Southern Resident orcas have more diverse diet than previously thought, research reveals

[Derby]

Subject: Southern Resident orcas have more diverse diet than previously thought, research reveals





https://komonews.com/news/local/sou...almon-chinook-chum-population-decline-factors

 

[TMan]

Nice to know. Makes sense if they go far south and further out of salmon rearing waters.

 

[Derby]

Certainly is..However watching the news last night I see that certain groups' are still reporting out a Chinook crisis, even though we have just come off one of the best chinook returns seen in 44 years.

 

[wildmanyeah]

Fraser Chinook 38% above long term average, Vancouver Island and main land 96% above long term averages

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stateofsalmon.psf.ca

Yet media reports there is a food crisis for SRKW

Census shows three killer whales lost from endangered population in B.C. and Washington state

The report "clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance"

theprovince.com

"A statement from the centre on Wednesday says its research “clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance,” and recovery of the endangered whales isn’t possible without an increase in their prey."

Yet chinook numbers up north are below average and the NRKW are thriving

 

[Unreel]

Certainly is..However watching the news last night I see that certain groups' are still reporting out a Chinook crisis, even though we have just come off one of the best chinook returns seen in 44 years.

Yup, raincoast on the news crying that chinook fishing needs to stop because of the poor whales, so sick of the same old playbook.

 

[sly_karma]

I'm no biologist, but how can one of the most intelligent animals on the planet have survived at the top of the food chain without being adaptable in their food choices? I've seen with my own eyes J pod orcas chasing and eating seals and I'm just a seasonal visitor to the coast.

 

[High Time]

Fraser Chinook 38% above long term average, Vancouver Island and main land 96% above long term averages

Loading…

stateofsalmon.psf.ca

Yet media reports there is a food crisis for SRKW

Census shows three killer whales lost from endangered population in B.C. and Washington state

The report "clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance"

theprovince.com

"A statement from the centre on Wednesday says its research “clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance,” and recovery of the endangered whales isn’t possible without an increase in their prey."

Yet chinook numbers up north are below average and the NRKW are thriving

Considering that there has been a considerable increase in the escapement and population of Chinooks in rivers on Vancouver island, in particular the Cowichan, which has an excellent enhancement facility ,why do the Sidney and Southern Gulf Islands only have a miserable strip on the East side of Moresby Island to fish in starting on Aug. 1st? Surely an area on the West side of Moresby, where we used to fish, could also be opened.We have been dumped on so badly with the ridiculous"Whale Sanctuary"on Pender Bluffs and most of the rest of Area 18. being closed for a variety of other political agendas, that adding another small crumb could not possibly be any kind of problem.....

 

[High Time]

Considering that there has been a considerable increase in the escapement and population of Chinooks in rivers on Vancouver island, in particular the Cowichan, which has an excellent enhancement facility ,why do the Sidney and Southern Gulf Islands only have a miserable strip on the East side of Moresby Island to fish in starting on Aug. 1st? Surely an area on the West side of Moresby, where we used to fish, could also be opened.We have been dumped on so badly with the ridiculous"Whale Sanctuary"on Pender Bluffs and most of the rest of Area 18. being closed for a variety of other political agendas, that adding another small crumb could not possibly be any kind of problem.....

Is there an Area 18 Advisory Committee that can put forward the request above to the powers that be,regarding an area on the west side of Moresby, similar to that on the East side, being opened next year on Aug.1 ?

 

[searun]

Is there an Area 18 Advisory Committee that can put forward the request above to the powers that be,regarding an area on the west side of Moresby, similar to that on the East side, being opened next year on Aug.1 ?

Yes there is a new SFAC for Area 18, and the strength of the SFAB process is people like yourself getting involved, attending meetings and sharing your perspectives so that the SFAB can craft quality motions that would be passed from. your local SFAC up to the full SFAB Conference Board. If endorsed by the Conference Board, those motions form formal advice from the SFAB to DFO and the Fisheries Minister.

 

[High Time]

Yes there is a new SFAC for Area 18, and the strength of the SFAB process is people like yourself getting involved, attending meetings and sharing your perspectives so that the SFAB can craft quality motions that would be passed from. your local SFAC up to the full SFAB Conference Board. If endorsed by the Conference Board, those motions form formal advice from the SFAB to DFO and the Fisheries Minister.

 

[High Time]

Thanks Searun.How do I make contact with the Area 18 SFAC.I know how long the process can be for a proposal to become reality,so would like to get the ball rolling on this one for next year.

 

[SpringVelocity]

It is becoming clear what the plan is with the environmental groups. A few statement from various articles:

"Lindsay Kolb, the straitwatch south co-ordinator for the Cetus Research and Conservation Society in Victoria, said that the lack of abundant Chinook salmon was a major reason for the population decline of the endangered whales."

The Centre for Whale Research statement “clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance,” and recovery of the endangered whales isn’t possible without an increase in their prey."

"Where we are now with this population is that we're really into the 11th hour,” said Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program director with Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “From salmon alone we could halt the decline."Mysty MacDuffee says it’s not solely about the declining Chinook stocks, but also how those stocks are being harvested."What if we changed the way we fish Chinook salmon?” said MacDuffee. “What if we stop fishing them in the marine environment and only fish them once they reach the rivers?"

 

[searun]

Thanks Searun.How do I make contact with the Area 18 SFAC.I know how long the process can be for a proposal to become reality,so would like to get the ball rolling on this one for next year.

Great questions, this link to the DFO SFAB site will list the contacts.

Local sport fishing advisory committees | Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Local sport fishing advisory committees| Pacific Region | Fisheries and Oceans Canada

www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Area 18 - Cowichan-Gulf Islands SFAC

I noticed that the fall 2024 local SFAC dates have not been updated on the site - so copied the contacts and meeting details on bottom of this post for your reference. A good way to connect would be to send the DFO Area Manager listed for the Local SFAC Group you are interested in attending to get on their email list - that way you will receive info and meeting updates. For the Area 18 folks, the local SFAC is called the Cowichan-Gulf Islands Sport Fishing Advisory Committee. They have been meeting at the DFO office in Duncan. Local Chair is Bryan Kemper who is doing an outstanding job leading this new local SFAC group. Mark Frisson is the DFO Area Manager who Co-Chairs the local SFAC - also an excellent resource and we are lucky to have his knowledge and expertise.

Motion Process:

Motions made at local SFAC's are passed to the appropriate Species Committee (a group of subject experts from across the coast). The Species Committee will review motions to ensure we combine duplicate motions (if any), or the can approve, amend or send motions back to local SFAC's if further supporting work or clarification questions come up at the Species Committee level. Those motions approved by Species Committees are then brought forward to the SFAB Conference Board for review. If supported by the Conference Board, those motions become the official advice to DFO and the Minister from the SFAB.

Timing Cycle of Motions:

There are 2 Conference Board meetings, one in the Winter (December), and another in the Spring (March or April). Normally motions made at Fall SFAC's are at the Winter Conference Board for approval, and Winter SFAC motions will be at the Spring CB meeting for approval.

Cowichan-Gulf Islands Sport Fishing Advisory Committee

Fisheries and Oceans office 5245 Trans Canada Hwy Duncan BC V0R 2C0

Virtual meeting access info: Mark.Frisson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca Time: 1 to 3 pm DFO Chair: Mark Frisson SFAB Chair: Bryan Kemper

 

[searun]

It is becoming clear what the plan is with the environmental groups. A few statement from various articles:

"Lindsay Kolb, the straitwatch south co-ordinator for the Cetus Research and Conservation Society in Victoria, said that the lack of abundant Chinook salmon was a major reason for the population decline of the endangered whales."

The Centre for Whale Research statement “clearly shows that survival rates are closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance,” and recovery of the endangered whales isn’t possible without an increase in their prey."

"Where we are now with this population is that we're really into the 11th hour,” said Misty MacDuffee, wild salmon program director with Raincoast Conservation Foundation. “From salmon alone we could halt the decline."Mysty MacDuffee says it’s not solely about the declining Chinook stocks, but also how those stocks are being harvested."What if we changed the way we fish Chinook salmon?” said MacDuffee. “What if we stop fishing them in the marine environment and only fish them once they reach the rivers?"

Great post - and the buck stops with total elimination of tidal water recreational fisheries. This is what we are up against - make no mistake the ENGO's are not our friends.

 

[agentaqua]

Great post - and the buck stops with total elimination of tidal water recreational fisheries. This is what we are up against - make no mistake the ENGO's are not our friends.

Most ENGOs fall into this category - but not all of them. T. Buck Suzuki, ASF & PSF are friends The ones who continually spout the SRKW food availability fallacy have their own agendas - mostly around raising money for campaigns by scaring vulnerable and naïve supporters.

Here's the latest from Trites, as well:

Prevalence of Chinook salmon is higher for southern than for northern resident killer whales in summer hot-spot feeding areas

Differences in the availability of prey may explain the low numbers of southern resident killer whales and the increase in northern resident killer whales in British Columbia and Washington State. However, in-situ data on the availability of their preferred prey (Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus...

journals.plos.org

 

[onefish]

Lack of salmon may not be the problem after all for endangered orcas, report suggests

A key assumption about dwindling numbers of southern resident killer whales pins the blame on a lack of salmon, but a study out of the University of British Columbia has found they have twice the number of chinook available in summer as their much healthier cousins, the northern residents.

cheknews.ca

Same article as above. The supposition now may be too much noise for SRKW to hunt efficiently. Just a different reason to get boats off the water. If noise is indeed a bigger factor it is high time the whale watchers quit harassing them too.

 

[searun]

Thanks for sharing Dr. Trites most recent published research. Slowly chipping away at the early assumptions many in the ENGO and DFO circles have relied upon to craft management measures. Attended a presentation from Jasco Applied Sciences on their latest research on sources of marine noises that may interfere with echolocation - some surprising results. For instance, ships at anchor created a significant level of noise. Also at specific times (July - August) the cumulative effects of recreational vessels caused noise that was ranked (from memory) 3rd amoung all sources of noise in specific locations. It wasn't the individual recreational vessel, rather the cumulative effects of multiple vessels.

The paper also calls into question the assumption that forage success in Canada is limiting SRKW recovery, and that much more research is needed to assess what is taking place in the US waters at other times such as Fall, Winter, Spring.

Dr. Trites correctly (IMO) notes that its not prey availability that possibly is the limiting factor on SRKW forage success, but rather physical and acoustic disturbances that inhibit SRKW actually acquiring prey that is available to them. Prey acquisition not availability.

Big difference, but perhaps some of the ways we can manage human activity to mitigate impacts might be similar to ideas attempted in various areas. Avoidance in my mind is one of the lesser intrusive measures we could employ that perhaps helps strike a balance between marine activities and associated socio-economic benefits, and protection for SRKW.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Making stationary orca protection zones is sooooo very stupid!!! It is not that effective. It only works when the orcas are actually in that specific area. It is limited in effectiveness unless you ban ALL marine traffic at ALL times - which is not possbile or practical. It is just a useless measure that satisfies ENGO's and some FN's that what to further limit and/or shut down the public fishery - especially around southern Vancouver Island.

What does work and what WA state does is a moving protection bubble that limits boating and fishing activity with a prescribed distance around the orcas. This actually protects the whales as they travel and feed. May some common sense prevail on this important issue!!

 

[searun]

The only problem with how they do things in WA where they actually listen to objective science and aren't as concerned about optics and political brownie points...is, that here in Canada what drives DFO isn't objective science. Rather, here in Canada where we make decisions to look good, play to the media and flavour of the day. Sadly it seems we will never make decisions in a similar fashion as our neighbours to the south. Nope our decision framework is not based on objective science and working towards win/win solutions that are common sense.

 

[agentaqua]

Ya, what Canada needs is a re-installation of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada Version 2.0:

Fisheries Research Board

Until the transfer of its staff to the Department of the Environment in 1973 and its demise in 1979, the FRB was the principal federal research organization wor...

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/library-bibliotheque/58903.pdf

https://cmosarchives.ca/History/Century_of_Maritime_Science_Mills2016.pdf

Best practices for producing actionable knowledge to inform fisheries management and conservation - Environmental Biology of Fishes

In applied research, there is an expectation that knowledge generators will produce information that can be acted upon by knowledge end users (i.e., actionable knowledge); however, this is not always the case, resulting in a knowledge-action gap. Currently, there is no literature directly...

link.springer.com