Photo: April Bencze

Orca and salmon

Two of British Columbia’s most iconic species, Chinook salmon and southern resident killer whales, are in trouble.

Pacific salmon connect ecosystems, bringing energy and nutrients from the ocean up streams to spawning grounds. They feed humans, whales, bears and eagles and fertilize magnificent coastal and inland forests.

Pacific salmon are in trouble and face multiple threats, including habitat destruction and unsustainable fishing practices, all compounded by climate change. Salmon are sensitive to higher temperatures, so even small increases in ocean and river temperatures can harm or kill them.

The fate of the Salish Sea orcas hangs in the balance. These 75 orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales, are Canada’s most endangered marine mammal. To give these majestic creatures a chance to recover, immediate actions are needed to protect Chinook salmon — the whales’ primary prey — reduce pollution, set up refuges and reduce acoustic noise. Climate change, the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 proposal and a projected seven-fold increase in tanker traffic from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion make action more urgent than ever.

The interdependence between orcas and salmon illustrates the importance of healthy ocean ecosystems. If we don’t recover declining Chinook salmon, our most iconic whale population likely won’t survive.

Salish Sea orcas

There are only 75 Salish Sea orcas left – and this number is falling. If we don’t help them now, it will be too late. With the strength of one collective voice, we will be heard.

Find out how to #JoinThePod

Where we are now

We protect wild Pacific salmon by advocating for government to follow its Wild Salmon Policy and recommendations from the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River. We partner with academics, government decision-makers and other non-profits to make our policy recommendations stronger. Our scientists sit on committees that advise government on how best to reform fisheries and protected-areas policies.

To improve health monitoring, disease reporting and data transparency for open net-pen fish farms to limit their impacts on wild salmon, we work with advisory committees and the aquaculture industry. We alert our supporters about opportunities to contribute to public consultations and to write letters to officials to create pressure for change.

The Species at Risk Act could protect southern resident killer whales and save them from extinction, but only if the federal government implements its 2017 action plan for recovery. Our scientists brief government agencies on science-based solutions to recover this whale population. We amplify our voice by encouraging our supporters to share their ideas during public consultations and to inform elected officials about their concerns.

All about orcas

01

150

A large male orca weighs nearly as much as two Ford F-150 pickup trucks.

02

Every hour

One large ship transits the Salish Sea, on average, every hour of every day of every year.

03

1400

The southern resident killer whale pod requires about 1,400 Chinook salmon every day.

Orca appreciation

Watch this wonderful moment of a family orca encounter — captured on film by Foundation senior research scientist.

All about salmon

01

7 million years

Large sabretooth salmon fossils indicate that salmon have been in Pacific waters for at least seven million years.

02

3,000 kilometres

Salmon migrations can stretch up to 3,000 kilometres.

03

11 of 15

11 of 15 South Coast Chinook populations are highly depleted and require immediate conservation actions.

01 of 03
  • Underwater picture of a shoal of pink salmon. Photo: April Bencze

    Pink salmon. (Photo: April Bencze)

  • A pod of orcas with a lighthouse on a rock in the background

    (Photo: Center for Whale Research)

  • An orca's tail lifted out of the ocean with a tanker on the horizon

    Tanker traffic is one issue facing orca populations. (Photo: Center for Whale Research)

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