Southern Resident orca grandmother ‘missing and likely dead,’ experts say
The Center for Whale Research declared a grandmother in one of the Puget Sound’s Southern Resident killer whale pods “missing and likely dead.”
L47 was missing from the center’s 2021 census, according to a news release on Monday, Sept. 20, and she hasn’t been spotted since Feb. 27 in the Swanson Channel. She was 47 years old.
The grandmother “did not appear to be in particularly poor condition” in that sighting, according to the release, but she was missing from surveys conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca earlier this summer.
The Center for Whale Research reported it had six encounters with L47’s matriline and photographed all of her offspring without finding her.
“Her repeated absence meets our criteria for declaring a whale missing and likely deceased,” the release stated.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our orca relative. As we mourn yet another passing of our qwe ‘lhol mechen, we are reminded of the urgent need to protect our Salish Sea and all living beings who depend on these waters. It will take immediate changes like regulating and reducing vessel traffic. For Lummi people, nothing is more important than supporting a productive and sustainable salmon population. Their recovery is critical: to Lummi, our beloved orca population, and the entire region,” Lummi Nation Chairman Lawrence Solomon said in a statement via email to McClatchy.
With the loss of L47 and the suspected loss of another male orca this summer, the current Southern Resident population is 73, the release states.
Marina, as L47 was known according to the Whale Museum, was born in 1974 and was among the Southern Resident’s “most prolific” females, according to the release, giving birth to seven calves that survived long enough to receive an alpha-numeric designation.
Four of the calves did not survive past their first year, but three — L83 (Moonlight), L91 (Muncher) and L115 (Mystic) are still alive, according to the release. While L115 is a male, L83 and L91 are raising sons of their own — L110 (Midnight) and L122 (Magic).
“As a mother and grandmother, L47’s death may have severe consequences,” the release states. “Center for Whale Research data shows that older, post-reproductive females hold key leadership roles in this society, particularly when food is scarce.”
According to the center, L115 has a three-times greater risk of death in the next two years than a male of the same age whose mother is still alive, while L47’s grandchildren face a six-fold increase in their chances of death over the next two years. Those risks will rise even higher if salmon abundance shrinks.
Unfortunately, L47 is not the only missing Southern Resident orca. K21 (Cappuccino), a 35-year-old male, hasn’t been spotted since July, when he was exhibiting extreme emaciation, according to the release.
“It was clear from the images of K21 collected in July that he would not survive much longer,” the release stated. “CWR can confirm that K21 is deceased, as our teams have repeatedly censused all of K pod without locating K21.”
On average, orca males can live to be between 50 and 60 years old, according to the Whale Museum, while females have lived to be 90 and older. The oldest Southern Resident on record was J2 (Granny), who lived to be 105 years old.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 11:09 AM.
