K7 Lummi

Today we honor the legendary matriarch of K Pod, K7 “Lummi”. Lummi was thought to be the oldest member of the Southern Resident orca community when she died in 2008 at an estimated age of 98 years old. Imagine all she saw and experienced in her lifetime, as she led her family through the waters of the Pacific Northwest. If her estimated age is correct, she would have lived 63 years before the passage of the Endangered Species Act, and would have been 95 years old when the Southern Residents were listed. What an amazing legacy from a special whale.

Check out the story below to read an account of Lummi’s life, written by Orca Network’s Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Cindy Hansen.

K7 Lummi with members of K Pod. Photos ©Cindy Hansen.

K7 Lummi

K7 Lummi is a legendary K Pod matriarch. She was one of the most easily recognizable whales in the Southern Resident community, with her beautiful saddle patch and the double notches in her dorsal fin. She was estimated to be 98 years old when her remarkable life finally came to an end. Just imagine all that she experienced in her decades of traveling the waters with her family. In her estimated birth year of 1910, Sir Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada, William Taft was President of the United States, the waters were free of industrial chemicals, Pacific Northwest rivers were flowing freely, and salmon was plentiful. Over the next century, Washington State and B.C. Ferries began transporting passengers throughout the Salish Sea, shipping traffic and recreational boater traffic increased, DDT and PCBs were invented and then later banned, and overfishing, habitat destruction, and the construction of dams led to a precipitous decline in Pacific salmon. Lummi witnessed her family members first being shot at and used for target practice, then rounded up and kidnapped for a life of captivity, and finally being loved and appreciated by people from all over the world.

To me, she always seemed like a unique kind of matriarch. While Granny was demonstrative and made it very clear that she was in charge, Lummi seemed to calmly and gently lead her family through all of the births and deaths and changes taking place around her. In 2005, she took in teenaged Onyx L87 after the death of his mother and allowed him to join her large extended family, demonstrating that, for these whales, family is more than who you are born to.

When Lummi died in 2008, a memorial was held for her at Lime Kiln Point State Park. Non-profit organizations, naturalists, researchers, and whale lovers gathered together to celebrate this extraordinary life, and a canoe family from the Lummi Nation performed a blessing to send her on her way. The event was powerful, elegant, and serene, much like the whale herself. Now, whenever I see K Pod, I think of Lummi. I see her spirit in the family members she left behind, and I remember her beauty, her strength, her devotion, and her lasting legacy.

Lummi Memorial with members of the Lummi Nation. Photos ©Cindy Hansen.

The Road to Listing Southern Residents as Endangered

Southern Resident orcas were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, but it was not an easy road to get there. While the research by Michael Bigg and Ken Balcomb revealed decades ago that Southern Resident orcas were a discrete and special group, even in 2005 it was undetermined if they were actually a Distinct Population Segment - different enough from other orcas to be considered a discrete population. Ultimately, thanks to the detailed research by Center for Whale Research and many additional organizations, there was robust information to establish these orcas as a genetically distinct population with unique calls, social structure, and culture. Being designated a Distinct Population Segment led to their endangered listing and gave them the protection they needed. But is it enough? Stay tuned this month to learn more about how the ESA has helped with recovery efforts, and what more still needs to be done.

Check out the story below, which highlights the struggle to list Southern Residents as endangered, and a timeline of the process.

J Pod and L Pod ©Orca Network.

The road to listing Southern Residents as endangered

Southern Resident orcas were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, but it was not an easy road to get there. While the research by Michael Bigg and Ken Balcomb revealed decades ago that Southern Resident orcas were a discrete and special group, even in 2005 it was undetermined if they were actually a Distinct Population Segment - different enough from other orcas to be considered a discrete population. Ultimately, thanks to the detailed research by Center for Whale Research and many additional organizations, there was robust information to establish these orcas as a genetically distinct population with unique calls, social structure, and culture. Being designated a Distinct Population Segment led to their endangered listing and gave them the protection they needed. But is it enough? Stay tuned this month to learn more about how the ESA has helped with recovery efforts, and what more still needs to be done.

Timeline of events leading to Endangered status under the ESA:

2001 - A petition was sent to NOAA Fisheries on behalf of Center for Biological Diversity and co-petitioners to list the Southern Residents as endangered. NOAA determined that listing was not warranted at that time because Southern Residents were not considered a separate species or Distinct Population Segment (DPS), and instead began the process to list them as “depleted” under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

2002 - This decision was challenged in District Court, who issued an order for NOAA to redetermine the endangered listing. As a result, a Biological Review Team was reconvened and new scientific data was considered. They determined that Southern Residents do belong to a separate subgroup of resident killer whales and should be considered a discrete DPS. They also conducted a population viability analysis which modeled the probability of extinction.

2003 – Canada listed Southern Resident orcas as endangered under the Species at Risk Act.

2004 - Washington State listed Southern Resident orcas under the state ESA. Upon consulting with Washington State and Tribal co-managers, NOAA published a proposed rule to list Southern Residents as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Ultimately, public comments and additional information convinced NOAA to list them as endangered.

2005 – Southern Residents were officially listed by NOAA as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

To read the full rule by NOAA: Federal Register :: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Endangered Status for Southern Resident Killer Whales

J1 Ruffles

Today we remember another legendary J Pod whale – J1 Ruffles. He was closely associated with Granny through his adult life and for many years he was thought to be her son. But DNA research has shown that they weren’t actually closely related and he may in fact have been an L Pod whale. Regardless of the genetics, Granny and Ruffles were chosen family and were rarely seen apart.

J1 was the first orca in the population to receive an alphanumeric designation, and he helped to kick off the decades of research that have made the Southern Residents one of the most studied whale populations in the world. After they were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, research increased to focus even more on the threats causing their decline, and we’ve learned even more about the orcas, their lives, and their social relationships - like the fact that Ruffles actually wasn’t Granny’s son!

Check out the story on J1 below, written by Orca Network’s Education and Advocacy Coordinator, Cindy Hansen.

J1 Ruffles ©Cindy Hansen.

J1 Ruffles

The Whale. The Legend. J1 “Ruffles”. He was quite likely the most famous and well-known wild orca in the world, next to Keiko. In front of thousands of adoring fans, he would slowly surface and then just as slowly disappear beneath the water again, as if he knew how impressive that wavy dorsal fin was. People from all over the world saw him and loved him, but one admirer in particular remains etched in my memory.

Danny (name changed for privacy) was a special needs man who was a passenger on our whale watch boat at least once a year. He loved us, and he loved Ruffles. Each time he walked on the dock to start the trip, he would embrace all of us in a huge bear hug so strong we would have to hang on to each other to keep from falling in the water. We adored him. And we knew that whenever he was with us, we were going to have a fantastic day with J Pod. Because Danny had a special connection with Ruffles that was difficult to comprehend. I’ll never forget the day we were watching J Pod traveling close to shore off Henry Island. Ruffles left the group and did a complete circle around us. He surfaced four or five times, always right next to Danny, who was laughing gleefully as he followed his whale around the boat. After Ruffles had visited his friend, he returned to Granny and the rest of the pod close to shore, and continued on his way.

My last year working on the boat, the last day I saw Danny, we had a report of the L12s at Salmon Bank while J pod had headed north to the Fraser River the previous day. We had a choice to make – go for the sure thing or take the chance that J Pod would be headed back down Rosario Strait, which they often did in those days. It was an easy decision – Danny was on the boat. We took the chance and of course J Pod was there, as we knew they would be. And as he had done so many times over the years, Ruffles left the group and surfaced right where Danny was standing. It was a wonderful last memory of the strange and beautiful relationship between the two of them. I can’t begin to understand or explain the connection, and maybe I don’t want to. Maybe it’s enough just to know that it existed, and to remember the joy it brought to a friend.