Two baby killer whales spotted off B.C. coast

Two new baby killer whales have been spotted swimming in the waters off Victoria, giving a welcome boost to the endangered local population.

“It’s very exciting,” said Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash., which tracks the three resident orca pods and keeps photographic records.

The newborns were seen off Victoria on Feb. 6 and off Nanaimo a few days later.

They appear to be vigorous and in good shape, Balcomb said.

“They are both probably January babies,” he said.
“The fetal folds haven’t filled out yet from being born.”
The folds, in front of the dorsal fin, are from being in the womb and smooth out as the whale gets older.
The births bring the number of whales in the three pods up to 85, but the mortality rate for calves in their first year is 50 per cent.

Balcomb said he is worried one of the males, a 31-year-old whale, was not seen with the other creatures.
“But we hope he’s out there somewhere. We’re not ready to say he’s missing yet,” he said.

It is extremely unusual to see the three resident pods in Canadian waters at this time of year as they usually spend January and February in the waters off California, Balcomb said.
“California’s salmon stocks have crashed in the last couple of years, so the bottom line is they are probably following the food,” he said.
The preferred food for resident killer whales is chinook salmon, and chinook stocks in California have nosedived.
Last year, seven resident whales died — an unusually high number — and some were showing signs of malnutrition before they disappeared.
An added threat to the killer whales is that chinook are heavily contaminated with chemicals such as PCBs and flame retardants.
Historically, there were about 120 whales in the three resident pods. The lowest point, after decades of shooting and capture, was 71 in 1973.

Victoria Times Colonist