The 1990s: New Threats
Since the ending of orca captures in 1974, the Southern Resident Killer Whales had slowly started to recover from the enormous loss of about 50 of their members to capture. But during the 1990s their population dropped from 98 individuals to 80, a dramatic and devastating decline. This made it clear that human actions continued to harm the whales in the region. Research began to focus on identifying the challenges the whales faced and what humans needed to do differently to protect them. There was also growing understanding that the Southern Residents were a unique and irreplaceable community whose extinction would be a great loss.
Can You Hear Me Now?
A 2008 research paper found that orcas exhibited the Lombard effect, or raised their voices and extended their calls in the presence of elevated noise. It was matched with the number of vessels recorded in the area. Calling more loudly uses more energy. Vessel noise can interfere with orcas’ ability to communicate with each other. See how difficult this might be with the game below.
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Boat Presence
These graphs chart the number of vessels in the water around the San Juan Islands over time, as recorded by Soundwatch.
The Whale Museum: Expanding Our Efforts
The Whale Museum’s boater education program, Soundwatch, was founded in 1993 to educate the public about proper vessel behavior around whales. It grew out of a traveling exhibit and paper prepared for a workshop on whale watching and management needs. Soundwatch has been a partner in establishing federal and state regulations and guidelines for vessels in the vicinity of whales. It also collects data about boater knowledge and behavior which can indicate the whales’ true experience with vessels and whether the regulations are successful.
