'If we do nothing, I think we will lose this population forever' | The race to save our orcas

The SRKW is made up of three families: the J, K and L pods. L pod is the largest with 34 orcas, J pod includes 25 and K pod has just 15.

The decline in population began in the 1960s as Southern Residents were picked out of the waters of Puget Sound. Some of the first organized captures were led by Ted Griffin and his team from the Seattle Public Aquarium.

"It was completely legal. Permits were issued," said Michael Weiss, a research director for the Center for Whale Research.

From the 1960s to mid-1970s, hundreds of whales were captured in Washington and British Columbia waters using speed boats, nets and even bombs.

"Southern Residents in terms of number of whales and impact on population were really hit the hardest," Weiss said.

RELATED: How the Southern Resident population reached an alarming low point

At least 11 died during captures and 36 were taken into captivity at marine parks. Specifically young orcas were targeted, including Tokitae. By 1987, known as Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium, she was the sole survivor of those captured in Puget Sound. She died in 2023.

“Those captures were targeted. Not random. It’s not that a third of the population is randomly removed. It’s a generation of killer whales is removed," Weiss said.

Canadian Dr. Michael Bigg was the first to photo-identify wild whales population size and family structure, according to whale researchers. Bigg started the practice in the 1970s to get a more accurate account of killer whale populations.

“At the time the wisdom was there were hundreds and hundreds of killer whales, because they were seeing them all the time," Weiss said. "We started to realize there’s not hundreds of hundreds of whales. We're seeing them over and over again.”

Weiss’ team at the Center for Whale Research started tracking the Southern Resident population in 1976.

Researchers estimate there may have been 100-120 before the captures began. When tracking began, 71 orcas remained. 

"It really took a Washington state level bit of legislation to say there would be no more killer whale captures in the state," Weiss said.

Slowly the Southern Resident population rebounded, increasing to 98 by 1994. Scientists believe that happened over a period of time the orcas' food supply was plentiful. 

But that rebound didn't last. Southern Residents received the endangered designation in 2005, which protects the orcas in part by putting policies in place to encourage conservationism.

As of 2024, the total number of SRKWs has dropped to 74 and is expected to drop one more in the upcoming census, according to the Orca Conservancy.

Most researchers agree on several of the key problems the population faces: pollutants, vessel noise, and a loss of food.

Pollutants like PCBs have built up in orcas' bodies, with more entering through the fish they eat. Vessel traffic and noise make it tough for Southern Residents to find food and chase away prey.

Weiss said Chinook salmon are the number one issue for orcas. 

"There are a lot of things we can do to help in addition to improving Chinook stocks, but if we don't increase salmon abundance, nothing else is going to matter," said Weiss.

More than 80% of the Southern Residents' diet is made up by Chinook salmon. The stock has declined for decades, with some populations decreasing as much as 90% since the early 20th century, and Chinook were classified as endangered in 1994.

Weiss said a degradation of spawning rivers, increase in ocean temperatures and pollutants have all negatively impacted Chinook populations.

“You've got one endangered species relying on another endangered species to survive," Weiss said.

Local tribes consider these orcas family, Raynell Morris said, and are impacted by the same issues the resident orcas face.

"They're starving for salmon. We're starving for salmon. They're unhealthy because of the water. We're unhealthy because of the water," said Morris, a Lummi Nation elder. “And now we're at an all-time point of extinction for them as a population, as a people, as our relatives."

Comparing the Southern Residents to the Northern Residents offers another clue. The Northern Residents, which live primarily near the northern end of Vancouver Island and have the same diet and behavior as Southern Residents, are doing much better. There's more salmon and fewer contaminants available to them, scientists said.

All of those factors add up when it comes to their survival. 

SeaDoc Society science director and veterinarian Joe Gaydos said to think of their monitoring of orcas' health like a trip to the doctor's office -- but it's in a mobile office where scientists come to the orcas.

In trips permitted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the SeaDoc Society observes orcas and gathers data to help assess their health. Using a drone, they assess each animal's height and weight to see if they're skinny, healthy or pregnant.

With infrared cameras, scientists check if orcas' temperatures are in a normal range or if there are signs of fever. They also check for lesions on the skin and collect breath samples to search for pathogens or abnormal cells.

RELATED: How scientists monitor the health of Southern Resident Killer Whales

"I would like to see us be able to incorporate not just veterinarians, but all the biologists that know them well," Gaydos said. "They'll say, 'I was out taking photographs and this animal didn't look right.' That's what allows us to bring our child into the emergency room."

Gaydos said they are working to create electronic medical records that can be shared and used by agencies like NOAA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"We're making progress; we just need to push that faster," Gaydos said.

Some people are not hopeful about improving the Southern Residents chances for survival -- but Gaydos is.

"Hope is not a plan, but you have to have hope," Gaydos said. "I would like to see more effort, more energy and funding, but I think we can do it. I know we can do it. That's what brings me to work every day."

Gaydos said progress is being made to restore habitats and restrict pollutants, clear fish passages, reduce vessel noise, and monitor and treat the orcas.

Elected leaders are pushing for change. An executive order by Gov. Jay Inslee created a task force to make recommendations for the health, wellness and restoration of Southern Residents. Tara Galuska, a longtime environmental advocate, was brought in to serve as orca recovery coordinator.

On vessel noise, Galuska said the Quiet Sound program has involved businesses in voluntary slowdowns. The Coast Guard began an alert system, and a new law going into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, will require vessels to keep greater distance from Southern Resident orcas.

As for pollution, she said a Safer Products Washington list promotes more ecologically sound products and efforts to limit and reduce chemicals of concern.

"You also need to be thinking when you're at home about what you put down the drain, the garbage, just your use of products," Galuska said. "Dispose chemicals and pharmaceuticals properly, and wash your car in a carwash rather than your driveway because that drains into the water and we're all so close to the water here."

RELATED: What it will take for the Southern Resident orca population to bounce back

Galuska also pointed to Initiative 2117 on the November ballot, where voters will be asked whether or not to repeal the Climate Commitment Act. While the push for overturning the act stems from a goal of keeping gas prices low, Galuska said if it is repealed, millions of dollars that benefit salmon rehabilitation will be lost.

A document from the governor’s office breaks down the environmental benefits of the Climate Commitment Act, which includes more than $360 million in investments, many in direct salmon projects, but most others also benefit salmon.

Those projects include climate change planning and adaptation, improvements to rivers and wetlands, forest management, fish passages and salmon habitat work, and much more. See a more extensive list here.

Despite some improvements, Gaydos said more funding for work and enforcement of laws is needed. 

"I think we're in that position now where we've been doing the easy things and now we need to do some more hard stuff," Gaydos said. "You can make a law but if you don't enforce it, people don't pay attention to it."

Williams, the Oceans Initiative co-founder, said other options to improve conditions for Southern Residents could involve reducing the Chinook salmon harvest, increasing hatchery production or scaling back Chinook salmon fishing in the open ocean.

A study published in "Nature" in April 2024 set thresholds to lower the species' endangered status with a goal of 2.3% growth per year for 28 years. Over the past 40 years, the population declined 1.5% per year.

Williams estimated that annual rate of decline will continue for the next one to two generations, then accelerate to 3% per year after that.

“I think the first problem is that you have to quantify how big the problem is," Williams said. "And it takes decades of science to be able to say on average, in a good salmon year, the whale population recovers this much. In a bad salmon year, they decline this much."

The report details the speed at which these orcas realistically can reproduce and shows how difficult it will be to increase the population.

Of the 74 orcas living today, approximately a dozen females are able to reproduce. With a gestation period of 17 months, those 12 female orcas would likely have a calf every three to five years.

However, about half of calves die and older whales die each year, so growth is a slow process.

Williams said if the population can grow to 80-90 whales in the next 50 years, experts will breathe a sigh of relief.

“We have to manage our expectation that we didn’t get into this situation overnight and it will take a long, long time for us to recover,” said Williams.

For inspiration, Gaydos, the SeaDoc Society veterinarian, looked to species such as mountain gorillas, which were on the brink of extinction until extensive efforts to stop poaching, prevent infections and survey their health brought them up to endangered status. The factors plaguing orcas are far different, but Gaydos said the stakes for success or failure make all the work worth it.

"If we can't save this population, we won't save other populations," Gaydos said. "We owe it to the whales. We owe it to ourselves. They're a part of the collective culture in Seattle, in Vancouver. We have to take care of our neighbors. This is just taking care of our neighbors."