The Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population is threatened by a number of identified risk factors including prey availability, contaminants, vessel noise and disturbance, and small population size. In addition, there are several data gaps SRKW regarding their ecology. Although summer distribution is well documented, their winter distribution is not well known. Satellite tagging, acoustic recorders, and a compilation of public sightings has allowed for a much better assessment of this population’s winter distribution. Satellite tagging has been suspended in response to the mortality of a tagged SRKW, such that acoustic recorders and public sightings will be the primary approaches used to improve our understanding of the whale population’s occurrence and habitat use. Recent data has shown changes in the whales’ summer distribution patterns. Consequently, additional data on occurrence and movement patterns will be particularly important to document in the near term as the next couple of years to assess their potential response to the expected to have relatively lower abundance of returning Chinook, their primary prey. SRKW coastal sightings.

Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) are listed as a Distinct Population Segment under the Endangered Species Act. Data concerning their prey species and stock specific consumption estimates for SRKW in their summer range is important to understand trophic effects influencing their distribution and abundance. Estimates of these parameters allow prediction of population level responses to prey abundance and seasonality. SRKW prey needs.

SRKW have several data gaps regarding their ecology. Diet of killer whales is being determined by analyses of predation events and feces and from stomach content of harbor porpoises. The potential impact of Chinook predators is being evaluated through models. Information on killer whale prey samples.

SRKW have several data gaps regarding their ecology. Diet of killer whales is being determined by analyses of predation events and feces and from stomach content of harbor porpoises. The potential impact of Chinook predators is being evaluated through models. Information on killer whale prey samples.

The primary goal of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Sightings Dashboard is to provide a resource for individuals and organizations to determine appropriate marine mammal protections for SRKWs when constructing projects throughout the Puget Sound. Specifically, in conjunction with the known action area of a project, it can help determine whether a marine mammal monitoring plan (MMMP) is needed that includes orcas. The National Marine Fisheries Service uses this tool to determine necessary MMMPs for Endangered Species Act consultations, including projects under the Salish Sea Nearshore Programmatic Biological Opinion.

The southern residents face several well-documented external threats. However, the population might also be subject to internal factors that limit population growth, including a reduction in fitness due to inbreeding. Understanding how inbreeding affects individual fitness and thus the health status of the population is critical for evaluating the relative influence of other factors on southern resident recovery. Assessing the risk of inbreeding depression – specifically called for in the NMFS recovery plan – is important for conducting accurate Population Viability Analyses and correctly understanding the urgency of recovery efforts. Here, we propose using genomic methods to evaluate inbreeding and inbreeding depression in the southern resident population and a comparable but healthier Alaskan resident population. Measures of inbreeding will serve as an important health marker, supporting the integration of individual metrics aimed at understanding population performance. Measures of inbreeding can be obtained directly by estimating variation at millions of DNA markers in an individual’s genome. Complete genomic sequences for 100 southern and 50 Alaska residents will be collected in collaboration with the genomics company BGI. Inbreeding values for each individual will be obtained using genome wide measures of homozygosity and relatedness. We will then combine measured of inbreeding with data on individual fitness, to evaluate whether inbreeding leads to inbreeding depression. Generalized additive models will be used to determine whether survivorship, fecundity and size-at-age is influenced by different levels of inbreeding. Using this data, we will measure the degree of current and predicted future of inbreeding in the southern residents and compare this risk with the Alaska residents that have experienced consistent population growth. We will then evaluate whether inbreeding depression explains individual variance in fitness, and estimate its influence on the status of southern residents, using Population Viability Analyses. Microsatellite, SNP, and mtDNA sequence data from southern resident killer whales.

This project extends and advances existing ocean distribution and size models for Chinook Salmon, a major prey of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) and target of important fisheries, to provide ocean distribution estimates for multiple run-types (fall, summer, and spring Chinook) arising from rivers from California to Alaska by season and under variable oceanic conditions. It leverages very large tag-recapture databases that have been developed for Chinook Salmon over the past 50 years – hundreds of millions of fish tagged and millions recovered – and links these recoveries to a range of fisheries in which Chinook are targeted or captured as bycatch. It integrates data coast-wide, from Alaska to California, and over more than 30 years (1978-2015), to provide a first synthetic, quantitative description of Chinook distribution that can be used to understand the total Chinook prey field available to SRKW, fishers, and other predators in different seasons and under alternate ocean states. In addition, this projects examines long-term trends in Chinook salmon size and their biological implications. Chinook populations have shown pronounced trends toward smaller and younger fish returning to spawn, and these trends have accelerated in the last 15 years. This erosion of the age-size structure and life-history diversity may negatively affect population productivity via reductions in reproductive potential, and may compromise the long-term viability of populations and jeopardize the sustainability of Chinook salmon fisheries. Consequently, long-term shifts in life-history characteristics, which are likely caused by changing ecological conditions in the ocean, might need to be accounted for when estimating reference points for fishery management. This work supports ongoing efforts to recover SRKW populations, informs the SRKW critical habitat designation process and recovery plans, feeds into the PFMC SRKW ad hoc work group, and is directly in line with the NMFS Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Road Map and Policy as well as the National Climate Science Strategy.

Transient killers whales inhabit the West Coast of the United States. Their range and movement patterns are difficult to ascertain, but are vital to understanding killer whale population dynamics and abundance trends. Satellite tagging of West Coast transient killer whales to determine range and movement patterns will provide data to assist in understanding transient killer whale populations. Locational data.

SRKW were listed as endangered in 2005. This study collected baseline data about the industry to be able to determine social impacts to the industry as a result of the SRKW listing. Primary data was collected, analyzed, and reported. Northwest Regional Office and Protected Species Office staff used some study results in an Environmental Assessment completed in 2011. This information will also be used to compare future data collections to measure social changes as a result of new vessel regulations. Primary qualitative/quantitative dataset.

Critical habitat includes all marine waters within the delineated boundaries. For the inland waters of Washington state (2006 designation), the contiguous shoreline is defined by the line at a depth of 20 feet (6.1 meters) relative to extreme high water. For the coastal marine waters along the U.S. west coast (2021 revision), the contiguous shoreline is defined by the line at a depth of 20 feet (6.1 meters) relative to mean high water. See the final rules (71 FR 69054 and 86 FR 41668) for descriptions of areas excluded from this critical habitat designation. For the inland waters of Washington state (2006 designation), military areas excluded due to national security impacts were not clipped out of the data.For the coastal marine waters along the U.S. west coast (2021 revision), military areas excluded due to national security impacts (i.e., the Quinault Range and its 10 kilometer buffer) were clipped out of the data.