It’s an exciting day for a southern resident orca whale mother, known as Tahlequah or J35.
This weekend, J35 gave birth to a healthy, baby calf.
It’s been a harrowing journey for the orca mom, who broke hearts around the world when she carried her dead calf for 17 days, covering more than 1600 kilometers in the Salish Sea. Some researchers called the journey her “Tour of Grief.”
“She’s trying to tell us there’s something wrong, that the fish aren’t here, and the Salish Sea isn’t as healthy as it used to be and can please, someone please help me with my baby,” said Kelley Balcomb-Bartok, spokesperson for the Pacific Whale Watch Association.
But back in late July, there was a renewed hope as overhead photos showed she was pregnant again.
And this time, all is well with the baby first spotted on Saturday near a buoy off Dungeness Spit in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca in U.S. waters, according to the Center for Whales Research.
“As we were watching the greeting ceremony between J and L pods unfold Saturday, it felt like a special day on the water,” said Sarah McCullagh, a professionally trained captain and naturalist for San Juan Safaris of Friday Harbor. “We first saw J35 and her son J47 off by themselves away from the main group, then as we watched we quickly realized that there was a very small fin tucked in next to them.”
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After calling the Center for Whale Research over to investigate, it was confirmed that J35 had a new calf, which is named J57.
“I was obviously elated, so excited for J35 after the incredible loss she suffered a couple of years ago, but also for the southern resident community as a whole. I definitely cried,” admitted McCullagh.
“To have this 2 years later, have her have a brand new baby, less than 24-hours old, alive and well and happy, it’s fantastic,” said Balcomb-Bartok.
Balcomb-Bartok says the J, K, and L pods of southern resident orcas were unusually absent from their normal summer hunting grounds, not showing up at all in the month of August – making the birth an even better surprise.
And while the news of a new calf is certainly exciting, it’s also vital for the survival of the species.
With the birth of J57, there are now only 73 southern resident killer whales left on earth.
“This population was so heavily impacted by the live whale capture industry,” said marine biologist Anna Hall. “We had a third of the animals removed, possibly more than that, and these are long-lived animals, it will take a long time to recover from the removal of a generation.”
The marine biologist said whales killed in captivity or attempts to catch them, severely degraded the population down to approximately 60 orcas in the 1960s. They made a resurgence in the 1990s, reaching over 90 whales, but since then the population has slowly declined.
Hall says the key to helping this species recover is to keep B.C. salmon stocks healthy, by shopping from B.C. fisheries, and to limit the amount of noise put into the waters from boats and other watercraft.
And although a new calf is renewing hope for the southern residents, scientists are looking at the days ahead with some degree of caution.
“We do know that once a killer whale calf is born, there is only a 50 percent survival rate for the first year, so the next 12 months are incredibly crucial. not just for the calf, but for the population,” said Hall.
A new little baby, for now, sparking hope.
“Every single one is significant,” said Balcomb-Bartok. “There’s a brand new little baby, and we’re cautiously optimistic.”
Rebecca Lawrence
