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Status Review Finds Endangered Killer Whales Still Face High Risk of Extinction

January 20, 2022 โ€” Alright, stop the presses, folks. What is a 5-year review? Whatโ€™s a distinct population segment? How and why are the beloved Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) still in danger of becoming extinct? Letโ€™s break this down.

What Does This All Mean?

First, letโ€™s explore the factors we consider for a species to be placed on the Endangered Species list:

  • Present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range
  • Over-utilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
  • Disease or predation
  • Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms
  • Other natural or human-caused factors affecting its continued existence

SRKW were listed as endangered in 2005. The main threats being prey availability, pollution and contaminants, effects from vessels and sound, as well as small population size and vulnerability to oil spills. The Endangered Species Act requires a review of species listed under the Act every 5 years. Why? This ensures that the listed species retain an appropriate level of protection under federal law.

The SRKW are also what is called a โ€œdistinct population segmentโ€ of a tentative subspecies of North Pacific resident killer whales. Killer whales are found in every ocean and are all still known by the same species name, Orcinus orca. The SRKW are โ€œdistinctโ€ based on their genetics, geographic range, and behavioral and cultural diversity compared to other resident orca whales in the North Pacific. They are the only resident killer whales that use coastal waters as far south as California. While many other orcas are doing well, the Southern Residents are not.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Completes 5-Year Review of Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales

January 5, 2022 โ€” Every 5 years, NOAA Fisheries reviews the status of species listed under the Endangered Species Act to make sure they have the protection they need. We have completed our review of endangered Southern Resident killer whales and confirm they should remain listed as endangered.

The review also underscores the work we must still do to recover this declining species. We have made important strides, including:

  • Expanding critical habitat
  • Limiting commercial and recreational Chinook salmon fishing in years of low abundance
  • Releasing more salmon from hatcheries to supplement their prey
  • Funding restoration of habitat essential to the salmon the whales depend on as prey

However, we must work with our partners to do more.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

A court decision may help endangered orcas, but Alaskan fishermen are wary

November 8, 2021 โ€” The southern resident killer whale population, three pods of orcas that ply the coastal waters between Monterey, California, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, has dwindled to only 73 members. Scientists believe this endangered species, which relies almost exclusively on Chinook โ€” or king โ€” salmon, which are also in steep decline, is basically starving its way to extinction.

This past September, however, the U.S. District Court in Seattle seemed to offer the marine mammals a lifeline when it issued a preliminary decision that might make more Chinook available to orcas. Responding to a lawsuit filed by the Wild Fish Conservancy, the court found that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the agency responsible for management of both fisheries and endangered marine species, had violated the Endangered Species Act when it determined that commercial harvest of Chinook off southeast Alaska would not jeopardize southern residents or endangered king salmon populations.

But while the court decision is expected to help orcas, it may be bad news for fishermen, as NMFS will likely need to rethink Chinook harvests.

Read the full story at FERN News

 

Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to hold online meeting June 30, 2020

June 5, 2020 โ€” The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Councilโ€™s (Pacific Council)  Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup (Workgroup) will meet via webinar, and this meeting will be open to the public.  The  webinar meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, or until business for the day has been completed.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup online meeting notice on the Councilโ€™s website for participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

PFMC: Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to hold online meeting June 1, 2020

May 6, 2020 โ€” The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Councilโ€™s (Pacific Council)  Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup (Workgroup) will meet via webinar, and this meeting will be open to the public.  The  webinar meeting will be held on Monday, June 1, 2020, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, or until business for the day has been completed.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup online meeting notice on the Councilโ€™s website for participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.

PFMC: Reminder: Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to hold meeting October 8-9, 2019

September 23, 2019 โ€” The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Councilโ€™s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Workgroup (Workgroup) will hold a two-day meeting that is open to the public.  The meeting will begin Tuesday, October 8, 2019, at 10 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and recess at 5:00 p.m.  It will continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday, October 9, and will end at 2 p.m. The meeting times are an estimate; the meetings will adjourn when business for the day is complete.

Please see the SRKW Workgroup October 8-9, 2019 in-person meeting notice on the Councilโ€™s website for participation details.

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke  at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.
  • See the materials presented during past Workgroup meetings on the NMFS West Coast Regional website:  (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/southern-resident-killer-whales-and-fisheries-interaction-workgroup)

Nineteen Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects Recommended for 2019 NOAA Funding

July 29, 2019 โ€” The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

To restore habitat for coastal and marine species, NOAAโ€™s Restoration Center is recommending $10.4 million in funding to 19 partners through our Community-based Restoration Program Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants. These investments will restore habitat in 11 states and territories, leading to lasting results for communities, the economy, and the environment.

By reopening rivers to fish passage, reconnecting rivers to their floodplains, and reducing coastal runoff, these projects will support oysters, corals, and several fish species, as well as three NOAA Species in the Spotlightโ€”Atlantic salmon, Central California Coast coho salmon, and the Southern Resident killer whale. One of the projects recommended for support is also in a NOAA Habitat Focus Area.

In addition to supporting underwater species, investing in habitat restoration leads to tangible, measurable differences for communities by reducing flooding, providing commercial and recreational opportunities, and improving water quality.

NOAAโ€™s Restoration Center, housed within the Office of Habitat Conservation, invests in restoration work that helps recover threatened and endangered species, support sustainably managed fisheries, and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities. Since 1996, our Community-based Restoration Program has partnered with more than 2,900 organizations to take on more than 2,150 projects. These efforts have restored more than 90,000 acres of habitat and opened up 4,070 miles of streams and rivers to fish migration.

Read the full release here

PFMC: Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale Workgroup to Meet July 2 and July 23-24

June 11, 2019 โ€” The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Councilโ€™s (Pacific Council) Ad Hoc Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Workgroup will convene two meetings, which are open to the public. The first meeting, to be held via webinar, will convene on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), or until business for the day has been completed. The second meeting, to be held in-person, will convene Tuesday, July 23, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.PDT, or until business for the day has been completed. It will continue on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT, or until business for the day has been completed. These are public meetings and not public hearings. Public comments will be taken at the discretion of the Workgroup co-chairs as time allows.

Please see the SRKW July 2019 meeting notice on the Councilโ€™s website for full details(both the July 2 webinar and the July 23-24 in-person meeting).

For further information:

  • Please contact Pacific Fishery Management Council staff officer Ms. Robin Ehlke at 503-820-2410; toll-free 1-866-806-7204.
  • Supporting documents can be found in the Pacific Councilโ€™s April 2019 Briefing Book (Agenda Item F.3.a, Supplemental NMFS Report 1, April 2019 and Agenda Item D.6.a, Supplemental NMFS Report 1, April 2019)
  • Past workgroup meeting materials are available from the NMFS West Coast Regional website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/southern-resident-killer-whales-and-fisheries-interaction-workgroup

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