Above: A Humpback Whale sounding in Strait of Juan de Fuca . Nikon D810 . 70-200mm at 200mm . f5.6 . 1/2500 sec . ISO 400 on auto ISO
International Waters between USA and Canada
The Southern Resident Orca Killer Whales live in the waters of the Salish Sea which includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Vancouver Island, Canada and the state of Washington in the U.S. They have also been found off the Pacific Ocean coast of Washington, Oregon, and California and as far as Hawaii to a limited extent. The J clan members are listed under the United States Endangered Species Act as there are only seventy-five left in existence. You may have heard about J35, the J pod female who gave birth to the calf which died and was carried by J35 for over two weeks and 1000 miles! What makes this even more tragic is that there has not been a successful birth in the past three years. And, females of breeding age are dying. This is largely due to a vastly diminished number of Chinook Salmon, a staple food.
The Orca shown below are from the same pod as J35.
The Orca shown below are from the same pod as J35.
J pod of Southern Resident Orca Killer Whales in Strait of Juan de Fuca . Nikon D810 . 70 - 200mm at 200mm . f5.6 . 1/1000 sec . ISO 640 on auto ISO
J pod . Nikon D810 . 70 - 200mm at 200mm . f5.6 . 1/1000 sec . ISO 640 on auto ISO
J pod . Nikon D810 . 70 - 200mm at 200mm . f5.6 . 1/800 sec . ISO 640 on auto ISO
See a short time-lapse video of a Humpback whale sounding below. When running, right-click and select "loop" and then enlarge it!