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A month after the death of an orca mother in the waters surrounding the island of San Juan, Washington, another tragedy struck another Jpod member.
Following Tahlequah's unprecedented mourning events, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continued to monitor the whale, also known as J35. At about the same time, NOAA also began to monitor another member of the group, the 3-year-old orca Scarlet, or J50.
The young whale caught the attention of scientists because she seemed weak and emaciated. With the population of orcs of Southern Residents seriously threatened, each member is important for the continuation of the group, especially young whales that could possibly breed in the future.
NOAA monitors the whale in August and September, providing regular updates on its website. At first, the updates looked promising – J50 was observed eating and swimming heavily throughout August, and was also given dart antibiotics to treat a potential parasite.
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Unfortunately, in September, the young killer whale began to degrade. She was observed late on her family group and seemed thinner than ever. Worried that something is happening to the whale without intervention, the NOAA has started working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to find a way to help the whale and keep it a part of the population.
On September 13, NOAA announced that J50 had not been seen for several days, even with "the favorable conditions and observations of his group and his family group, including J16, his mother".
According to NBC News, scientists have declared J50 dead. Federal authorities will continue to search for the whale in the hope that the conclusion is erroneous.
This is another tragic blow to the southern resident population, who has not bred a healthy whale in three years. There are only 72 whales left in the group.
The decline in the salmon population, the noise of boats and pollution have hurt these killer whales.
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