Resident Pacific NW killer whales mysteriously quiet for 2 years - high mortality of matriarchs & young males in some areas

[Emily]

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/resident-killer-whales-off-b-c-coast-go-mysteriously-quiet-1.1512405

Resident killer whales off B.C. coast go mysteriously quiet

Dene Moore, The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, October 24, 2013 5:19PM PDT
Last Updated Thursday, October 24, 2013 7:33PM PDT

VANCOUVER -- There have been some puzzling changes in the behaviour of northern resident killer whales that live off the north-central coast of British Columbia and Alaska, says a marine mammal scientist from the Vancouver Aquarium.

Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, head of the aquarium's cetacean research team, said his team has noticed for the past two summers that the normally chatty mammals have been uncharacteristically quiet.
...
The whales have also been seen the past two summers travelling in smaller groups further offshore to find food -- behaviour more typical in winter than summer.

The team has also noticed an unusually high mortality rate among pod matriarchs, with seven or eight deaths among older females in the pod in the past two years. Normally, the team notices one or two deaths per year.
...

"We know that the matriarchs are really important in these groups.... they're the glue that hold these groups together because all of the matriarch's sons and daughters stay with her for life."...

r-whales-off-b-c-coast-go-mysteriously-quiet-1.1512405#ixzz2jQYFp0tK

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Researcher-High-death-rate-puzzling-behavior-in-BC-orcas--229135551.html

Researcher: High death rate, 'puzzling' behavior in B.C. orcas
By Associated Press and KOMO Staff Published: Oct 24, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT Last Updated: Oct 24, 2013 at 1:03 PM PDT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A Vancouver Aquarium researcher is sounding the alarm over "puzzling" changes he's observed in the killer whale pods that live off the southern British Columbia coast.

Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard says he fears changes in the ocean environment are prompting odd behaviour and an unusually high mortality rate.
...
The alarming observations come on the heels of a study revealing that the number of killer whales in Puget Sound is dwindling - especially among reproductive age males.

Bruce Stedman, who heads up the Orca Relief Citizens' Alliance, says numbers from the Center for Whale Research and NOAA show the number of reproductive-age males is down 26 percent since 2009, and there are only 14 reproductive age male orcas left....