This past weekend, SR³’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and Dr. John Durban had a rare winter encounter with L pod from the endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population. Using a remotely-controlled octocopter drone, they were able to collect aerial images of all the whales encountered (28 individuals), which will be measured to provide the first quantitative data on their body condition in January. In recent years, the SR³ team has been successful in measuring the condition of the more regular J pod whales in different months, but year-round data on the health of K and L pods is an important data gap that needs filling to support management efforts to maintain adequate salmon prey for the whole population throughout the year.
Our data on SRKW body condition continues to be used to support adaptive conservation measures, which could include seasonal changes in vessel or fisheries regulations if whales are found to be in poor body condition. A detailed analysis of our images is underway, but unfortunately there were a number of L pod individuals that appeared leaner than when we last imaged them in the fall, continuing a declining trend in the body condition of L pod whales in recent years, which correlates with an increase in recent deaths. Our research team will continue to monitor the condition of these endangered whales throughout the year to provide state and federal managers with information on vulnerable whales to support enhanced conservation measures.
Aerial image of a group of L pod whales from the Southern Resident killer whale population. This group is being led by the population’s oldest member (L25, estimated to be over 90 years old), and also includes its youngest member (one year old, L125). This image was collected using a remotely controlled octocopter drone that was flown non-invasively >100ft above the whales in January 2022 under NMFS Research Permit # 22306.