Southern Resident Orca (SRKW)
SRKW Population (July 1, 2025): 74 whales
J Pod=27, K Pod=14, L Pod=33
Members of the Southern Resident orcas’ J pod swimming near Swiftsure Bank during Encounter #67 on July 7, 2024
(Photograph by CWR ORCA SURVEY Lead Dave Ellifrit).
J, K, and L pod populations reduced significantly during the 1960s and early 1970s due to whale captures for marine park exhibitions. The abductors killed at least 13 orcas during the captures; 45 whales ended up in parks across the globe. No SRKW remains alive in captivity.
Center for Whale Research
Southern Resident killer whale
ORCA SURVEY Results
Census 2024
The Center for Whale Research has completed its July 1, 2025census of the Southern Resident killer whale population (SRKW) and submitted its report to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). This report marks the 50th such census completed as part of the ORCA SURVEY program.
Background
The Center for Whale Research’s Orca Survey project conducts an annual census of the southern resident killer whale population. This project has been ongoing since 1976. This work utilizes photographic identification methods (photo ID) to produce a count of all individuals in the population with very high precision. Additionally, new calves can be assigned to mothers with high certainty based on association patterns, allowing us to build matrilineal family trees.
The census reflects the best estimate of the southern resident killer whales as of July 1st of each year. Mortality must be inferred retrospectively from individuals going missing, and some new calves are not observed for many months, which means it can be well into September before a good estimate of the July 1st number is available. Births and deaths reported as part of this census are therefore those that took place between July 1st 2024 and July 1st 2025.
Population and Pod Sizes
As of July 1st, 2025, the southern resident killer whale population consisted of 74 total members. This is an increase from the 2024 census number of 73. J pod increased from 25 members in 2024 to 27 members in 2025, while L pod stayed constant at 33 members and K pod decreased from 15 members in 2024 to 14 members in 2025.
Births
During the census period, 4 new births were documented. In September 2024, L90 was documented with her first calf, male L128. In late December, J35 gave birth to female J61 and J41 gave birth to female J62. Finally, in April 2025 J40 was documented with her first calf, female J63.
Deaths
Unfortunately, new calves L128 and J61 did not survive to the July 1st 2025 census date. L128 was observed in poor body condition in October, and was not seen again. J61 was observed dead on December 31st, with her mother J35 carrying her body for at least 11 days.
Additionally, adult male K26 went missing in late summer of 2024. K26 was the oldest surviving male in K pod at the time of his death, and was one of the few adult males left who was known from genetic studies to have successfully reproduced, with his son J51 still alive and reaching sprouting age.
NOAA’s delisting criteria for Southern Resident killer whales include a population growth rate of 2.3% over 28 years. However, in the last decade, every census showing population growth has been followed by a subsequent decline. The Center for Whale Research’s data clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance, and there cannot be an effective recovery of the SRKW population without an increase in this crucial resource. Without sufficient prey abundance, the Southern Residents will simply not be able to sustain population growth.
J59 bellyflopping on March 22 (2024 OS Encounter #23).
Southern Resident Orca
POPULATION*
The Southern Resident orcas are an extended family or clan comprising J, K, and L pods.
K45 on June 1during 2024 OS Encounter #46.
CWR’s 2024 Orca Survey Southern Resident Killer Whale ID GUIDE PDF is available for CWR Members to DOWNLOAD.
Orca held in a net during the capture years.
Read the CWR Blog: Captured! Sold to the highest bidder!
The Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW; also called orcas/Orcinus orca) are a large extended family, or clan, comprised of J, K, and L pods. Within each pod, families form into sub-pods centered around older females, usually grandmothers or great-grandmothers. Male and female offspring remain in close association with their mothers for life.
Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the population of the three pods was significantly reduced due to whale captures for marine park exhibitions. The abductors killed at least 13 orcas during the captures; 45 whales were delivered to parks worldwide (read CWR Blog: Captured! Sold to the highest bidder!). Seventy-one SRKWs survived in 1974. Following the death of Tokitae/Sk’aliChelt-tenaut in August 2023, no SRKW lives in captivity.
The Southern Resident population grew during the late 1970s, 1980s, and mid-1990s, peaking at 98 animals. However, the population trend turned downward in the late 1990s, declining from 98 to 78 whales by 2001.
CWR’s July 1, 2024 population census counted 73 whales.
Southern Resident Orca CLAN
J Pod
J pod is the pod most likely to appear year-round in the waters of the San Juan Islands and Southern Gulf Islands, lower Puget Sound (near Seattle), and British Columbia’s Georgia Strait. This pod used to frequent the inland waters of the Salish Sea from late spring through early fall. In recent years, visits have shifted to a shorter timeframe: late summer to early fall. J pod matriarch J16 is the pod’s oldest member, estimated to have been born in 1972.
K Pod
K pod is the Southern Resident killer whale pod with the fewest members. The most recent calf born into K pod is K45 (female), born in April 2022 to K20. Like J pod, K pod’s oldest member, a female, K12, is estimated to have been born in 1972.
L Pod
L pod is the largest of the three Southern Resident pods. L25, estimated to have been born in 1928, is the oldest whale in the Southern Resident community. The pod’s newest calf is L128 (2024 OS Encounter #95). Calves L126 (male) and L127 (female) were born into the population in 2023. CWR researchers obtained photos and drone footage confirming that L127 is female (2023 UAV Encounter #6) and L126 is male (2023 OS Encounter #34). Learn about distinguishing the sex of an orca.
Southern Resident Orca Population // J, K, and L Pod Census
Copyright © 2024 Center for Whale Research.
Derivative use requires written approval.
Southern Resident Orca Population // Births and Deaths
Copyright © 2024 Center for Whale Research.
Derivative use requires written approval.
Why are there two official Southern Resident (SRKW) Orca POPULATION dates?
*The Center for Whale Research reports on demographic changes in the Southern Resident orca population twice yearly, representing the population’s status on July 1 and December 31.
Our research can only look backwards. For example, for CWR’s September-end SRKW census report to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/NOAA Fisheries), we look and say which orcas were sighted alive in the period ending July 1.
When does CWR decide if a SRKW is dead?
Orcas missing from CWR ORCA SURVEY Encounters with their associates on three occasions or more are likely deceased. We make a complete statement about a whale's absence and status when posting our twice-yearly population updates. Remember that censusing a marine mammal population, even a small, well-known one like the Southern Resident orcas, takes a lot of time and patience.
The Southern Resident killer whale population totals cited in this website are for the general public and are provided as estimates. Any printed or broadcast reference to this population estimate must include credit to the Center for Whale Research.
*In this YouTube video, part of his Superpod 6 presentation (4:43 - 9:28),
Ken Balcomb explains why there are July 1 and December 31
SRKW Population Counts.