![]() ![]() But Puget Sounds Southern Resident Killer whales have an unusually beloved place in human. "While the full reason behind the Unusual Mortality Event are not understood it does appear to be related to an increase in the gray whale population prior to the event and a decreased availability of prey creating nutritional deficiencies in a portion of the population," Calambokidis said. Orcas, or killer, whales (Orcinus orca) swim in every ocean on Earth. In 2022, the NOAA recorded 15 gray whale strandings in Washington alone, and many of the beached whales examined were in a poor nutritional condition.Īs a result of this increase, an Unusual Mortality Event has been declared in the region. In 2019, the NOAA recorded 122 gray whale strandings across Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California. photo by Samiksha Gulrajani, NovemUNIDENTIFIED BALEEN WHALES - Sun, Nov 19 - Puget Sound - 10:20 - Volunteer Jane Rein emailed with an earlier sighting (10:20): I saw surfacing several times, with quite a bit of white water, a very black back. However, since 2019, gray whale deaths have been elevated across the entire eastern North Pacific range. HUMPBACK WHALES - Sun, Nov 19 - Puget Sound - Humpback near Edmonds/Kingston ferry lanes. Gray whales are also known for their curiosity towards boats, which may increase the chances of vessel strikes.Ĭalambokidis said that, in a normal year, there are typically around six gray whale strandings. Knoblauch / Northwest Office The Puget Sound orcas live in three pods named J, K, and L. Many use areas along the coast for feeding, which brings them in to areas with heavy shipping traffic. Puget Sound’s endangered resident orcas are just the latest victims of short-sighted human actions that are causing an ecological crisis. There are seven species of whales and dolphins that frequent the Puget Sound and Salish Sea (the waters that run up to the west of Vancouver Island): orcas, transient orcas, gray whales. Cascadia Research CollectiveĪccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, gray whales, along with blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales, are very vulnerable to vessel strikes during these migrations along the West Coast. Gray whales are known for their curiosity towards boats, which may increase the chances of vessel strikes. Humpback whales visit the waters off Seattle as they migrate along the West Coast. The gray whale is believed to have been hit by a boat before washing up in the shallows of Fox Island in the southern Puget Sound.
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