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ORCAS
Anyone who visits the Key Peninsula
Civic Center in Vaughn, can see the Orca whale carved
from a log, painted its distinctive black and white,
protected by a small shed roof. The whale greets
visitors to the center.
It is a memento from a time when
Orcas were prolific in Case Inlet, and even more
prolific in Carr Inlet. Now, of course, we’re thrilled
any time we encounter any of these beautiful creatures
in our waters.
The National Marine Fisheries
Service, a unit of the National Oceanographic and
Atmospheric Administration, a unit of the U.S.
Department of Commerce (whew!) in January 2008 issued a
Recovery Plan for Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Southern, for those who may wonder,
refers to whales that reside in Washington and British
Columbia during the late spring, summer and fall.
Resident means they belong to pods
that hang around like a family under the direction of
one or more matriarchal (big-momma) females. Two other
groups, transients and offshores, belong to pods that
forage far beyond any one resident area.
Killer Whales, of course, refer to
Orcinus orca, the world’s largest member of the dolphin
family, known to us as the Orca Whale.
Their decline is attributed to the
fact that we’ve fouled our water, killed off too many
salmon (and the forage fish that support them), and have
too many noisy and oily ships plowing around to make it
comfortable for the pod members.
They know when they’re welcome, and
if not, they move away. Salmon constitute upwards of 90
percent of the Orcas’ diet, with larger sized Chinooks
(Kings) being their favorite meal. Hmm just like us,
except their Moms allow them to talk with their mouths
full.
The NMFS plan is to address all the
factors believed to contribute to the decline of the
population and hope like crazy that within 28 years, at
the rate of 2.3 percent per year, the population will
increase to the point that Orcas will no longer be an
endangered species.
The last reported sighting of Orcas
near the Key Peninsula was in July 2006. We have to make
the neighborhood nicer for them if we want them to come
back home.
Bill Trandum is a retired U.S. Navy captain, a
recreational sailor and a student of saltwater tides,
currents, atmospheric influences and the life forms
affected by them.
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