On the 37th anniversary of the Penn Cove orca capture, Orca Network holds its annual commemoration of all the Southern Resident orcas taken during the capture era, and honors Lolita, the only survivor, who lives alone at the Miami Seaquarium where she was delivered 37 years ago.
Much has changed in the lives of the Southern Resident orcas, or J, K and L pods. “Granny,” one of the elder females of J pod who is thought to be over 90 years of age, lived in a time when abundant chinook salmon runs provided plenty of food, the waters were clean, and the habitat undisturbed. But the impacts of an ever-increasing human population has taken its toll on Granny and her family.
At one time humans feared the orcas, or “killer whales,” and they were commonly shot at or used for military target practice. Then in the 1960s and ’70s, that fear changed to a realization that orcas were not dangerous killers, but were intelligent and trainable, and the marine park industry was born.
During this period, 45 Southern Resident orcas were captured and delivered to marine parks, and another dozen or more were killed during the captures. Finally in 1976 a count was taken of the remaining population, and it was discovered that one third to one half had been removed, all of them younger whales, the impacts of which are still felt today on this fragile, small population.
With just 71 orcas remaining, the captures were finally stopped, and the Southern Resident population slowly climbed to nearly 100 by the mid 1990s.
But now the orcas faced declining salmon runs and toxic pollution. The starving orcas relied on their stored up blubber for energy, unfortunately unleashing the toxins which had accumulated in their blubber and fat tissues over the decades. From 1995 to 2001, 20 percent of the Southern Resident population died, with the population plunging to only 78 whales.
In 2005, the Southern Resident orcas were listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Their population has crept back up to around 87, but remains very fragile. Large scale efforts are now underway to save this population that has suffered from captures, toxins, and salmon depletion, and finally there is a chance that at least some of the human impacts on the orcas can be positive impacts.
Please join us on Wednesday, Aug. 8, to learn more about Lolita and her family, to hear stories from those who were present during the Penn Cove orca captures, and to raise awareness of Lolita’s lonely existence, and the struggles of her family to survive.
The event takes place at the historic Captain Whidbey Inn, on the shores of Penn Cove at the site of the 1970 orca capture, near Coupeville. The evening, from 5 to 8 p.m., will include special presentations and sharing of stories, displays, waterside ceremony, a silent auction, appetizers and wine. Cost is $20 per person, with proceeds going to Orca Network educational programs and projects.
Tickets may be purchased in advance from Orca Network at info@orcanetwork.org or 360-678-3451, or at the door. Donations of auction items welcome. For more information, visit: http://www.orcanetwork.org/news/events.html.
Proceeds from this event support Orca Network Educational programs.
