Southern Resident Killer Whales are among the most iconic species in the world -- but their numbers continue to decline due to shipping and oil tanker traffic: they are down to only 73 in existence. And among these threats, one disaster can render this species extinct -- a single oil spill. Help protect endangered orcas from extinction by donating $15 to Friends of the Earth Action today.
Orcas have never needed you more than now. You see, orcas only give birth to one baby at a time every three to ten years. And recently, scientists have found that three of the orcas in the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods may be pregnant! While this is great news, we cannot ignore the threats that are awaiting these orcas, even before they are born.
The odds are not in their favor. From increased tanker traffic, to less chinook salmon available for consumption, to high miscarriage rates and the potential threat of an oil spill, we need to fight for a better future for these orcas. And with Marina -- the 47-year-old orca grandmother -- presumed dead, these babies are already facing a higher likelihood of dying -- 6x higher to be exact.
Southern Resident Killer Whales are the only endangered species of killer whales in the United States -- with only 73 left in the remaining pods. Once thriving in the waters of Washington and British Columbia, this incredibly precious species has been on the decline for years largely due to oil spills. And yet, private companies are looking to build the Roberts Bank T2 shipping terminal and expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline which would be a direct threat to the pods’ survival.
Building the shipping terminal would increase vessel traffic and ship noise in these orcas’ habitats. Studies show that tankers coming within 1,200 feet of orcas can dramatically disrupt their feeding habits. They become disoriented and cannot use echolocation to hunt for food -- some giving up feeding entirely -- resulting in severe malnourishment and stress, two things that would severely impact orca pregnancies.
The increased traffic resulting from these disastrous megaprojects would also further disrupt the migration patterns of chinook salmon in these areas -- the main food source for these orcas. At a time when pregnant orcas must eat for two, the diminished supply of chinook salmon would affect their ability to carry to full term.
The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion would also carry additional threats to these orca families. It would add 590,000 barrels a day of the dirtiest toxic tar sands oil while increasing tanker traffic from a little over one tanker a week to one per day! This activity would significantly increase the risk of a catastrophic oil spill -- one that could render the endangered orcas extinct forever.
The calves are facing immediate and catastrophic threats to their existence before they are even born. The birth of these orcas can help turn around the drastically declining population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales -- but this is a very critical time in their survival. Pregnant orca mothers are battling grief at the loss of family members like Cappuccino and Marina, starvation, and stress -- a combination of things that negatively affect their pregnancies.
Orcas are crucial to a thriving ocean habitat and our own health. They release vital nutrients for phytoplankton, which in turn provide half of the oxygen we breathe while absorbing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon each year. We depend on this flow of nutrients for healthy ecosystems and a functioning planet, which is why we must protect these orcas at all costs. But the shipping and oil industries want to disrupt this for their own profit without a second thought to the consequences.
Big Oil and the shipping industry are looking to add fuel to the fire, disrupting and threatening the existence of these orcas with their proposed projects. Just as we rely on orcas for the health of our ecosystems, they are relying on us to fight for them at a time when there is potential for hope.
Friends of the Earth Action is working with the Biden administration to increase protections for Southern Resident Killer Whales, but we need your help to step up our fight. We need you to be the hero in this story so we can welcome these orca calves into a brighter future for them and their families.
Standing with you,
Marcie Keever,
Oceans & vessels program director,
Friends of the Earth Action
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