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Orcas Endangered by Their Friends
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"One hundred and fifty years."
The number hangs in the air for a few seconds before I ask Orca whale researchers Kelley Balcomb and Jodi Smith to elaborate. Smith is currently conducting a two-year field study tracking the effect of whale watching on the three pods of Orcas that inhabit the area. Kelley Balcomb is in charge of the Orca Conservancy, the institute running the Hill Top Study which tracks whales and their tag-along watchers. Balcomb, the son of Kenneth Balcomb, head of the Center for Whale Research and a pioneer in the field, is a self proclaimed "whale kid." Having grown up around these whales, he was 14 when the first photo identification studies began. He is perhaps the orcas' biggest advocate.
"One hundred and fifty years?" I ask again.
According to various models, completed by statistician Paul Wade, there is a 90 percent possibility that if the conditions in the area remain the same as they are now, the whales of Pods J, K, and L will face extinction during my grandchildren's lifetime.
As Balcomb lists the reasons, an unwelcome feeling of deja vu washes over me.
| Volunteer |
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Call these organizations and ask what you can do to help. While not all of us can afford to be away from home for a month, many of us could spare a weekend or two to make a difference. Contact: The Orca Conservancy 319 Smugglers Cove Rd Friday Harbor, WA 98250 Soundwatch PO Box 945 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 Center for Whale Research P.O. Box 945 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 (800) 346-7227 |
A breeding-age male whose body recently washed up on Vancouver Island had an ulcer caused by the high PCB content in his system. This, along with malnutrition, exacerbated by his mother's disappearance, was ruled the cause of death. His fat contained 63.2 parts per million (PPM) of PCBs, 90 times the concentration found in most humans. PCBs, (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PBTs (persistent, bio-accumulative, toxic chemicals), such as Diazinon and DDT, are prevalent in the marine environment. As toxins move up the food chain they accumulate in the fat cells of predatory organisms. The orcas in northwest waters have been designated as the most polluted in the world by the American Cetacean Institute. PCBs lower the immune system and cause systemic stresses. The reproductive system is particularly hard hit, creating lower sperm counts in males and a host of reproductive problems in females.
Salmon scarcity
Overfishing, habitat destruction and chemical run-off due to development have all contributed to the dwindling numbers of the Orcas' favorite meal, sockeye salmon. Malnutrition causes the whales to burn their fat reserves, thereby drawing out more of the chemical toxins stored there.
Culling
Forty-nine whale calves were "harvested" from the local whale population, beginning in the 1960s, all captured and sent to aquariums around the world. This removal of juveniles from the gene pool has had an enormous effect on the population today. While calves have been born to the older members, these few are not enough to offset the attrition caused by the missing breeding population.
Whale watching
As the number of companies has increased and the number of boats around the whales multiplies, Balcomb and others are pushing for more restrictions and tighter rules governing encounters.
A few years ago it was uncommon to see more than a handful of boats around the whales, and the average encounter lasted about 20-30minutes. Now the daily average is about 50 watercraft (once peaking at 112), with no break for the whales except the blackness of night. The National Marine Fisheries and the whale watching industry deny that the whales are being harassed, but Balcomb and his colleagues feel otherwise.
As I watched the pod of whales hugging the east side of the San Juan Channel, blocked from the freedom of Haro Strait by nearly 40 boats, (the official count was in the 50s), I saw firsthand what Jodi Smith calls "DMI," boats Drifting with Malicious Intent. To get close to the whales, several craft headed right through the middle of the pod. Others kept placing themselves in front of the whales' progress, leapfrogging them as they moved through the narrow strait.
Another boat problem, which has yet to receive any study, is the effect boat emissions have on the whales. Exhaust fumes collect within one and a half feet of the surface--as Balcomb points out, "right at blow-hole depth." He adds that this a very sensitive issue and for the most part has been swept under the carpet.
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It's a bleak situation, but as Jane Goodall would say, there is reason for hope.
As I sat there, with Kelley Balcomb and a lone fisherman, watching the chaos created by the boats, the pod finally rounded Cattle Point. Temporarily free of the armada, the whales fanned out. Using an assorted collection of breeches, spy-hops and pectoral slaps to communicate, the leaders of the pod, the matriarchs, had led their family groups through the danger of the acoustically polluted channel.
As they spread into haze of the setting sun and the relatively quiet security of Haro Strait, I noticed that the man fishing had pulled in his line. He was content to watch, for he had landed a front row seat for what the researchers call "a good encounter." And--perhaps the most positive thing I saw all weekend--the man waited until they had passed before he cast out his line again.
He had found his place among the whales. Maybe we can too.
What can you do?
When whale watching: if possible watch from the shore. Although it's not guaranteed you will see whales, the experience of finding an encounter instead of forcing one is often more rewarding.
If you must take a boat, ask questions:
-Do they follow the watching guidelines set up by the industry and Soundwatch? These include staying at least 100 yards from the whales and not causing them to change direction to avoid the boat.
-Go with a company that has higher capacity boats. More people in one boat means fewer boats.
-Write your elected officials and push for the orcas' inclusion on the endangered species list. Also ask that there be more funding allocated to the enforcement of the current laws.
According to the Washington Toxics Coalition, Diazinon is already exceeding safety limits in the Seattle area. A California study has shown that Diazinon use "at only two to four percent of homes in a watershed produces enough pollution to kill some aquatic organisms that serve as food sources for fish." Contact the Washington Toxics Coalition to receive the informative handbook, grow smart, grow safe. They can be reached at (206) 632-1545 or www.watoxics.org.
Jeff Hogan is a zoo ambassador and a member of the Forest Explorers Team. He recently returned from a weeklong voluntary stint with the Hill Top study run by the Orca Conservancy.
Reader Comments
Discuss this article in the forums!
| Diane | Nov 04, 2003 | Toronto, Ontario,Canada | student |
| Hi my name is Diane and I'm a 12 year old who is doing a project on endangered orcas. I think on your website u should state some ways that orcas are being killed. Ex.hunters etc... I think it will really improve your site. Thank you, Diane | |||
| Anonymous | May 03, 2004 | Seattle Wa | stu |
| i agree with Diane. majorly.dont forget to mention sewers and wastewater. toxins. yup. | |||
