Six new orca calves

Published 11:48 am Thursday, October 29, 2015

A new orca calf named J53, one of six new orca calves that have been spotted with the Southern Resident orca pods, swims with its presumed mother, named J17.

After spending most of the summer in the San Juan Islands and Georgia Strait, Southern Resident orca pods are likely to venture south into Puget Sound for the fall and early winter months. The orcas typically travel down Admiralty Inlet to south of Vashon Island chasing chum salmon runs beginning in October. This year, there will be six new family members with them, the newest being J53, who was first observed Oct. 25. After two-and-a-half years with no new calves being born to this endangered community of orcas, these six new orca calves are a welcome delight.