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WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...

Longest-known surviving wild orca dies

2017 has begun with the sad news that Granny (J2), an orca thought to be over 100 years old, has died in the last couple of months.

Granny was a member of the endangered southern resident population of orcas, made up of the J, K and L pods, that live off the Pacific Northwest coast of the USA and Canada. Her loss means the population now has only 78 surviving members, while the J pod which she led, has 24 individuals. One member of the L pod, Lolita (also known as Tokitae), is held in captivity at the Miami Seaquarium.

Colleagues at the Center for Whale Research (who have written a moving obituary), last saw Granny on October 12th. They had estimated Granny’s age to be around 76 years old in 1987, meaning that she was around 105 at the time of her death. 

The announcement of Granny’s death comes just weeks after another member of the J pod, an 18-year-old male orca known as Double Stuf (J34), was found dead. It means that in total the population lost seven orcas (around 8%) in 2016.

The future for the the Southern Resident orcas remains a major concern – find out how you can help by supporting our MigrationNation campaign to remove four dams on the Snake River, restoring an important salmon river that provides much-needed food for the Southern Residents.