Despite similar markings, a dead orca spotted off the Oregon Coast in the summer of 2022 was not southern resident, K44 but from a transient orca population.
While the carcass was never recovered, an Oregon State University researcher has made some determinations from its genetic residue – the orca, first spotted by an angler in June, was entangled in fishing gear and became the focus of one of the most unusual searches ever undertaken in waters off Oregon. Most of all, the main question was, where did it come from?
Photo Credit: Stock/ Andre Estevez
