A-Pod Cast For Killer Whales

Snohomish County and the Tulalip Tribes survey fish four times a month around the Snohomish River estuary by setting a net and counting the fish it catches. They measure size, record species, and look to see if Chinook salmon are recovering in light of habitat restoration projects. Chinook salmon are the preferred food of the Southern Resident killer whales, the 76 orcas on the brink of extinction. Since the fish aren't doing well, the whales are starving. Scientists have focused much of their effort on restoring salmon habitat which has been lost to development, agriculture and other issues, but they say the projects are way behind and need to speed up if we want the orcas and their favorite prey to survive.

Linda Rhodes is a microbiologist with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Science Center who studies how parasites in human sewage and animal waste may be hurting the Southern Resident killer whales. The amount of human sewage that ends up in the Salish Sea will shock you. It creates parasites that can enter the whales through their blow holes when they come up for air. Remnants of sewage have also been detected deep within the water column. It's possible these microbes could be causing the orcas to feel sick enough they don't want to eat, which may contribute to their health risks. Often experts point to a lack of food for the whales, who prefer Chinook salmon, which are also dwindling in number. But what if in addition to a lack of food, the Southern Residents just aren't hungry because they're sick?

Tim Ragen spent 15 years as a research biologist for NOAA, coordinated stellar sea lion recovery efforts, and then worked for 13 years with the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. He has invaluable insight into what it takes to recover a species on the brink of extinction like the Southern Resident killer whales. Interestingly, Ragen supports a cull of seals and sea lions as a drastic measure to save decreasing Chinook salmon stocks, the preferred prey of the Southern Resident orcas, who do not eat marine mammals or sharks like other killer whales. Ragen asks all of us, what kind of world do we want to live in and are we doing all we can to protect that future?

Josh McInnes studies transient killer whales, a group of orcas that has rebounded from dwindling numbers. They differ from the fish-eating Southern Resident killer whales because they eat marine mammals. McInnes discusses reasons for their comeback and why he still has hope for the Southern Residents.