Setting up for a showdown with the military over protecting the Orca?
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Feds-weigh-protecting-orcas-off-Pacific-coast-256578531.html
NOAA Fisheries is weighing whether to protect endangered orcas in the waters off the West Coast. The federal agency said Thursday it would consider a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity seeking to expand the critical habitat for southern resident killer whales. NOAA has already designated inland waters of Washington as critical to orca conservation, but the group’s petition says offshore areas from Cape Flattery, Wash., to Point Reyes, Calif., should now be added as critical habitat. Such a designation would require federal officials to limit activities that harm the whales.
(Associated Press) See also: Fate of orcas? Depends on fish—and lately, both have been scarce http://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/256441941.html (San Juan Journal)
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Center for Biological Diversity, NOAA, orcas, Puget Sound | Comments Off on Feds weigh protecting orcas off Pacific coast – Komo & San Juan Journal
Posted on July 9, 2013 by Al Bergstein
Mike Sato hits it right on the head. It’s time for Govenor Inslee to show us what this bureaucracy is doing, and if he’s really behind it or not. Getting it a leader that can actually lead would be a great start. No one would likely cry for it if they kill it and reconstitute it anew. It’s become a behind the scenes player in Olympia and virtually unknown outside of the Capital. A real shame, frankly. We had high hopes for it, but environmentalism appears to be joke and a pawn in the power politics in Olympia. Use it to garner votes, then ignore it for 2 to 4 years. Maybe when we are down to one Orca they’ll actually get serious.
http://salishseacommunications.blogspot.com/2013/07/shhhpuget-sound-partnerships-leadership.html?showComment=1373384001721#c6277622826257682962
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: legislation, legislature, orcas, Puget Sound, Puget Sound Partnership | Comments Off on Shhh…Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership At Work – Salish Sea Communications
Posted on June 7, 2013 by Al Bergstein
Chris Dunagan was able to catch up with 8 Orcas near Bremerton yesterday.
http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2013/06/06/orcas-bring-excitement-to-kitsap-shorelines/#axzz2VSTKLGRP
Support local journalism, subscribe to the Kitsap Sun.
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Filed under: Around the Sound | Tagged: orcas | Comments Off on 8 Orcas seen in Dyes Inlet, near Bremerton
Posted on June 26, 2012 by Al Bergstein
Thanks to Jules for sharing this with us. An amazing film of orcas hunting dolphins at Hyacinthe Bay BC (north of Nanaimo). And thanks to Grind TV for getting it up online!
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/33983/pacific+white-sided+dolphins+take+flight+to+evade+killer+whales/
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Filed under: Around the Sound, Sea Life | Tagged: british columbia, dolphins, orcas, Whales | Comments Off on Spectacular film of Orcas chasing Dolphins
Posted on March 22, 2012 by Al Bergstein
We regularly rail against the growing militarization of the Sound and Hood Canal. We are being turned into advanced Naval training area with no oversight of the effects that Navy is having, and no voice in what they do. Now Canada is getting on board the call for a moratorium.
_____________________________________________________________
Speculation is growing over what caused the death of a young resident killer whale and conservation organizations want the Royal Canadian Navy to stop holding military training exercises in the whales’ critical habitat. David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, Greenpeace, Living Oceans, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club B.C., Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the World Wildlife Fund want an end to military exercises in the area and a release of all information about activities in the area that might have contributed to Sooke’s death.
Killer Whale Death leads to call for Navy Ban
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Filed under: Around the Sound | Tagged: Navy, navy sonar use, orcas | Comments Off on Killer whale death leads to call for ban on navy exercises–Vancouver Sun
Posted on October 20, 2010 by Al Bergstein
Lots of reports of orca sitings by the Orca Network. They went by in large numbers last week and again this week.
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: orcas, Port Townsend, Puget Sound, whales | Comments Off on Orcas in Admiralty Inlet!
Posted on August 6, 2009 by Al Bergstein
Chris Dunagan of the Kitsap Sun uncovers the news that the Navy has apparently decided to not do any more sonar training use in Puget Sound. Good news for our marine wildlife. —-read the whole story and comment if you wish at…http://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/2009/07/30/some-sonar-questions-are-answered-others-remain/
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The Navy has decided not to conduct training exercises involving sonar within Puget Sound. That information was revealed in a proposed incidental take permit for the Northwest Training Range Complex, now subject to public review under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. See my story in today’s Kitsap Sun.
While this decision no doubt will be a good thing for area marine mammal populations, I’m still a bit confused about the extent to which sonar may be used in non-training conditions.
Use of sonar in the testing of equipment and new technologies will come under a separate take permit for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, based at Keyport.
But, according to a statement I received from the Navy, that still leaves open the use of sonar for “safety and navigation,” “testing,” and “maintenance.”
As I understand the process, if the Navy were to harm marine mammals in one of these procedures without obtaining a take permit in advance, the Navy would be in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
more at the link above…
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Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Hood Canal, Navy, orcas, Puget Sound, sonar | Comments Off on Navy decides not to do sonar training in Puget Sound – Chris Dunagan
