Endangered orcas died of starvation – 'We're getting down to the last fish in the barrel'
By Robert Santos SEATTLE — It’s been a rough summer for Orcas in Puget Sound. Seven killer whales have disappeared from their pods over the last few months and haven’t been found. Biologists believe the whales died of starvation. Telling one whale from another is almost impossible for the common man but for Ken Balcomb, it’s second nature. Orcas are like his children. They feel like family, for sure," he said. Balcomb even has an album – a family album – that identifies all three pods. Every single whale identified by pod and by special features down to the nicks on their fins. For 32 years, from his boat and research center on San Juan Islands, Balcomb studied the same three pods – about 80 whales – return every summer to feed on Chinook salmon. This summer, seven orcas disappeared, including two newborns and two reproductive females. Balcomb doesn’t believe they strayed; he’s sure they’re dead. "They’re certainly in the prime of life. They haven’t even reached the average life span. That means we’re cutting this population short," he said. Balcomb believes a lack of food is killing the orcas. He expects more deaths if Chinook salmon are not saved from overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. "We’re getting down to the last fish in the barrel," he said. This year, the federal government banned commercial fishing for Chinook salmon along the West Coast. Sport fishing in Washington continues. Balcomb believes if we don’t do something within the next five years, there won’t be enough spawning whales left to keep the species alive. "I’m going to miss them when they’re gone," he said.
