ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies
Saving Southern Residents
Ryan Laguercia, Environmental Studies Program, California State University
Monterey Bay
Image Source: James Mead Maya
Southern resident killer whales face
numerous threats to their survival.
Human-caused stressors such as lack of prey
availability, exposure to toxic contaminants,
and vessel-related noise pollution continue
to push these apex predators closer to
extinction (Phillips, 2020). With an
estimated 73 individuals remaining in the
wild, the continued decline of this
population is a subject of concern for
numerous stakeholders. Appendix 1 provides
an overview of these stakeholders, their
values, and their contributions.
Commercial Whale Watch Industry
For many people, whale watching tours
provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
1
view these majestic creatures up close in
their natural environment. In the Salish Sea
region of the Pacific Northwest, people
flock from all over the world for the chance
to get up close and personal with southern
resident killer whales. “This activity
generates more than $12 million in state and
local tax revenue annually and supports over
1,800 jobs” (Van Deren et al.). However,
this lucrative industry has seen significant
change to their operations as new guidelines
from the Washington state southern resident
orca task force have restricted how whale
watching tours interact with southern
residents in hopes of decreasing disturbance
from vessel traffic. These restrictions
include but are not limited to making it
ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies
illegal for a vessel to approach in any
manner within three hundred yards of a
southern resident killer whale or to “position
a vessel to be in the path of a southern
resident orca whale at any point located
within four hundred yards of the whale”
(S.B. 5577, 2019). Owners of commercial
whale-watching vessels such as Brian
Goodremont of San Juan Safaris contest
these restrictions claiming whale watching
companies like his already follow voluntary
guidelines to mitigate any disturbance.
Additionally, he insists that the presence of
their boats models good behavior for other
boaters who encounter the orcas (Kaste,
2019). Considering the economic
importance whale watching has in the
region, it is unlikely that restrictions will
increase; however, it is essential there is
continued research as to how the whales
interact with commercial vessels to ensure a
safe and economically viable industry.
Native Tribes
The indigenous tribes of the Pacific
Northwest have a deep-rooted cultural
connection to southern resident killer
whales. Members of the Lhaqtemish or
Lumni people consider the orca their
relatives under the sea and are at the
forefront of conservation efforts to help
2
restore this critically endangered population.
Recently, with the help of the Washington
state department of fish and wildlife, Lummi
members held “a formal ceremony to honor
the spirits of the three orcas, who scientists
recently identified as missing and presumed
dead” in which tribe members offered up
twelve hatchery chinook salmon for the
remaining whales. (Pailthorp, 2019).
Raynell Morris, director of the Lummi
Nation’s Sovereignty and Treaty Protection
Office, spoke to the significance of the
ceremony stating, “We know that that’s not
enough to feed them all, but it’s a message
to them that we know they’re hungry, they
know we’re hungry” (Pailthorp, 2019). Both
the whales and indigenous tribes rely
primarily on chinook as their primary food
source, and as population stocks remain
frighteningly low, the threat of extinction for
southern residents remains high. As
Lawrence Solomon, secretary for the Lummi
Nation, describes, if southern residents do
dwindle into extinction, there is growing
concern amongst the members of native
tribes that they are next ​(Owen & Spriggs,
2021).
Conservation Organizations
Conservation groups and nonprofit
organizations work to inform policy
ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies 3

decisions and foster an environment that are increasingly important to nonprofit

promotes healthy interactions between organizations.
humans and wildlife. Southern resident
killer whales are the focus of several of Conclusion
these organizations. One of which, The Stakeholders possess a great deal of power
Center for Whale Research, has been to influence policy decisions. The
surveying the southern resident population perspectives of conservation organizations,
in the San Juan Islands since its founding in native tribes, and the commercial whale
1976. Founder and principal investigator watch industry will undoubtedly shape the
Ken Balcomb notes that since the late 1980s, future outlook of the southern resident killer
the whales stopped their regular pattern and whale population.
were not returning to Puget Sound twice a
month anymore as it had been fished out
(D'Alessandro & Elias, 2022). The depleted
food supply continues today and is the
primary factor inhibiting recovery efforts.
Taking steps to address this issue, the Center
for Whale Research recently purchased a 45
acre ranch along the Elwha River to provide
a protected area for native chinook salmon
to spawn. “The Chinook salmon abundance
from the Elwha River ecosystem can
provide a healthy food source for the
southern resident killer whales and a
sustainable, nearshore artisanal fishery”
(Center for Whale Research, n.d.).
Continued conservation projects like this
one are necessary to aid in the recovery
efforts of southern residents; however, with
funding for environmental measures
shrinking, public outreach and participation
ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies 4

Appendix 1.

Stakeholder E.G. Stakeholder Stakeholder Concerns Stakeholder

Group Value Contributions
Typology

Federal/State Washington Ecologistic Extinction of southern Implementation and

Government State Scientific resident killer whales regulation of
Legislature conservation policies
Moralistic How factors such as
NOAA prey availability, noise Financing of research
Fisheries pollution, and persistent and conservation
organic pollutants are projects related to
Washington driving the decline of southern resident
State southern residents recovery
Department
of Fish & Implementation of
Wildlife effective protections for
southern resident killer
whales

Conservation Center for Ecologistic Extinction of southern Conservation

Organizations Whale Scientific resident killer whales management projects
Research
Moralistic Depleting Salmon Public Outreach
Seattle Stocks programs
Aquarium
Funding for Citizen science
Center For conservation projects
Biological Informing Policy
Diversity

Native Tribes Lhaqtemish Spiritual Extinction of southern Collaboration with

Tribe resident killer whales State and Local
Symbolic Government on
Swinomish The loss of their culture recovery efforts
Tribe Humanistic
Depleting Salmon
Suquamish Moralistic Stocks
Tribe
Naturalistic

Commercial The Pacific Aesthetic The halting/change to Education and Public

Whale Watch Whale the operations of their Outreach Programs
Industry Watching Naturalistic industry
ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies 5

Association Vessel Noise

Utilitarian Loss of income due to
San Juan decreased ecotourism
Safaris
Decreasing access to
areas to conduct tours

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ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies 6

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