Southern Resident Orca/Killer Whale Sample Clauses

Southern Resident Orca/Killer Whale. NMFS listed the Southern Resident Killer Whale DPS as endangered on November 18, 2005 (Federal Register / Xxx. 00, Xx. 000 / Friday, November 18, 2005 / Rules and Regulations). The final rule became effective on February 16, 2006. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are the largest species in the Delphinidae family and the world’s largest dolphin (NOAA Fisheries, 2005). These long-lived species are present in coastal waters and within Puget Sound (Xxxxxxx et al., 2001). The southern resident orcas consist of three pods, identified as J, K, and L pods (NOAA Fisheries, 2005). These pods reside for part of the year in the inland waterways of the Strait of Georgia, Strait of Xxxx xx Xxxx, and Puget Sound, especially during the spring, summer, and fall (NOAA Fisheries, 2005). This population, known as the Eastern North Pacific southern residents, is designated as a depleted stock under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (May 2003). This action has lead to the development of a conservation plan to address factors that may be causing the population’s decline (NMFS, 2005). The southern resident population occurs primarily in the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound from late spring to fall, when it typically comprises the majority of killer whales found in Washington. The population travels more extensively during other times of the year to sites as far north as the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia and as far south as Monterey Bay in California. Southern resident population trends are unknown before 1960, when roughly 80 whales were present, but it is likely that numbers were at a depleted level due to indiscriminant shooting by fishermen. The population has been closely monitored since 1974, with exact numbers of animals and other demographic details learned through annual photo-identification surveys. Membership increased from 70 to 98 whales between 1974 and 1995, but this was followed by a rapid net loss of 18 animals, or 18 percent of the population from 1996 to 2001. J and K pods have generally maintained their numbers during the decline, equaling or exceeding their largest recorded sizes in 2003. However, L pod, which comprises about half of the southern resident population, has been in sharp decline since 1994 (Xxxxx, 2004). All three pods typically arrive in May or June and spend most of their time in inland waters until departing in October or November. However, K and L pods make frequent trips lasting a few days to the outer coasts of Washington and southern...