Researchers from Washington state have reported that a southern resident killer whale, known as J31, has been spotted with a deceased calf off the coast of British Columbia. The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash., shared on social media that the orca was seen in the Juan de Fuca Strait near Sombrio Point on Vancouver Island. It is uncertain whether the calf was male or female and if it was carried to full-term or was stillborn.
J31 has experienced previous reproductive losses, including failed pregnancies, and was previously observed in 2016 carrying a deceased calf. The recent discovery of another deceased calf is significant, highlighting the ongoing challenges of successful reproduction within the endangered southern resident killer whale population.
The southern resident killer whales are critically endangered, with a population of approximately 73 in 2024. The local population’s recovery heavily relies on the availability of chinook salmon. The cause of the calf’s death remains unknown, but it underscores the longstanding reproductive difficulties faced by the population. Every calf’s birth and survival are crucial for a population as small as the southern residents.
J31, born in 1995, has one surviving offspring named J56, born in 2019. The researchers emphasize the importance of protecting and supporting the southern resident killer whale population for its long-term survival.
