Here’s what the latest Southern Resident killer whale census showed for the past year
The number of Southern Resident killer whales decreased by one to 73 in the past year, according to the annual census conducted by the Center for Whale Research.
Additionally, the census showed the lowest count for the L pod since the count began in 1976 and K pod sitting at its lowest mark in the past two decades.
The Center for Whale Research annually counts the number of Southern Resident killer whales in the waters off the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia for the National Marine Fisheries Service, and it reported the results of that census on Thursday, Sept. 29.
The count, which showed the Southern Resident population as of July 1, 2022, showed the decrease of one from the total of 74 on July 1, 2021, with three deaths and two new births in the past year.
Presumed dead over the past year are K21, K44 and L89, according to the release.
K21, a male, was last seen in late July 2021 in the Straight of Juan de Fuca, according to the release, and he was “severely emaciated.”
“When he failed to be seen in subsequent encounters with his social associates, he was declared deceased soon after,” the Center for Whale Research said in the release.
Due to community observations, K44 was known to be alive as recently as late April, according to the release, but the juvenile male has not been seen in encounters with the K pod since then. A body of a juvenile male orca matching K44’s size and markings consistent with a Southern Resident was found entangled off the Oregon coast in late June, but its identity was not confirmed due to a lack of photos and biological samples.
L89, a third male, has not been seen in 2022, despite a number of encounters with his mother and social group, according to the release.
On the positive side, J59 and K45 were first sighted in February and April, respectively. Each represents the second offspring of their mothers, J37 and K20, respectively. While the release states J59 is female, K45’s gender is currently unknown.
“Both calves appeared healthy in recent observations,” the release states.
As of July 1, 2022, the L pod has 32 individuals — its lowest census total in more than 4½ decades of counts, the Center for Whale Research reports. With 16 whales, K pod is at its lowest total in two decades, but J pod increased by one individual, with a birth and no deaths in the past year.
This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Here’s what the latest Southern Resident killer whale census showed for the past year."
