The Vulnerable "Killer"

http://www.valdosta.edu/~srhoward/killerwhale.jpg 
Mother and baby

Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca)
Corryn Haynes

Description and Ecology of Organism 
The term "Killer" Whale comes from the predatory habits these huge creatures exhibit. These magnificent whales are so huge in fact, that they are the largest type of dolphin in the world. Their teeth are 13cm long and although they usually cruise around in the sea at about 5-10km per hour, they can reach speeds of up to 40km per hour (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office). It does seem fitting that they started out being called "Killer Whales".  Killer Whales, or another common name for them,  the "Orca" Whale, are easily identified by their black and white markings. They have a diet primarily consisting of salmonid, squid and even birds and marine mammals. Females have a maximum life span of up to 80-90 years and 60-70 for males (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office) and can grow to be 4-10 tons (Especies fact sheet).  Perhaps a reason  many of us feel so connected with these "killers" is because they have behavior that is similar to humans. Like humans, Orcas have very elaborate social structures.  They use vocal communication throughout their pods to communicate with one another and even the young imitate their parents (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).      
                                                    

    

http://www.michw.com/tag/acoustics/

Geographic and Population Changes

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/news/features/killer_whale/index.cfm

The Southern Resident Killer Whales occur in Washington State and British Colombia in the summer and fall and in coastal waters in the winter (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).  The occur in low densities which make is difficult to census. A common way to identify these animals in through photo identification. There is a trend that the lower the temperature of the water, the higher the density of whales. The Southern Resident Killer Whales occur in three different pods and while there have been quiet a few varying dips and rises in the population of all three of these pods since 1974, they have remained pretty stable (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).                               

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Listing Date and Type of Listing
The Southern Resident Killer Whale was listed on the Endangered Species Act on November 18, 2005 (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).


Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence
The Southern Resident Killer Whale was petitioned to go on the ESA in 2001 due to a 20% decline in population in just 5 years (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office). Since they listed in 2005, their population has increased. The main threats to its continued existence are sound, availability of prey, pollution and effects from vessels (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).


Description of Recovery Plan

http://www.norbertwu.com/nwp/subjects/whales_web/gallery-12.html

There are many, many ways in which the recovery plan for the Southern Resident Killer Whale needs to be put into effect. For starters, there is the problem of pollution and vessel effects. Contaminated sites need to be cleaned up right away and we need to minimize the future inputs of harmful contaminates to Killer Whales.  There will also be improved guidelines for vessel activity near the whales (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office). Next, oil spills must be prevented and if one were to occur, we must be prepared to act as effectively as possible. There will also be efforts to minimize potential impacts from anthropogenic sound (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).  The plan is to also educate people and make the public aware of things they can do to help conserve the Killer Whales. There will also be improvements made to respond to either dead or living whales to assess their health to further our knowledge on how to conserve them (National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Regional Office).  Hopefully with all of this being put into effect, the Southern Resident Killer Whale can soon come off the Endangered Species list. 

Works Cited:

National Marine Fisheries Service. 2008. Recovery Plan for Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca). National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region, Seattle, Washington. 

"Killer Whale -- Kids' Planet -- Defenders of Wildlife." Killer Whale -- Kids' Planet -- Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 June 2015.