3 southern resident killer whales missing, presumed dead, which drops population to 73
Three adult orca whales from southern resident pods have been missing and presumed dead since July 1.
The Center for Whale Research reported the losses to the endangered and ailing killer whale populations in a Tuesday news release.
The southern residents are known to spend much of the summer in Salish Sea on the hunt for chinook salmon, which itself has suffered from declining populations. Because of the lack of suitable salmon, the southern residents rarely visit Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the inland areas of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, areas that are considered critical habitat for the pods.
The whales that are presumed dead are J17, K25 and L84.
J17 is a 42-year-old matriarch of the J pod and is the mother of J35, also known as Tahlequah, who became well known after her calf died and she carried its body for 17 days in 2018. J17 was reported in poor condition last winter.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/3-southern-resident-killer-whales-missing-presumed-dead-which-drops-population-to-73/ar-AAFtBDX
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