A new study recently released on the current state of the southern resident killer whales (SRKW) shows the population could decline by one whale each year, before hurtling toward extinction. Only 74 SRKW exist despite being listed as a species at risk in Canada since 2005.
The study highlights the idea of dark vs bright extinction—dark extinction happens with little awareness or public knowledge, with an animal’s population declining out of sight from researchers. Bright extinction, what SRKW are experiencing, happens with full awareness. Why the southern resident killer whale population has declined and continues to, includes the fact that in the 1960s and 1970s, the population took a major hit with increased live captures for aquarium displays. Over the years, overfishing of Chinook salmon, their food of choice, has caused a famine for SRKW. The lack of salmon has increased calf mortality rates, with mothers unable to produce enough nutritious milk for their young. When only 74 animals exist in one population, each individual is crucial to the population’s survival.
