Be On Lookout For Orca Whales

Saturday, March 4, 2006
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - Sixteen orcas were spotted in South Sound on Friday afternoon by observers from Cascadia Research of Olympia, a marine mammal research group.

It appeared the whales were from the group of 87 fish-eating killer whales that reside much of the year in Puget Sound, not the so-called transients — marine-mammal-eating orcas that rove the marine waters from southeast Alaska to California.

“I think we're looking at resident whales,” said Cascadia observer Greg Schorr. He based the identity on the open saddle patches — the area behind the whale's dorsal fin — that distinguishes resident whales from transient whales.

The Cascadia crew caught up with the whales in Dana Passage, following up on a 12:15 p.m. citizen report of seven or eight orca whales near Boston Harbor, headed into Dana Passage.

The Puget Sound orca population, which consists of the J, K and L pods, is listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. They are infrequent visitors to South Sound, more commonly seen in north Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

Schorr said he would send photographs taken of the whales Friday to the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, to determine which pod or pods the whales belong to.

The nomadic transient whales make the occasional foray into South Sound. Last year, six transient orcas slipped into Hood Canal and stayed for more than six months, a record-setting stay that significantly reduced the harbor seal population in the canal. One calf was born to “Slippery Six” family after they left the canal.

An unknown number of whales were seen headed south Wednesday off the west side of Whidbey Island, but the water was choppy and they could not be identified, noted Susan Berta, a member of the Whidbey Island-based Orca Network.

The last sighting of L pod members, mixed with a couple of K pod members, was Nov. 14 off Admiralty Inlet near Seattle, Orca Network member Howard Garrett said. The J pod, which numbers fewer than 20 animals, was last seen Dec. 23 off Shilshoe Bay near Seattle, he said.

Anyone spotting a marine mammal in South Sound is encouraged to report it to Cascadia Research at 360-943-7325.

Source: The Olympian