Southern Right Whales Population Analysis

There is no debate that one of the most attractive, human friendly and intelligent beauties in nature is the killer whale, more commonly known as the orca. The orca is in the dolphin family, but capable of learning human traits and freely interacting with them without causing any harm. Their curious behavior and acrobatic moves make us enjoy their company through watching and spending time in the waters with them. However, the gradual decline in the population of the orca is a worrying trend that sparks another kind of debate. Our interactions with killer whales is endangering their survival in the ecosystem, which should not be the case (BioExpedition 1). Our interaction with the

Killer whales captivity is a major issue because they could become sick or injured there. According to Blackfish, orca whales in captivity tend to become hyper aggressive towards new whales. This results in whale on whale incidents where the whales can get severely injured, or can even die. Some examples of these incidents, as The Dodo has said, are a male whale named Nakai had his chin torn off in a fight. Additionally, a female whale named Kandu broke her own jaw and cut her artery in a fight, eventually bleeding to death. Her calf was circling around her during the event. In addition, the Huffington Post states, “animals may suffer from captivity related stresses that lower their resistance and make them more susceptible to disease, making lifespans in captivity significantly lower than in the wild.” To add on, The Dodo states,”One big issue was the terrible state of the orcas' teeth. Captive orcas are already at risk for dental trauma - bored and stressed, they often begin gnawing on the edges of their tanks.” They also state that these occurrences in the wild are very rare. Also, whales like Tilikum got a lung infection due to bacterial pneumonia, which is the most common reason why captive whales and dolphins die (according to Wikipedia). Tilikum had also died due to the disease. This indicates that whale captivity leads to many incidents and diseases that the whales would not have faced in the wild. All these problems are caused due to them being captive.

Historical levels of the Southern Resident Orca population are currently estimated to have been as high as 200 (Fisheries.noaa.gov, 2015). The population as of 31st December 2015 was calculated at just 84 individuals (Center for Whale Research, 2015). There is limited data on the population before the mid 70’s so it is unknown what the population pattern looked like prior to this. Appendix A shows a graph documenting the population data found by a census started in 1974, as well as modelled data from 1960 to 1974. The graph starts with a low population, possibly explained by the frequent capture of live animals for marine parks (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2014, p. 3). After this period the graph shows fluctuations in the population, then a steady growth resulting in a peak in 1995, then a sharp decline – almost 20% until 2001. This fast decline is what prompted governments to first list the population a threatened (United States Environmental Agency, 2014). The population has remained stable in the following years but now has an endangered status (Fisheries.noaa.gov, 2015).

By examining, they are too big, they don't get the right care/the whales hurt each other,

On average a killer whale in the ocean lives 60 - 70 years a maximum would be 80 - over 100 years. In captivity a female killer whale live to be about 29 years while a male killer whale lives to be about 17. The year gap between wild and captive orcas is so big because the orcas are too large to live in a 50 ft. deep tank. The most appalling fact to know is that the killer whales are the most prone to diseases in captivity, so they will die sooner than the life expectancy if a disease is caught such as broken teeth. Broken teeth occurs often in captivity. Killer whales are consistently getting treated for dental issues but the effects are unsuccessful. Fractured teeth are caused by biting on the steel gates, the killer whales only bite on the gates for one reason in particular that is wanting to be freed back to the ocean home they belong

The second captive killer whale was in 1964. This eventually ended up as the first whale to be kept in captivity for a period of time. Today there are 52 killer whales in captivity that have great health and are with Sea World. Killer whales should stay in captivity because zoologists are finding better ways to help killer whale survival such as research and watching the things the orcas do. They are better taken care of and give zoologist and themselves the scientific benefits they need because scientists earn more information and the whales are provided with better health

Captive orcinus orcas live in a relatively small space compared to their natural habitat. An orca would have to swim back and forth in it’s tank many times each day to equal the amount of miles it would swim in the ocean daily. “Captivity is, in essence, poor habitat for orcas, causing early death”(Captivity). Due to all the problems with killer whales being held in captivity, the whales experience a much shorter lifespan in captivity compared to their lifespan in the wild. Also all whales that have been held in captivity cannot be released back into their natural habitat because they may not be able to find their pod and they will not have the skills needed to survive.

Although there are many problems, there are also many solutions to save the killer whales

The ocean is a vast biome that is constantly changing. There is much to learn about the life within, the article “Omura's whales (Balaenoptera omurai) off northwest Madagascar: ecology, Behavior and conservation needs” showed how our knowledge of the ocean and the life within continues to grow. Balaenoptera omurai, or Omura's whale was only found as a new species in the year 2003. Their are no dependable population size estimates or evaluation of conservation facts because there is not enough data collected on these cetaceans. Scientists are able apply what they learn from some of these organism to humans. In the article “Reproductive Conflict and the Evolution of Menopause in Killer Whales” scientists were able to draw comparisons between Humans and other species.

The study was first embarked in an attempt to assess what could be done to help the depleting population of the wester Pacific whale. However, it later turned up evidence that may imply that western Pacific whales may just be California gray whales with different swimming patterns.

Around the world, killer whale populations may be hurt by the effects of pollution mainly caused by toxins. Various chemicals, such as flame retardants, industrial pollutants, oils, and pesticides they have all been known to enter the oceans through waterways and they are all having a major impact on the killer whales. For now, It's safe for the killer whales because they want them to be well and keep them for long as possible.

Things such as poor dental health and stomach problems are just a few of the things that shorten the whales life spans. In the wild, orcas are known to have very similar life spans to humans. The females tend to live a little longer than the males at about eighty to ninety years old while the males live to be about sixty to seventy. The lifespan plummets when it comes to whales in captivity, where only two whales have only ever made it to forty. Also, the life expectancy of whales born into captivity are in the teens and that's if they make it past six months or even survive at all and even then the chances for survival or being born alive are at a fifty percent chance. A lot of the drop in birth rate and length of lifespan is due to over

The next innocent animal forced to cope with global warming is the whale. With the ocean waters warming more and more, the patches of zooplankton that female whales need to “bulk up” for a full pregnancy and being able to produce milk for her young. When the amount of zooplankton is too low, the right whale,

By calculating the amount of food lost because of dropping sea levels, and combing this with estimates of the food needed to keep a whale alive, Lindberg and Pysenson calculated the impact of global cooling on gray whale populations and the populations that would have had to exist in order for the whales to survive. They then concluded that populations would have had to have alternative feeding modes sufficient to support a population of around 70,000 during warm periods so that population drops during glacial periods wouldn't be below 5,000 to 10,000 whales. Much lower numbers would have produced a genetic bottleneck obvious in the DNA of the whales and Lindberg stated "such a signature has not been

North Atlantic Right Whales, or Eubalaena Glacialis, are the largest whales in the baleen group, which is one of the two types of whale groups. They weigh up to 7 tons, with a stalk black body, no dorsal fin, but have callosities on the head region. Lastly, the average lifespan of right whales is about 50 years, and unlike other baleen whales, they are skimmers only eating zooplankton.