This month brings to close a hugely successful year of health research on the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs). In 2022 we collected aerial images of SRKWs in seven months and we have health data on SRKWs in every month of the year during the fifteen years of our study. Our year-round monitoring allows us to detect both seasonal and annual changes in body condition to help inform adaptive management measures including regulations for commercial whale-watch vessels and salmon fisheries management. We will continue providing our SRKW health metrics to state and federal agencies in both the U.S. and Canada with the aim of helping to recover this endangered population by increasing their access to salmon prey.
Aerial image of members of the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population taken in November 2022 in the coastal waters of the San Juan Islands, Washington. Image collected non-invasively from an altitude > 100 ft using a multi-copter drone under NMFS Research Permit # 22306.