Almost the entire population of southern resident killer whales gathered in central Puget Sound on Sunday, but the newest member of J Pod, a newborn known as J64, was not among them.
According to a tally by the nonprofit Orca Behavior Institute, 59 of the endangered population of 74 whales swam, hunted and splashed as far south as Vashon Island, delighting onlookers on both sides of the sound.
The fish-eating orcas rely primarily on Chinook salmon, but in autumn, they also chase after chum, the second-largest salmon species, returning to the Nisqually and Puyallup rivers and other drainages in south Puget Sound…