Southern Resident Connections

Southern Resident Connections is an ongoing series where we will share the latest perspectives on endangered Southern Resident killer whales. We'll cover recovery efforts, science, and our vision for protecting and restoring the ecosystem on which the whales and so many others depend.

There is an especially valuable environment in Puget Sound made up of the beaches, bluffs, inlets, and river deltas: the nearshore. Nearshore habitat matters to Southern Resident killer whales because their primary prey, Chinook salmon, need them to grow and find safety when they are young.

Southern Resident killer whales can tell a lot about salmon using only sound. This is especially interesting to Marla Holt, who studies how integral sound is to the lives of Southern Resident killer whales.

This is the time of year when boats multiply on the inland waters of Washington as more people get outdoors for the summer. It is also the time when many long for a precious chance to see the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.

The Center for Whale Research reported in January 2020 that L41, also known as “Mega”, is missing from L-pod. That’s one of three family groups of the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. With population numbers for the Southern Residents so low, the loss of any individual from the population is troubling.

“There are two ways that the whales could ingest microplastics,” says Kim Parsons, Research Geneticist with NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center. “They could incidentally swallow particles in sea water while eating fish, or they could ingest salmon that are themselves contaminated with microplastic particles.”

You might worry about your toddler chewing on a plastic toy with toxic chemicals. Some orca researchers are beginning to worry about whales ingesting a gut full of microplastics, and what that might mean for their health.

Consider this Northwest twist on a familiar saying: “Give a killer whale a salmon, and it will eat for a day. Restore the habitat the salmon and whales depend on, and they will live for generations to come.” At NOAA Fisheries we are determined to get more Chinook salmon to the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, and that begins with more and better habitat.

NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region works with the Pacific Fishery Management Council to set salmon fishing seasons. We also set harvest levels at sustainable levels consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Annual catch limits are set to achieve science-based conservation objectives and support recovery of the runs protected by the Endangered Species Act. 

Southern Resident killer whales feed on Chinook salmon from coastal Pacific waters. Chinook salmon fishing is also a mainstay of the West Coast economy, generating nearly $72 million in income last year. We are working with states, tribes, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council to examine how West Coast fisheries affect prey for the Southern Residents.