Endangered orcas return to Puget Sound without newborn J64, presumed dead

Endangered orcas return to Puget Sound without newborn J64, presumed dead

Nearly the entire population of southern resident killer whales gathered in central Puget Sound on Sunday, but the newest member of the J Pod, a newborn identified as J64, was missing. The nonprofit Orca Behavior Institute recorded 59 of the 74 endangered whales swimming, hunting, and playing as far south as Vashon Island, drawing crowds of fascinated observers on both shores.

The fish-eating orcas depend mainly on Chinook salmon, though in autumn they also pursue chum salmon—the second largest species—returning to the Nisqually, Puyallup, and other southern Puget Sound rivers to feed.

Members of the J Pod and K Pod, along with most of L Pod, were sighted together, but J64’s absence was clear. The Center for Whale Research reported on Saturday that researchers had repeatedly observed J64’s mother, known as J42, swimming alone in October near the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, just north of Washington’s San Juan Islands.

“We kept seeing J42 surface repeatedly, and there was no calf with her,” researchers wrote after encountering J Pod near Mayne Island, B.C., in October. “After a few long dives and still no calf, we had to conclude that J64 did not survive and was now gone.”

The Center for Whale Research confirmed that J64 was J42’s first calf and that the newborn’s death marks the second loss of a J Pod baby in the past two months.

Author’s Summary

The southern resident orca community reunited in Puget Sound, but the loss of newborn J64—the first calf of J42—highlighted the ongoing struggle of this endangered population.

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KUOW KUOW — 2025-11-05

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