A pod of southern resident killer whales. (Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries)
This article was first published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle .
Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission has decided to add a group of whales that forage along the Oregon Coast to the state’s endangered species list.
The commissioners voted unanimously to list southern resident orcas as endangered during its Friday meeting in Hillsboro. The vote followed a presentation by a fish and wildlife official calling for the animals to be listed and testimony from dozens of conservationists, biologists, teachers, anglers and residents, some of whom had traveled hundreds of miles.
Much of the testimony was fact-based and articulate, and one woman burst out in tears over the orcas’ plight. There was also insightful and moving testimony from seven students from Sunnyside Environmental School, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in southeast Portland.
“These orcas are at their lowest numbers in 30 years and because of the conditions they are in, 75% of orca pregnancies fail, on top of the 42% of calves that don’t survive. This further proves their need for protection” a 7th grader said. “When I grow up to be an adult, I want to be able to visit the San Juan Islands as I do now and see a pod of healthy and thriving orcas.”