New baby orca joins local J pod

Whale watchers have spotted another baby orca in the local J pod, the eighth born in a baby boom among the whales that typically spend their summers feeding in the San Juan Islands.

The orca calf, designated by whale experts as J54, was first seen on Dec. 1 by whale watchers near San Juan Island. Born to a 22-year-old mother known as J28, baby J54’s gender remains unknown, the Pacific Whale Watch Association said in a news release Wednesday.

Michael Harris, executive director of Pacific Whale Watch Association, which represents 36 operators in Washington and British Columbia, said it has been a good year for whale watchers, but he is concerned about the future of the calves born this year.

“None of us expected a year like the one we just had. But we can expect tough times ahead for these whales,” Harris said. “We had a good year last year for salmon and we had a good year for orcas. Now we’re coming off drought conditions and all sorts of problems and we’re looking at lean times the next few years.

“Let’s celebrate this baby right now, and this resilient village of orcas, but let’s keep working to make sure we get fish in the water and whale forever.”

The newest orca is estimated to be two and a half to three weeks old and is the second offspring for J28. A female, J46, was born in 2009 and is still alive.

The total population of southern resident killer whales is now at 84.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 11:39 AM with the headline "New baby orca joins local J pod."