Apologies for the shaky video- a zoom lens and an excited hand are difficult to control!
Watch our unforgettable experience seeing Orcas just off the shore on Bowen Island, BC. These Biggs Orcas, identified at T087 and the T124A2s, were en-route from Powell River on March 5th 2020 when they made a brief appearance in Howe Sound. Hearing of their visit I quickly grabbed the camera and ran down to the shoreline with my 5-year-old daughter in tow. Extremely lucky to have arrived just as they were on the hunt, this group was likely in the middle of a large snack when we spotted them.
While this group is identified as the mammal-eating transient orcas there is another population of Orca in our waters; the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW). The SRKW rely largely on chinook salmon for their diet, a salmon which has seen dramatic decline in both population and overall size in recent decades. With only 74 individuals remaining in the SRKW population it is a critical time for them and their future.
There are several initiatives working to help identify and address current challenges facing the SRKW. For the month of March join @pnwprotectors in walking from Portland to Ice Harbour. Lets march to raise awareness for the SRKW and call for action to boost salmon populations in the Salish Sea by breaching the 4 lower Snake River Dams.
“The March for the Dams” is happening NOW- 22 days from Portland Oregon to Ice Harbour Lock & Dam in Washington State. For more information check out https://marchforthedams.com/ or follow @coextinctionfilm and @pnwprotectors
For more on the SRKW listen to the fantastic, heartfelt and informative CBC series “Killers: J-Pod on the Brink” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/community/killers-j-pod-on-the-brink-1.5190821
Experiences like this celebrate the beauty of the Salish Sea, the recovery of Howe Sound and the importance of ensuring an ecologically diverse and sustainable ocean for all creatures.
