14 Sep Good news (and Challenges) for Southern Resident Orcas

September 5. The critically endangered southern resident orcas welcomed a new calf into J-pod with the arrival of J-57, whose mother Tahlequah carried her dead infant in 2018 for 17 days. Newborn orcas face a 40% mortality rate according to the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, WA. While decline in the salmon population due to the dams on the Columbia and Snake River system is the principal reason usually given by marine biologists, there are certainly other factors at work – like underwater noise from vessel traffic which interferes with an orca’s ability to hunt for salmon. Source: The Guardian. (Photo credit: Dick Martin/Unsplash).