Though the salmon eating southern residents have been away due to the insufficient amount of Fraser River Chinook/King salmon, marine mammal eating transient orcas have been in the area nearly every day of June. I had encounters with them on June 24th, 25th, 26th, and the 28th. However, before we get into those encounters, let’s talk about why the residents are not here some more.
This summer in particular has been very hard for the southern residents. Much like the summer of 2013, Fraser River Chinook numbers are so far very low and that means that J, K, and L pod have spent a dramatically less amount of time in the inland waters than they normally would. Hopefully they are finding enough Chinook to support them for a bit wherever they are. Since January of 2016 and as of yesterday (June 29th), there have only been 76 Chinook counted up at the Fraser River. That is not enough to support the 83+- residents, who each 18-25 Chinook a day to survive. While we all miss the residents very much, the best thing for their health is to stay away from here until there is enough Chinook or else they would waste away here. You can find the daily Fraser River Chinook test fishery numbers here.
The biggest threat to the southern residents is lack of Chinook salmon. The population will not be able to grow while their food is limited. Anything that helps improve Chinook runs in the inland waters as well as off the outer coast will in turn help save J, K, and L pod. Here are some websites with more information and how to help:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/#!about-salmon/cjla
https://www.salmonsafe.org/livewell/help-wild-salmon
https://srkwcsi.org/
http://damsense.org/
http://www.wildorca.org/?page_id=3047
http://www.orcasalmonalliance.org/about.html
http://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-recommendations
Ok, now back to the transients. Aboard a Pelagic of Deer Harbor Charters that was chartered by Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching on June 24th, we left Friday Harbor and headed a short distance down to lower San Juan Channel where we came upon lone male T124C and juvenile T73A2 heading up the channel together. Trailing behind them were the rest of the T73As (T73A, T73A1, and T73A3). As the Ts neared Turn Island, T72A2 dropped back to his family and T124C aimed for Shaw Island and disappeared.
The T73As then continued up San Juan Channel. They even traveled between Brown and San Juan Island and were right in front of the ferry dock in Friday Harbor. People standing on the docks, in town, and on the departing seaplane were able to see the family of four as they passed through. It is very rare for Ts to go inside of Brown Island and all the way into Friday Harbor so this was a very exciting moment! The Ts continued on, hugging the shoreline of the Friday Harbor labs. They stayed in resting/travel mode for most of their way up San Juan Channel, except for when T73A2 caught a harbor seal. We left them as they neared Spieden Island.
This summer in particular has been very hard for the southern residents. Much like the summer of 2013, Fraser River Chinook numbers are so far very low and that means that J, K, and L pod have spent a dramatically less amount of time in the inland waters than they normally would. Hopefully they are finding enough Chinook to support them for a bit wherever they are. Since January of 2016 and as of yesterday (June 29th), there have only been 76 Chinook counted up at the Fraser River. That is not enough to support the 83+- residents, who each 18-25 Chinook a day to survive. While we all miss the residents very much, the best thing for their health is to stay away from here until there is enough Chinook or else they would waste away here. You can find the daily Fraser River Chinook test fishery numbers here.
The biggest threat to the southern residents is lack of Chinook salmon. The population will not be able to grow while their food is limited. Anything that helps improve Chinook runs in the inland waters as well as off the outer coast will in turn help save J, K, and L pod. Here are some websites with more information and how to help:
http://www.whaleresearch.com/#!about-salmon/cjla
https://www.salmonsafe.org/livewell/help-wild-salmon
https://srkwcsi.org/
http://damsense.org/
http://www.wildorca.org/?page_id=3047
http://www.orcasalmonalliance.org/about.html
http://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-recommendations
Ok, now back to the transients. Aboard a Pelagic of Deer Harbor Charters that was chartered by Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching on June 24th, we left Friday Harbor and headed a short distance down to lower San Juan Channel where we came upon lone male T124C and juvenile T73A2 heading up the channel together. Trailing behind them were the rest of the T73As (T73A, T73A1, and T73A3). As the Ts neared Turn Island, T72A2 dropped back to his family and T124C aimed for Shaw Island and disappeared.
The T73As then continued up San Juan Channel. They even traveled between Brown and San Juan Island and were right in front of the ferry dock in Friday Harbor. People standing on the docks, in town, and on the departing seaplane were able to see the family of four as they passed through. It is very rare for Ts to go inside of Brown Island and all the way into Friday Harbor so this was a very exciting moment! The Ts continued on, hugging the shoreline of the Friday Harbor labs. They stayed in resting/travel mode for most of their way up San Juan Channel, except for when T73A2 caught a harbor seal. We left them as they neared Spieden Island.
T124C in San Juan Channel.
Sprouter male T73A1 near Turn Island.
Aboard the Odyssey of San Juan Excursions on June 25th, I got my first ever real good looks at the T123s. The T123s (T123, T123A, and T123C) are common in the Salish Sea but for some reason I had only seen them back in 2011 from very far away near Orcas Island. During this encounter, we were in Boundary Pass near Waldron Island. They were in a slow travel mode with T123 and her daughter T123C off on their own and son T123A paralleling them a few hundred yards away. T123 and T123C may have made a kill at one point as T123 spy hopped and both were rolling around at the surface. Once they were past Sandy Point, the three met up and turned toward Pender Island. On their next surfacing they were pointed back up Boundary Pass and that is where we left them.
T123A in Boundary Pass.
On June 26th, the Odyssey was back with the T123s in Boundary Pass but two matrilines called the T36As and T75Bs had joined them. We got on scene with them off Monarch Head as nine of them headed up the Saturna Island shoreline. No obvious kills were made while we were with them. As they neared East Point, tidal action increased and the orcas picked up the pace and pushed against the currents. We left them a little past East Point as they slowed back down and seemed to be deciding where to go next.
T36A1, T75B2, T123, T36A3, and T36A.
On June 28th, Dave Ellifrit and I went out under permit to see a huge group of transients in party mode and that encounter is now up on the Center for Whale Research blog.
Please do not use my photos without my permission. Just ask
Please do not use my photos without my permission. Just ask
