A Summer of Research at OrcaLab

by Suzie Hall

Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to work with orcas. Admittedly, my childhood dream was to ride around on the back of my orca best friend in a very ‘Free Willy’-esque fashion, but as I’ve grown older the dream has been reworked into something more realistic. Over the years, there has been more and more evidence to show that keeping orcas in captivity causes them physical and psychological damage. Whilst the debate between experts and the industry still rages, and marine parks either move forward or continue to defend their decision to keep captive orcas, my mind is set: These creatures should be kept out of tanks and free to hunt, travel and socialise in the wild. That’s where the research should be done, and that’s what I want to do.

Over the past few years I’ve crammed in as many qualifications, courses and lectures as I can manage in an attempt to make myself useful within the world of orca research and conservation. I have still never seen an orca in the flesh, which is becoming a bit embarrassing given my not-so-subtle obsession.

Five months ago, I received an email from Dr. Paul Spong and his wife, Helena Symonds, inviting me to visit their research station, OrcaLab, off the coast of British Colombia, Canada. To say I was excited is an understatement, (I was so excited I managed to tell everyone I was going to visit without actually emailing back to accept their offer!). And now I am finally beginning my mega journey from the UK to the northern coast of Vancouver Island – a 72+ hour journey. 

So what does one need to pack for a summer of orca research?

Due to a stellar effort by myself, my family and the Internet, I’m now confident that I have everything I need…

 

-              Binoculars? Check.

-              Camera? Check.

-              Sleeping bag? Check.

-              Clothes for sunshine and torrential downpours? Check.

-              Mini cafetière to keep the morning monster at bay? Ch- Ah. Forgot that one.

In addition to my giant backpack, (which has its own mini backpack), I’m also transporting all 20kgs of my SCUBA diving kit to the island to assist with maintenance of the underwater cameras and microphones. In hindsight, attempting to carry 40kgs of luggage on a three-day journey, complete with a long-haul flight, an overnight stay in a hostel, a ten-hour bus journey and two ferry crossings may have been slightly optimistic… But it’s too late now. Let’s hope someone on the team is a trained masseuse. 

OrcaLab is situated on Hanson Island, a largely uninhabited island off the north-eastern coast of Vancouver Island. Over the summer months, Paul, Helena and their team monitor the Northern resident orcas that inhabit the area, along with the humpback whales that also frequent the Straits. The transient (or ‘Biggs’) orcas are also studied as they often make an appearance in the area to predate on smaller mammals. The lab includes a network of hydrophones (underwater microphones) covering about 50km of the orcas' habitat, which collect acoustic data and photographic images 24 hours a day.

And OrcaLab is completely off-grid: powered by solar panels and generators. This means that any luxuries are few-and-far between; we’ll be travelling to the nearest town (Alert Bay, on a neighbouring island) every 1-2 weeks for food and laundry.

Photo © Max Woodman

OrcaLab is a unique research station and the work it conducts is essential for the preservation of orcas and other marine wildlife. For me, this is the experience of a lifetime and, I hope, the first of many orca-related projects. I cannot think of a better place to see my first orcas than among the verdant islands of British Colombia, and I hope that I will prove myself useful to the research at OrcaLab. I would also love to see orca ‘Springer’ who is part of the Northern resident community, as she is the first orca I adopted at the tender age of nine. Springer has also just been spotted with her second calf following her release back into the wild fifteen years ago, after she was rescued.

Over the next few months I will be sharing my experience of OrcaLab, the orcas and the beautiful coast of British Colombia - so stay tuned!

For a short history of OrcaLab and its research, please read our interview with Dr. Paul Spong.

A Superpod at Superpod!

by Kyra Laughlin (guest blogger)

Kyra is a 19 year-old animal activist from Seattle who first entered the activist realm after watching the documentary Blackfish. She has worked on several animal rights projects at her college and within her community. In this blog, Kyra writes about her experience seeing a Southern resident orca superpod at the Superpod 3 event. 

To spectators it looked like an immense family reunion; everyone smiling or laughing and exchanging hugs. However, it wasn't blood that linked together the large group of Superpod attendees, but rather an admiration of the animal that inspired the event's name: orcas.

The week of July 14-20 marked the third Superpod gathering on San Juan Island, a compilation of daily activities aimed at bringing together researchers, activists, and orca lovers.

Members of the Southern resident orca population (Photo © Kyra Laughlin)

Superpod 3 kicked off on what is now designated as World Orca Day (July 14th) with a massive meet and greet at Friday's Crabhouse. For many, this was the first time meeting one another in person after months, if not years, of communicating through email and Facebook, but it didn't take long for these virtual friendships to translate in real life.

All four former SeaWorld trainers and founders of Voice of the Orcas, Carol Ray, Jeff Ventre, Samantha Berg, and John Jett, were present, as well as the Director of the Center for Whale Research, Ken Balcomb, and Orca Network co-founder, Howard Garrett. 

These six remarkable individuals were cast members in the highly-acclaimed documentary Blackfish which explores the various issues of keeping orcas, who are profoundly intelligent and social beings, in captivity. Blackfish was filmed at both Superpod 1 and 2, after Jeff Ventre suggested the "Truth Squad" gather to see orcas in the wild. These meetings also served as a great spot for author David Kirby to gather material for his book Death at SeaWorld. The book provides a more in depth look at the history of orca captivity, following those who advocate on the animals' behalf, with a particular focus on the life work of renowned marine mammal scientist, Naomi Rose.

While everyone continued to mingle at the restaurant, a group of us departed early for a whale watch trip that would soon go down in the history books.

Southern resident orca L86, 'Surprise' (Photo © Kyra Laughlin)

I had only seen my first Southern resident killer whale two days prior from shore at San Juan County Park and although the previous day's whale watch excursion had been impressive, nothing could compare to this memorable encounter we were about to embark on.

Within 20 minutes of leaving Snug Harbor, we found our boat in the middle of a never-ending orca parade that included all three Southern resident pods: J,K, and L. They were gathered together in what is known as a 'superpod' (hence the name of the event). Just as one group disappeared beneath the horizon another would soon arrive. We saw them breach, spy hop, tail slap, and one, known as ‘Surprise’ and identified as L86, even porpoised four times, which provided a clear scale of how humongous these creatures truly are. The sheer size of this orca as she leapt into the air was striking, not to mention the loud splash that resonated each time she retreated back into the ocean, as a huge wall of water rose from the surface to encompass her black and white body.

There were moments when it looked as though one of the pods was headed straight toward us. We held our breath waiting for them to appear next to the vessel, but they always managed to surface several yards out from either side of the boat.

When the action began to die down, we slowly made our way deeper into Haro Strait. Boats began to show up from every direction as news spread that a superpod was gathering - the "podparazzi" had arrived.

In 2005, the Southern resident killer whale population were listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act. Noise pollutants and boat crowding are two conservation risks for the Southern resident killer whales. Exclusion zones (areas into which entry is forbidden by watercraft) have been put in place to protect the orcas and minimize disturbance to their natural behaviors. These guidelines for careful boat handling around Southern resident orcas can be found clearly detailed by the Pacific Whale Watch Association.

A video screenshot of the Southern resident orca (Photo © Kyra Laughlin)

The captain shut off the engine knowing the orcas were close. For a brief moment we were able to take in the view. The sun hung low in the sky but continued to cast a shimmering gleam on the calm sea below. It was peaceful; gently rocking back and forth with the ocean, but within minutes we were back in orca mode.

We again found ourselves in the same area as a group of 5-7 orcas. I scrambled to set up my camera as it soon became evident that this time they were going to swim right by us. I began shooting a video. It didn't take long for a dorsal to emerge, followed by a misty trail of breath.

Here I was, seeing Southern residents for only my third time and I had beads of whale breath on my face. The emotions that rush over you in a moment like that cannot be put into words and I'm not even sure if that experience will ever fully sink in; it left me in pure disbelief.

We stayed on the water for a while longer and continued to watch in awe as the pods gathered together, just as their human observers had done a few short hours ago.

On the ride back to Snug Harbor, I was still trying to process all that we had seen. The number of whales we saw on that trip, (well over 30), had been what I had expected to see over the course of the week - not in a single three hour excursion.

It was a superpod at Superpod!

Left to Right: Jeff Ventre, Heather Murphy, Jordan Waltz, Kyra Laughlin
& Ken Balcomb at Superpod 3 (Photo © Heather Murphy)

See No Orca, Love No Orca?

by Naomi Mitchell (guest blogger) 

I had never seen an orca in the flesh until last summer. In search of whales, wilderness and escape, I spent a blissful 4 months on the west coast of British Columbia, where I found all three. But my passion for killer whales started many years ago...

At age 7, I watched a well known and much-loved film about a captive killer whale who is given back his freedom. Captivated by their intelligence and thrilled by the excitement of the film, I instantly fell in love with these majestic black and white giants! Fast forward 10 years and I was to be found training to be a Marine Mammal Medic with British Divers Marine Life Rescue, hoping that it would give me some more insight into the mysterious lives of marine mammals. It is hard to put into words how, but despite having still never seen a live whale or dolphin in my life, they had managed to steal my heart and capture my imagination. At this point, I probably would have jumped at any chance to see these animals, be it in the wild or captivity.

Northern Resident orca from the A30 matriline (Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

Several years later, studying Animal Behaviour Science at university, I took every opportunity to bring marine mammals into my coursework even though my degree focused mainly on domestic animals. When I was finally offered the chance to swim with captive dolphins in Dubai for my birthday I already had an uneasy feeling - and a little further research quickly made me realise that this wasn't the most amazing birthday present ever. It was probably the worst. And having realised this in time, I didn't do it. But I did do more and more research into the subject and it soon became clear to me that all cetaceans - and especially killer whales - should not be kept in captivity. I will always remember finding the minimum tank size requirements for the first time and after a few calculations deciding that it is equivalent to a human living in a small touring caravan, unable to leave, for the rest of their life. When you realise that wild cetaceans can swim vast distances in relatively short time periods, it is blindingly obvious that this is inhumane.

A year after graduating from university, a number of significant changes in my life led me to pursue the dream that had been lurking in the back of my mind for some time. So I booked flights, packed my bag and headed to Quadra Island, a small island nestled between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island, Canada. Just a matter of hours after arriving I had my first encounter with killer whales. A group of three Southern Resident pods took a route coming down the inside of Vancouver Island and right past Quadra. If I had loved and wanted to see killer whales before I arrived in Canada, it was nothing compared to how I felt after I saw them for the first time. I might have already ticked off number 1 on my 'to do' list, but I was hooked and I absolutely couldn't wait to see the whales again. Next time I vowed not to forget to pick up my binoculars in the rush!

Southern residents, Quadra Island (Photo © Naomi Mitchell) 

I did have to wait a few more weeks for my next encounter, but these weeks were filled with wonderful experiences and sightings of black bears, seals, sea otters, Pacific white-sided dolphins and humpback whales! And so those weeks flew by until one evening, camped on a beach on Hansen Island, looking out over the Johnstone Strait, I watched the first of the Northern Residents who had returned to the area for the summer. Over the next couple of months I was lucky enough to have some close-up encounters with several pods of Northern Residents, watching them from campsites, from boats and even from a kayak and listening to their fascinating calls on a hydrophone. Although just as magnificent in their own way, they seemed somewhat more reserved that the Southern residents who I saw engaging in more lively behaviours such as breaching and tail slapping. I was also lucky enough to see the more elusive transient killer whales on one occasion. Each encounter was thrilling in it's own way, but my favourite was when a young Northern resident decided to change course and headed towards our boat to investigate, passing right underneath!

Northern Resident orca viewed from West Cracroft Island, British Columbia 
(Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

Part of the magic was meeting other people from across the world who held the same dream as me: to see wild killer whales. There is nothing like the thrill of hearing a blow in the distance, and sharing the excitement of those around you makes it even more special. I think that my own experiences, and those of the other people that I met go to show that you do not need to see these animals in the flesh to love them and want to protect them - we all already knew that they were special or we would not have made the journey to witness this for real. My experiences with orca have been amazing and I have been incredibly lucky to see them. Seeing them in the wild confirmed what I always suspected about these magnificent animals, but my love for them has always been there.

Transient orca (Photo © Naomi Mitchell)

There's Something About Orca

by Sam Lipman

Why orca and not tigers or dinosaurs or bottlenose dolphins or bears? A question that I am often asked and a question that, if I am perfectly honest, I find difficult to answer. I don't really know "why orca". For me, it has just always been that way, from as far back as I can remember, when I first laid eyes on one. 

I had always loved all animals as a child but growing up in a big concrete town, I never had the opportunity to see or learn about whales and dolphins. That is, until I saw Keiko, the orca who played Willy in the hit Hollywood movie "Free Willy". My four-year old heart melted. 

I remember being sat in that cinema chair in 1994 filled with absolute awe and, despite the fact I was only watching this magnificent creature through a television screen (albeit a very large TV screen), I felt a connection with him, with his entire species. There was just something special about this animal, something magical - something that even to this day I find incredibly difficult to put into words. And this wonder wasn't limited to Keiko as an individual - not at all. I still get shivers down my spine and feel that indescribable excitement building when I watch those first few moments of the "Free Willy" movie - the video footage of orca swimming through the open ocean, with the signature opening credit theme music playing over the top. 

This burning passion that gripped me as a toddler has stayed with me throughout my life so far and I now bare the proud label of "orcaholic", that many of you share with me.

So why orca? The conclusion that I have reached is that there's just something about orca. Which isn't very helpful at all, so I put the question to the girl who grew up with orca (and many other cetacean species) in her back garden, Melisa Pinnow. 

Once you've read why it's orca for Melisa, we would love to hear from YOU - why have orca stolen your attention, and possibly even your heart?  

by Melisa Pinnow (guest blogger)

25 year old Matia L77 does an inverted tail slap
(Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

I am asked this question all the time and I often wonder about it myself. I believe one reason I fell in love with orcas is due to their lifelong family bonds. Sons and daughters stay with their mothers their entire lives, making them relatable. It proves to me that these beings can feel emotions, experiencing happiness and excitement as a younger sibling is being born or sadness and mourning when a family member passes away or is captured for life in a tank. Their extremely high level of intelligence, problem solving abilities and hunting techniques also draws me in. 

I love how they all have unique saddle patches, eye patches and dorsal fin shapes that allow me to identify and get to know each individual I meet and their personalities are just as unique. Another reason is an adult male’s 6 foot tall dorsal fin. Watching something so tall rise up out of the water as a male surfaces is an amazing sight. I also love all of their surface behaviors they do from breaching, spy hopping, belly flopping and cartwheeling to above water vocalizations and playing with kelp. 

Unique saddle patches: 17 year-old Crewser L92 & 
56 year-old grandma Baba L26 (Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

Another reason is that they are just as curious of us as we are of them. On 8/31/12 a 5 month old female named L119 came straight over to our boat and playfully tail slapped and looked up at us from underwater. She paralleled us for a bit then abruptly turned and rolled around in delight as if we were the most exciting thing she had ever seen in her life. On separate occasions we have also had Cappuccino K21, Cousteau L113, Mystery L85, Samish J14, Wave Walker L88, Star J46, Mega L41, and Mike J26 come over to our boat and eye us. I also love orcas for the sounds they make. An orca’s quick exhale and inhale is my favorite sound in the world. During summer nights I open up my window and go to sleep to the sounds of the Southern Resident orcas breathing as they swim past my house.  I also love their vocalizations they make, especially the calls of resident orcas because each pod has a unique accent that makes it so you can identify a pod just by listening to them. Plus, who couldn’t love an orca’s sleek black and white patterned body! These are the reasons I am interested in orcas. 

Melisa is also author of Orca in my Garden.  

35 year old Nugget L55 breaches (Photo © Melisa Pinnow) 

Orca in my Garden

by Melisa Pinnow (guest blogger) 

Ever since I was born in 1993, I have lived on an island in Washington State where a small population of orcas frolics along the west side in the summer time, looking for Chinook salmon to munch on. This island is called San Juan Island. We lived in a house with a view of the west side and growing up at this house was great. I had the big yard to run around in, a big pond with frogs and dragonflies galore and a forest surrounding the house that I was ready to explore. But I don't remember watching the orcas until I was 10 years old, even though they were literally in my back yard. 

K16 'Opus' spy hopping (Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

The first time I ever saw an orca that I can remember was when I was 10. I was at a beach near my house when I scrambled up onto a high rock to look over the water. I do not remember if I had seen the orca surface and had climbed up the rock to get a better look at him or if I had just gotten lucky to see this spectacular sight while I was up there. Either way, a huge male surfaced not 20 feet away from me heading north. His dorsal fin was tall and straight while his saddle patch was closed and may or may not have had a finger.  Every time I think back on this encounter I wish I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now and identify this male that I saw. Not getting to know all of the orcas that passed away before I became interested in them drives me crazy. At 10 though, this orca was cool to me but I left not feeling interested.

The second time I watched the orcas was when I was 12 and I was with a friend at the same beach. A pod of orcas was heading south past us and one spy hopped to look at us while we sat on some rocks with the waves licking our toes from about 200 feet away. My friend and I ran away because we thought that the orca was hunting us and was going to come up onto the rock and grab us, like a population of Argentinean orcas that grab seal pups off of the beach by purposefully beaching themselves. Of course I would find out many years later that these were orcas that are only Chinook salmon. As I grew older I remember wanting to go out on a whale watching boat and see the orcas up close. In 2008 and 09 I remember asking my mom all the time we could go out whale watching. I am not sure what spiked the change to make me suddenly interested in watching the orcas, but my dream was about to come true. 

L78 'Gaia' with mum L2 'Grace' (Photo © Melisa Pinnow)

In July of 2010, my mom told me it was time for me to get a job so I asked a friend who was working on a whale watching boat if there were any openings. There were and after introducing myself to the boss/captain he invited me out on the boat to see if I would like the job. I was finally on a whale watching boat! 

We headed up Presidents Channel in between Waldron and Orcas Island. There we found J pod heading towards us. As we paralleled the J pod I saw someone who I will never forget. Ruffles J1, a 59 year old male, slowly surfaced in one fluid motion about 100 feet off of the boat. I will never forget that image of the tip of his 6 foot dorsal fin slowly ascending from the depths until his body followed. I got the job and Ruffles became the first orca I could identify in the Southern Resident population of orcas. After seeing him a few more times he passed away around November 2010. 

Over that winter I started learning how to identify the rest of J pod, as well as K and L pod members. I had caught the orca bug and there is no cure. Now as I write this in the year 2012 I look back and am amazed at how much my life has changed in such a short amount of time. I do not know where I would be now if it wasn't for Ruffles pulling me into his world. I now know how to identify every member of the Southern Resident orca population, except for a few calves if they are not next to their mothers, and am a certified marine naturalist telling guests aboard the whale watching boat all about the orcas that changed my life and how to help change theirs so that they will be around for generations to come. 

L84 'Nyssa' breaches (Photo © Melisa Pinnow