Crews continue to search for dead orcs J50

SEATTLE – Research continues Friday for the J50 killer whale.

She has been sick for weeks and on Thursday, officials said she was dead.

"We looked to see if she was separated and alone somewhere, or if she died and may have been stranded on a beach," said Lynn Barre, NOAA Recovery Coordinator.

Added Bar: "To see J50 in such a bad body condition shows us that something is wrong, that we have to make sure that these whales have enough salmon to eat, and that disturbances do not make it difficult. find the chinook that is in the habitat.

On Thursday, Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research announced the death of J50.

"The result was too small, too late," said Balcomb. We are now looking for her carcass instead of a surviving whale, and I think it's also a story of the population.

Balcomb says the future of resident killer whales in the Puget Sound area is bleak. With the deaths of calves J50 and J35 this summer, the total number of whales has increased to 42 in the last decade, and three years have passed since the birth of the last viable baby.

"We have to restore the ecosystems that support it – the whales, the salmon, the birds, you know, we ultimately," said Balcomb. "And we're at the last minute on that too. So, as J50 goes, the population too, and if they can not reproduce, then there is no chance of survival.

There was a collection of super pods in Canadian waters, but no J50 sightings. Two killer meetings will be held this weekend, including a Saturday at Friday Harbor. Another is scheduled for Sunday in Seattle.