2-year old J52 "Sonic" has been declared deceased. This brings the Southern Resident orca family down to just 76 (or 77 counting Lolita/Tokitae still captive in Miami), lower than it has been since the early 1980s, and only 5 more than the all time low of 71 in 1976 after the capture era.
J52 "Sonic"
2015-2017
He was the first offspring of J36 "Alki." He is survived by his uncle J26 "Mike" and aunts J42 "Echo" and J50 "Scarlet," who was born only two months before J52. J52 was reported emaciated Sept. 13 from unmanned hexacopter photographs by Holly Fearnbach, Drs. John Durban (NOAA) and Lance Barrett-Lennard (Coastal Ocean Research Institute).
Ken Balcomb, Senior Scientist, Center for Whale Research, provides background and implications of the loss of J52:
"The SRKW population as of 1 July 2017 was 77 whales. As of 19 September, another SRKW (J52 - a two and a half year old male) is deceased, presumably from malnutrition. All of the SRKW observed this summer appear lean, and they appear to us to be skinny and small compared to Bigg’s Transient killer whales in the Salish Sea that have abundant prey resources (seals and other marine mammals).
"In the early years of our study, the average calving interval (live birth) for sexually mature females was calculated to be 5.2 years, with a 3 year interval observed for some females. The abort/neonate mortality was estimated at 42% of conceptions. The average calving interval (live birth) is now 9+ years, and the abort/neonate mortality is estimated to be 75% or more.
"All indications (population number, foraging spread, days of occurrence in the Salish Sea, body condition, and live birth rate/neonate survival) are pointing toward a predator population that is prey limited and non-viable. We know that the SRKW population-sustaining prey species is Chinook salmon, but resource managers hope that they find something else to survive. If something isn’t done to enhance the SRKW prey availability almost immediately (it takes a few years for a Chinook salmon to mature and reproduce, and it takes about twelve years for a female SRKW to mature and reproduce), extinction is inevitable within decades to a century with current predator/prey trajectories.
"This situation is not pretty, and its solution is politically and practically complex. I have advocated for a relatively practical fix for the time being (remove dam obstacles to natural Snake River Chinook production - potentially hundreds of thousands to a million or more adult Chinook spawners returning), and work toward restoration of natural runs of Chinook salmon in the Salish Sea watersheds for the long term. But, obviously, the political will (votes and $$) is not there yet. We are trying to save this iconic Pacific Northwest population of very charismatic animals with information."