Orcas at Risk

 Marine life is experiencing environmental threats all around the world. Whales, in particular, are endangered not just from declining populations due to centuries of whale hunting and harvesting, but they need to eat a lot of food, and if their food chain is contaminated, they can be seriously affected. Killer whales are opportunistic feeders, which means they will take a variety of different prey. In the Pacific Northwest, where large pods of Orcas live, the whales live predominantly on salmon, Chinook being their favorite. During the last 50 years, hundreds of wild runs of salmon have become extinct due to habitat loss and over-fishing of wild stocks. Although the surviving stocks have probably been sufficient to sustain the resident pods, many of the runs that have been lost were undoubtedly traditional resources favored by the resident Orcas. This may be requiring them to change their patterns of movement to search for food. Tagged Orcas show they regularly dive up to 800 feet in some areas, perhaps feeding on bottom fish, like rockfish, lingcod, and greenling. In some locations, the lingcod population is only 2% of what it was in 1950, and certain rockfish species have disappeared altogether.

 It's Dangerous at the Top!

Toxic substances accumulate in higher concentrations as they move up the food chain. Because Orcas are the top predator in the ocean, they tend to be more affected by pollutants than other sea creatures. Examinations of stranded killer whales have shown some extremely high levels of lead, mercury, and PCB's (chemicals from pesticides, transformers, and other industrial by-products). In some areas, excessive boating, causing petroleum fumes, endanger whales as they come up for a breath of fresh air. Of course, a total remedy of pollution issues would require broad societal changes on many fronts. But because Orcas are so popular, they may be the best species to use as a focal point in bringing about the many changes that need to be made in order to protect the marine environment as a whole from further toxic poisoning.

 

Here's how you can help Orcas:

• Tell legislators to support the UN proposal for international ban on organic pollutants.
  
• Avoid the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers.
  
• Support organic farming.
  
• Recycle motor oil and paint. Don't pour it down the drain.
  
• Buy products labeled "no phosphates."
  
• Keep beaches clean of litter, especially plastic that can be mistaken for food or cause entanglement.
  
• Don't let those party balloons escape! They may look pretty flying up in the sky, but if they end up in the ocean they could be mistaken for food.

If you are an Orca fan, here are some wonderful items you may enjoy to add to you beach or ocean decor.  By purchasing Orca gifts and beach décor from Life's A Beach online store, you are helping to support Seaflow, a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping ocean noise pollution, another threat to Orcas and all marine life. Orca and whale sculptures are beautifully hand-crafted and detailed. Wyland's Orca throws and pillows, based on his paintings, and Canadian artist, Connie McClure's signed prints of her beautiful watercolor paintings of Orcas celebrate the beauty of Orcas. For children, there is a double Orca tapestry throw. Can't get enough Orcas? Try an Orca mug, Orca tile trivet, and even an Orca doorbell.  For orca lovers, the choices are endless in home decorating!

Thanks to the Whale Museum in Puget Sound, Washington for much of the above information.