The Killer Whale

The Killer Whale, scientifically called the Orcinus orca, belongs to the Delphinidae family. There are three known forms of the Killer Whale residing along the eastern North Pacific including 'resident', 'transient', and 'offshore' Killer Whales. They are characterized by their black backs, white chests and sides, and single white patches above and behind the eyes. Killer Whales' large dorsal fins coincide with their bulky bodies. Male Killer Whales can be up to 31 feet in length and weigh over 6 tons. Similarly female Killer Whales can reach up to 28 feet and weigh about 5 tons. Orcas feed on a variety of organisms including most marine mammals, sea turtles, sea birds, and fish.

After humans, Orcas are the most widely-ranging mammal species on the planet. They can be seen in any marine region from the equator to the poles, however they are more common in high productivity and high latitude areas near shorelines. Below is an image of the historic range of Killer Whales.

Currently, the critical habitat for Killer Whales is listed solely as the bay surrounding Seattle and Vancouver. But there is a proposal to increase the critical habitat to stretch down to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Orcas habitat and population has become threatened in the last several decades due to commercial hunting for food and exploitation as well as an increase in human produced pollution. The most recent estimate places the global population of Orcas at roughly 50,000 and only 2,500 in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Due to this reduction of both population and habitat, the Killer Whale was listed as endangered on February 16, 2006. Its existence continues to be threatened by commercial hunting, live capture for aquarium display, and culling due to depredation of fisheries. Orcas are also endangered as a result of the depletion of prey due to overfishing, noise disturbance from industrial and military activities, and whale watching.

The recovery plan established for the Orca population consists of five strategic criteria. 

The first involves the preservation of Killer Whale habitat. This includes restoring the population of prey to maintain sustainability by informing fisheries of harvest limits, naming harmful contaminants and their ocean input levels, and implementing education programs to reduce vessel disturbance.

The second has to do with the direct overutilization of live Orcas. In order to eliminate this, acts have been put in place to immediately stop the permanent removal of Killer Whales from their habitat. This includes live capture for public display and any incidental takes associated with fisheries.

The third strategy ensures that disease and predation are not a significant threat to the survival of Orcas. This involves education purely dedicated to the knowledge of threatening diseases and the attempt to remove them from contact with Killer Whales.

The fourth is in regards to the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms. Regulations that are currently in place will be reevaluated to determine their effectiveness.

The fifth invovles protecting the Orcas from other natural or manmade factors. For instance, effective oil spill prevention plans will be enacted to ensure the survival of the population should oil cause a problem.

My personal action has to do mainly with the boycotting of SeaWorld. SeaWorld has heavily contributed to the exploitation of Killer Whales by capturing the mammals from the wild and taking advantage of their intelligence for monetary gain. By capturing these mammals, wild orca pods become distressed and develop negative relationships with humans. Additionally, allowing humans to view these animals in captivity trivializes the existance of Orcas. If enough people refuse to contribute to SeaWorld's mistreatment of Killer Whales, our voices for change will be heard.

By Rachel Showalter

Works Cited

Orcinus Orca (Killer Whale, Orca). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

By, Prepared, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Northwest Regional Offic. (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

"Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca)." :: NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.