the WHALE Report
March // 2021
CWR Member News // Published Quarterly
Surprise!
A new calf is born into L pod
CWR field staff took this photograph of L125 with its mother, L86 (nicknamed Surprise), and brother, L106, swimming near North Pender Island, British Columbia, on February 17, 2021. See Encounter #8 for a description of CWR's first meeting with the new L pod calf and getting to KNOW THEM for more about L86 and her family.
Photograph by Mark Malleson. Taken under Center for Whale Research Federal permit NMFS # 21238.
in this issue of the WHALE Report
getting to KNOW THEM // getting to KNOW US
from the SCIENCE Desk // CWR TAKING Action // CWR Outreach & Education
QUOTABLE
We know the birth has been relatively recent . . . [L125] looks good and healthy swimming alongside mother. So we're quite delighted that we have a new addition to the Southern Residents.
A small part of Center for Whale Research's Founder and Senior Scientist, Ken Balcomb's, answer to CBC Radio's Gregor Craigie's question about ". . . the calf [L125] looking great."
Listen to the full February 18 interview: ON THE ISLAND WITH GREGOR CRAIGIE.
SIGHTINGS update
2021 Encounter summary
What's a Back Dive? Orcas "perform" many different physical maneuvers or behaviors. Visit Orca Behaviors for a list of Instantaneous and Prolonged orca actions, including its name, what happens, and in some instances, explains why.
CWR Member photo DOWNLOAD
For personal use only.
Encounter #8 with J, K, L Pods // February 17, 2021
(Photograph by CWR's Joe Zelwietro)
L55 Back Dive
Encounter Location: Haro Strait:
(Excerpt from Encounter Sequence 1)
It was sunny but breezy and Haro Strait was pretty lumpy but we were already out so we decided to try to catch up to the whales. We slogged our way through 2-3 footers in a boat whose deck was covered in ice and snow as we headed in the direction of Turn Point.
Read the full Encounter #8 with J and K pods.
Salish Sea Transboundary Ecosystem
SIGHTINGS
MAP
See whaleresearch.com
2021 Encounters for a complete description of Encounters.
CWR's BIG SALMON Ranch
Where is the Salish Sea?
Encounters in 2021:
9 Encounters through February 28, 2021
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Southern Resident killer whale encounters: 4
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Transient/Bigg's killer whale encounters: 5
Encounters with killer whales in inland waters since January 1. Encounters #1 - #9 are marked on the map. Encounters with Southern Residents are marked with blue numbered locator dots and Transients/Bigg's with black numbered locator dots. These locator dots are active links to the full Encounter Summary (desktop version only). Note. There are two #5 on the map. Both Encounters are listed under Encounter #5.
Southern Resident Killer Whale Population: 74*
J pod = 24, K pod = 17, L pod = 33
The official Southern Resident population as of December 31, 2020, is 74 whales. With the recent birth of L125, the provisional SRKW population count is 75. *The official annual count of Southern Resident orcas is reported July 1 and December 31 of each year. Ken Balcomb explains why in this YouTube video.
Southern Resident Orca Population
Births and Deaths (Calendar Year).
Click graph to enlarge
© 2021 Center for Whale Research. Prepared by Jane Cogan.
Derivative use requires written approval.
Dave Ellifrit's photograph of L125 (above) showed up all over TV, print, and online media.
New SRKW calf, L125, makes a big splash in the media
Center for Whale Research's sighting and reporting of new L pod calf, L125, in Haro Strait on February 18 attracted widespread media coverage, including interviews with CWR staff. Here's a sampling:
We're always happy to see new calves, but having a new calf doesn't mean the population is suddenly all better. These calves have to become a productive member of the population
in order for it to grow.
CWR's Senior Staff and Photo-Identification Specialist Dave Ellifrit, speaking to Q13 FOX (Seattle) on February 18 about new calves being born into the Southern Resident orca population.
2020 SRKW SIGHTINGS Summary
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With the birth of J57 (male) and J58 (gender unknown), the Southern Resident orca population grew to 74 whales by year's end
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One SRKW died in 2020: L41
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From January 1 thru December 30, CWR field staff encountered SRKWs in the Salish Sea 29 times (Js - 21 times, Ks - 16 times, Ls - 10 times), a decrease of 31% compared to 2019's 42 encounters (Js - 30 times, Ks - 18 times, Ls - 20 times)
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The most prolific month in 2020 of Southern Resident killer whale encounters by CWR was September with nine sightings (Js - 7 times, Ks - 7 times, Ls 6 times)
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During the four years before 2020, CWR staff observed and documented SRKWs as follows: 2019 - 42, 2018 - 49, 2017 - 42, 2016 - 63
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For the first time since the Orca Survey began in 1976, there were no CWR encounters with Southern Residents in the Salish Sea/core summer habitat in August; for the second year in a row, there were no CWR encounters with SRKWs in June and the third year in a row of no CWR encounters in May
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CWR field researchers encountered Southern Resident orcas in the Salish Sea in April-September on 13 of the 183 days; historically, some SRKWs would be present nearly every day during these six months.
Photo Gallery: L86
getting to KNOW THEM: L86
In each issue of the WHALE Report, we feature one member of the Southern Resident killer whale community.
This issue, our focus is L86, mother of NEW CALF L125.
L86's new calf: L125
Dave Ellifrit photographed L125 swimming with its mother, L86, in Haro Strait on February 17, 2021.
Identify L86 by her similar closed saddle patches
with indistinct fingers.
L86 // Female - L4 matriline
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Born 1991, 30-years-old; mother was L4 (est. 1949-1996)
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Nickname: Surprise! Researchers were surprised to see L86 next to her mom, L4, fourteen years after her sister L55 was born
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Mother of two living offspring: L106 (male, born 2005) and NEW calf, L125 (gender unknown, born 2021)
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Mother of two deceased offspring: L120 (gender unknown, 2014-2014) and L112 (female, 2009-2012), who died tragically of blunt force trauma during Canadian naval exercises
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One known sibling: L55 (female); one probable sibling, L61 (male)
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L86 is identified by her similar closed saddle patches with indistinct fingers (see Orca Survey ID Guide on CWR Member homepage).
PRESS RELEASE (February 17, 2021)
Issued by the Center for Whale Research
Subject: A new calf in L pod!
The Center for Whale Research (CWR) is thrilled to confirm that a new calf, L125, has been born into the Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) community. Following word that J, K, and L pods were in Haro Strait, CWR dispatched two boats with field researchers to photo-identify the new calf and as many other SRKWs as possible for our annual population census.
getting to KNOW US (a little bit better)
excerpt from Outside Online story with CWR’s Ken Balcomb
Q: Which whale has been the hardest to lose? A: L112
She’d breach and carry on!
And having [L112] dead—killed like that—was a real tragedy.”
Meet the entire Center for Whale Research team.
On February 3, Outside Online posted a story, Is It Too Late for the Southern Resident Orcas? by biologist, writer, and editor, Catherine DeNardo. In the second half of the story, DeNardo tells L112's story and Ken's involvement in the life and tragic loss of this young female orca:
Ken took the first baby snapshots of L112 when she was about six weeks old off the coast of Victoria. It is typical for calves to stay close to their moms for their first three years, but Ken describes the intimate relationship between L86 and L112 as special. They were constantly touching each other with tokens of fondness.
Ken talks about L112 as my father-in-law talks about his young grandkids. He describes her as a healthy, athletic, and spry young whale. L112’s body washed up on the shore of Long Beach, Washington, on February 11, 2012. She was just three years old.
NOTE. DeNardo interviewed Ken in mid-2020.
from the SCIENCE Desk
Dave Ellifrit (above) during an encounter with SRKWs aboard CWR research vessel.
An image of two SRKWs captured by
CWR's DJI Matrice 600 Pro drone.
ORCA Survey
Since 1976, the Center for Whale Research has been conducting observation-based studies of killer whales in the Salish Sea. CWR staff continue to collect detailed demographic data about the Southern Resident killer whale population for the 2021 Orca Survey, including photo-identification images of members of the SRKW community; observations of births and deaths; information about the behavior and ecology of the animals, including where the animals are in geographic location and time, and their social behavior and foraging patterns. This dataset provides unprecedented insights into killer whale biology and ecology that can inform management decisions to assist in the recovery of the population.
Aerial Observation Study
The Center for Whale Research, working with a research team from the University of Exeter, is working on a research study using drones (i.e., unmanned aerial vehicles/UAVs) to study the social organization and underwater behaviour of the Southern Resident killer whales from a new perspective. This study helps understand the SRKW's complex lives better, revealing factors that influence survival, reproduction, social structure, and the evolution of this species unique life-history.
The CWR-University of Exeter SRKW Aerial Observation Study was expanded in 2019 and became part of a large international project funded by the National Environmental Research Council in the United Kingdom to look at how family life influences rates of aging. CWR Scientific Advisor (Animal Social Networks) and Professor of Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter, Dr. Darren Croft, summarizes the project: The Evolution of Sex Differences in Mammalian Social Life Histories.
Read more about the SRKW Aerial Observation Study and CWR's drone pilots. When the ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, reopens, you can watch aerial footage of the Southern Residents on a big screen and have your questions about orcas answered.
RECENT Published Studies
Visit Research Publications at WhaleResearch.com for a list of publications where the Center for Whale Research has had involvement.
IMAGINE Salmon, hundreds of thousands of Chinook
in this area of the Salish Sea.
Here's a short video clip of the Elwha River next to Big Salmon Ranch.
Center for Whale Research
CWR Taking ACTION
The Center for Whale Research works tirelessly and relentlessly advocating for immediate action by politicians and government agencies to reverse the dramatic decline of Chinook salmon stocks in the Southern Resident killer whales’ habitat. At every opportunity, CWR team members speak out boldly in the media concerning the struggling SRKWs. Through the ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center, WhaleResearch.com, and several social media channels, members of the CWR team are continuously reaching out to as many people as possible with focused education and take action messages.
Recent ACTION: CWR buys a 45-acre ranch along Washington State's Elwha River
Center for Whale Research adds an ecosystem approach to saving the Southern Resident Orcas.
In October 2020, CWR took a BIG leap into conservation to preserve salmon habitat by purchasing a ranch bordering both sides of the Elwha River, in a stretch of the mainstream river where a majority of the remnant native Chinook salmon now spawn. Our BIG LEGACY Project, smack in the middle of the recovering Elwha Valley habitat, is now named: BIG SALMON Ranch.
The Chinook salmon abundance from the Elwha River ecosystem, which begins in Olympic National Park and flows into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, can provide a healthy food source for the Southern Resident orcas and a sustainable, nearshore artisanal fishery.
Optimally, over 4,000,000 baby Chinook “smolts” will be
produced by the Elwha [River].
By 2024, this could result in 80,000-250,000 returning adult Chinook salmon for the whales and ocean fishers to catch!
- Ken Balcomb, CWR Founder and Senior Scientist
BIG SALMON Ranch in the Media
On February 27, K5 NEWS' Michael Crowe interviewed Ken Balcomb about the state of the Southern Resident orca population, Pacific Northwest dam removal, and Big Salmon Ranch.
“We bought [BIG SALMON Ranch] for the whales,” Balcomb said.
Recent ACTION: Ken Balcomb featured speaker at Ways of the Whales and Whale Tales
On January 9, CWR's Ken Balcomb spoke at Ways of Whales Webinar 2021. He presented a SRKW update and talked about Elwha River Salmon. Alongside Howard Garrett (Orca Network), Colleen Weiler, and Shane Anderson, Ken participated in a panel discussion about the critical need for dam removal. Other featured speakers were Alexandra Morton (BC Salmon Farms) and Flip Nicklin (Whale Trust).
On the weekend of February 13-14, Ken Balcomb was a keynote speaker at the 15th Annual WHALE TALES presented by Whale Trust. The two-day event featured live-stream and on-demand sessions by cetacean experts from around the globe. Ken's presentation was titled: Orca Survey and the Big Salmon Ranch (begins 1 hr, 44 mins from the start of the February 14 session).
I remember a quote from Ken Balcomb: that even if he had to live on roadkill he was going to study whales. I think it's really important that not only has [Ken} studied whales, he has been a passionate warrior fighting for the issues that threaten whales . . . and the real issues, not just the popular issues. He's done that from the beginning and does that today.
- Whale Trust's Flip Nicklin introducing Ken Balcomb at WHALE TALES
On-going Education & Outreach ACTION:
ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center
The ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center was closed for most of the past year due to COVID-19. Check HERE for opening updates.
The mission of the Center for Whale Research’s ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center is to educate and give back to the public the information and knowledge that CWR, and our colleagues, have gathered during 45 years of research of killer whales (orcas) in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands.
The ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center opened in Friday Harbor in the Summer of 2018. Since then, 14,000 people from across North America and around the world have visited and learned from knowledgeable CWR staff and volunteers about killer whales and how they can help the struggling population of Southern Resident orcas.
Learn about the attractions and activities at the ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center.
ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center visitors encountering orcas through Virtual Reality BEFORE COVID-19 began spreading.
MEMBERSHIP news
Looking toward the future
One of the Center for Whale Research’s immediate goals is to generate operating security for the organization. An essential aspect of this financial planning is fundraising in the areas of memberships and donations, self-driven fundraising efforts by caring individuals and businesses, product sale donations, legacy giving, and the donation of securities. Achieving our financial goals will ensure that CWR is around to study and advocate the Southern Resident orcas for many more years.
Raising money during challenging times
The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for everyone. We hope that you and your family have remained healthy during the past twelve months. If you can continue helping us financially so that we can continue our essential work and advocacy for the Southern Resident orcas, THANK YOU. There are many ways to provide this financial support:
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Buy Photo Cards by Lodie at PCC Community Markets
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Stay two or more nights at CWR’s NEW The POD Pad in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
Introducing CWR's The POD Pad
CWR MEMBERS-ONLY: One-of-a-kind accommodation directly above CWR's Orca Survey Outreach & Education Center
in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA.
A "whaley" getaway in the heart of Friday Harbor
The POD Pad is now available for booking by Center for Whale Research members, another perk of supporting our research and conservation efforts. The POD Pad is located at the top of the ferry lanes, close to coffee shops, dining, and shopping—everything within walking distance.
The POD Pad features:
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Great Location: 185 S. 1st Street in Friday Harbor, above CWR's ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center
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CWR Welcome Gift upon arrival
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Exclusive CWR photography gracing the walls
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Sleeps two adults, Queen-sized bed
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Private Bath (shower), hairdryer, plush towels and linens
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Kitchenette (full-sized refrigerator/freezer, double burner hot plate, microwave, coffee maker, toaster
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TV (+ Netflix) and WiFi
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Private Entrance
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Balcony seating overlooking downtown Friday Harbor
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Buy ORCA Gear in support of the Southern Residents!
CWR MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE: Choose from great CWR Logo Caps! And Kavu’s Orca Socks! The proceeds of ORCA Gear sales go directly to support our research, and outreach and education efforts. (Currently available in the Continental USA only.)
You can browse CWR Member-exclusive ORCA gear ANYTIME from the CWR Members home page. Watch for more additions to the ORCA Gear line-up.
Share the LOVE
For Valentine's Day, CWR asked Members and followers to share a short story about a special whale, encounter, or friendship that developed from a shared passion for whales. We are very grateful to those who shared their stories. Read all submissions in our February 11 blog: Whale Love Stories (stories listed in the order they were received).
Here's an excerpt from the story by longtime CWR friend Stewart MacIntyre:
We were greeted with whales playing all around us, and Kim was furiously trying to capture all the behaviours that were being called out from all around the boat. After about ten minutes and ten pages of notes, Astrid said, stop and just enjoy the show.
The whales turned South just before reaching Kellett Point and we slowly motored south past the CWR, County Park and Lime Kiln, by the time we reached False Bay the sun was on the horizon, and we found ourselves alone with the whales,
all the tour boats had gone home and there were no recreational boats to be seen.
Read the rest of Stewart's story in our February 11 blog: Whale Love Stories.
Watch for our updated ORCA SURVEY ID GUIDE
Do you know which Southern Resident orcas and Bigg's/Transient killer whales are related to which? Do you know how old each of the whales is? If not, have a look at the CWR's ORCA SURVEY (SRKW) ID GUIDE and Bigg's/TRANSIENT ID GUIDE. A PDF download of each guide is a CWR membership benefit. The updated 2021 ORCA SURVEY (SRKW) ID GUIDE will be available later this spring.
Download the BEST
of the Best from 2021 CWR encounters
CWR's Joe Zelwietro took this photograph of L55 doing a Back Dive during Encounter #8 on February 17.