Orca Whales and the Upper Columbia

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Published: Friday, 09 March 2018 19:32

The Orca Whale is beautiful and distinctive. Up to 32 feet long and an apex predator of the sea, their large black body and white underside gracefully swim off our west coast shores.

On salmon reintroduction day, April 25th, Ben Enticknap with Oceana will provide a keynote focusing on Southern Resident Killer Whales. This endangered species relies on a diet that is 95% salmon, 80% of which is Chinook. Current estimates are that only 76 orcas in this distinct population remain. Increasing the availability of Chinook is vital to moving them off the endangered species list.

In a twist worthy of a Hollywood screenplay, reintroduction of non-listed Chinook salmon above Grand Coulee Dam may help increase the availability of food for these Orcas over 600 miles downstream.

Ben Enticknap is the Pacific Campaign Manager and Senior Scientist for Oceana, an international non-profit organization focused on ocean conservation. Specifically, Oceana’s mission is to make oceans “as rich, healthy, and abundant as they once were.”

Ben’s experience with salmon and marine life dates back 20 years to when he worked with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game researching and monitoring wild salmon runs on the Chilkoot and Chilkat rivers. Since then, he has worked for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council and joined Oceana in 2005.

His experience has led him to see salmon as “incredibly resilient.” Said Ben, “If you give salmon a chance, they’ll take it.” That means giving them the right conditions, including reducing impacts like habitat loss and overfishing.

For Southern Resident Killer Whales, thousands of years of evolution led them to be able to discern and insist on Chinook salmon for their diet. Sometimes known as June Hogs, mature Chinook adults historically weighed up to 100 lbs. Today’s Chinook average about 22 lbs.

In their migratory route from Monterey, CA to the tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the whales feed on various Chinook runs coming from rivers such as the Sacramento and Fraser. One of their stopping points is the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter months.

Now, think Hollywood and imagine a script like this. After years of research and patience, tribes, conservationists and others bring non-listed Chinook salmon above Grand Coulee Dam. They thrive, providing a triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental benefits. Runs of Chinook making the journey to and from the mouth of the Columbia increase. The Southern Resident Killer Whales make the grateful sound of dietary joy.

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