Orcas

The Pender Islands have the good fortune of being situated in the midst of the Salish Sea, a term used to describe a large inland sea comprised of the waters from Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits of Washington to the Strait of Georgia Strait up to Johnstone Strait.  These waters are home to several pods of orcas, or killer whales (Orcinus orca), and the frequent summer sightings of these graceful black and white creatures along Pender's shoreline create a flurry of excitement with island residents and visitors.

Orcas are actually large dolphins, or toothed whales (Odontoceti), and are members of the same Delphinid family as dolphins.  Where dolphins average 3 meters (10 ft) in length, however, male orcas can reach up to 9 m (30 ft) in length, and females to 8 m (26 ft).  At birth, orcas are about 2.5 m (7 to 8 ft) long and weigh about 400 pounds, with females growing up to about 4 tons, and males up to 6 tons.  Females are sexually mature in their teens and give birth to a single calf on average of once every five years, until senescence begins around age 40.  Orcas continue to grow until they reach their late twenties.

The Resident Pods of BC and Washington
The orcas found in southern BC and Washington are known as the "Southern Resident Community," or "J Clan," which are a separate community than the orcas that live in northern BC waters.  The Southern Residents are a large extended family, or clan, comprised of three pods that have been named the J, K, and L pods with 85 members as of July 2009.  The Northern Resident Community (A, G and R clans), which is usually observed in the Johnstone Strait area and northern British Columbia, is made up of about 16 pods containing 220 whales as of July 2005.  Families within each pod form subpods centred on older females that are usually grandmothers or great-grandmothers.  All offspring remain in close association with their mothers for life.  The orca is the only known wild mammal that maintains lifetime contact between mothers and offspring of both genders.

From April through September, the Southern Resident pods tend to travel throughout the Salish Sea.  From October through June, J pod often continues its activities in the inland estuaries, however, it has not been determined where the K and L pods go.  Recently members of the K and L pods were sighted in lower Puget Sound in winter.  In winter of 2000, about 50 members of those pods were spotted in Monterey Bay, California feeding on salmon.  During winter months Salish Sea orcas are seen along the outer coasts of Washington and Vancouver Island, but it is not known how far into the open ocean they travel.  Orcas usually swim from 75 to 100 miles every 24 hours, and are capable of swimming at speeds of 30 mph.

The residents have been identified with a specific alphanumeric designation, such as L3.  After surviving their first year, orcas are given more familiar-sounding names, such as "Luna."  The following describes some of the members of the Southern Resident pods, with approximate ages.  See the website www.whaleresearch.com (click on 'The Center' and 'Research' then click on each pod name) for complete summaries and fin photographs:

* J pod:  27 members. Matriarch: J2, early 90's; Mature male: J1, 57 years old; Note:  J pod is most likely to appear year-round near the San Juan Islands, in the lower Puget Sound near Seattle, and in the Georgia Strait at the mouth of the Fraser River.  In mid to late spring J pod frequents the west side of San Juan Island.
* K pod: 19 members.  Matriarch: K7, early eighties; Mature male: K1.
* L pod:39 members (the largest resident pod); Two mature males: L41 & L58; Four nearly mature males.

Orca Links
www.orcanetwork.org:  Contains information on orca whale movement on a daily basis; Includes sighting archives, news, etc, and
www.whaleresearch.com:  Site from Friday Harbor, WA organization contains sightings, programs, and info on the Southern Resident pods.  (360) 378-5835.
www.whalemuseum.org:  "Promoting stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research." Located in Friday Harbor, Washington, (360) 378-4710, (800) 946-7227.  The museum is open in summer.
www.vanaqua.org: Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Ctr, (604) 659-3474.
www.georgiastrait.org/orcapass.php: Proposed "Orca Pass" International Stewardship Area in BC and Washington hopes to establish North America's first transboundary marine protected area.
www.pugetsound.org: Activists working to restore the waters and shoreline of Puget Sound, including Orca habitat