feed-killer-whales-bill-hopes-to-help-struggling-orca-population/

This is what we need to do in part in BC. the Orcas need the fish now, not years later after a bunch of studies are conducted to tell us what we already know and are argued over and over again by the sectorial groups, academics and Enviro's!

The Orcas need salmon to eat now to keep from starving while we work on the numerous complex issues like river and ocean pollution, salmon harvesting rates, FN FSC rights, noise pollution, predation of smolts by seals and birds, changing climate, etc.
 
How about ramping up chum salmon production at Nitinat hatchery?

For the following reasons:

Studies indicate orcas will feed on chum
In nature chum salmon spend almost no time in the freshwater environment moving quickly to the sea after hatching, so there is no need for rearing channels etc as in the case of Chinooks therefore hatchery capacity can be increased at lower cost.
The Alaskans have successfully used and demonstrated this approach in order to produce vast quantities of pinks and chums in their terminal fisheries, e.g. Douglas Island Pink and Chum aka DIPAC.
Nitinat is well situated with respect to where the southern resident pod is located.

Please comment.
 
They go after Puget Sound Chum in fall/winter. Columbia River Spring Chinook (in spring; duh??). I believe it is the summertime that their main diet shortfall is. Dunno if any of the proposed 10 million hatchery fish would REALLY help ( do these fish frequent the Orca summertime haunts) or just some fake news go increase hatchery production.
 
I thought the Southern Residents went after Chinook?
Yes, meanwhile the ones smart enough to eat the exploding seal population, the transients are doing great!:)
 
the transients are doing great.. remember any part of a plan to cull would have to take them in as a factor also...
 
well.. because there pop. is increasing.... ?

The transient Killer Whales are doing better no doubt due to the fact their diet is more varied and includes Sea Lions and Seals.
Remember a few years ago they came thru Dodd's Narrows and the water was red with blood from the Sea Lion kill!
AND the time they had a grey whales (or something like it) trapped in Fulford Harbor on Salt Spring and the school kids were coming down to the shoreline to watch the feeding frenzy which went on for a day to two.
I find it hard to understand why scientists believe the future of J pod lies exclusively with the health of Chinook in the Fraser River and other Southern rivers.
It should come as no surprise scat collected from these whales when they are in the southern Salish Sea indicates they are eating Chinook salmon, but what do they eat the other 8 to 10 months of the year when they are elsewhere?
 
well.. because there pop. is increasing.... ?
Increasing slowly - but not large - and not large enough to take care of the seal problem:

Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Pacific Region Science Advisory Report 2017/011 2017_011-eng http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2017/2017_011-eng.html

In 2001, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) as Endangered and Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKWs) as Threatened due to their small population sizes, low reproductive rates, recent unexplained declines in numbers, and the existence of a variety of anthropogenic threats (COSEWIC 2001).

Science Advisory Report 2009/011 Population Assessment Pacific Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/publications/sar-as/2009/2009_011-eng.htm

Surveys in the Strait of Georgia and Index Areas in other parts of the province indicate seal populations grew exponentially at a rate of about 11.5% per year during the 1970s and 1980s, which probably represents the biological maximum rate of increase for this species. The rate of increase began to slow in the mid-1990s, and abundance now appears to have stabilized.

It is estimated that about 105,000 harbour seals currently inhabit coastal waters of British Columbia, compared with a population that had been reduced to perhaps 10,000 when the first surveys were conduced in the early 1970s.
 
The transient Killer Whales are doing better no doubt due to the fact their diet is more varied and includes Sea Lions and Seals.
Remember a few years ago they came thru Dodd's Narrows and the water was red with blood from the Sea Lion kill!
AND the time they had a grey whales (or something like it) trapped in Fulford Harbor on Salt Spring and the school kids were coming down to the shoreline to watch the feeding frenzy which went on for a day to two.
I find it hard to understand why scientists believe the future of J pod lies exclusively with the health of Chinook in the Fraser River and other Southern rivers.
It should come as no surprise scat collected from these whales when they are in the southern Salish Sea indicates they are eating Chinook salmon, but what do they eat the other 8 to 10 months of the year when they are elsewhere?

Remember that one on Saltspring well. It was a minke what that was chased near the beach and the orcas were chewing on it. I also remember one lady crying watching the feeding "frenzy" Some misguided fools were even throwing rocks at the orcas to try to chase them off.
 
Hi fogged in I mentioned a couple other know food sources above. I would imagine Whale poop is rather difficult to gather so knowledge gaps on this subject do not surprise me.

As for easydoesit's idea, Puget Sound has Chum Salmon in the millions & they are already feeding on these. From the population declines we are seeing, it would appear that it is unreasonable for them to change their eating habits - pretty much like humans:(
 
Increasing slowly - but not large - and not large enough to take care of the seal problem:

Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Pacific Region Science Advisory Report 2017/011 2017_011-eng http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/SAR-AS/2017/2017_011-eng.html

In 2001, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) as Endangered and Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKWs) as Threatened due to their small population sizes, low reproductive rates, recent unexplained declines in numbers, and the existence of a variety of anthropogenic threats (COSEWIC 2001).

Science Advisory Report 2009/011 Population Assessment Pacific Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi) http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/publications/sar-as/2009/2009_011-eng.htm

Surveys in the Strait of Georgia and Index Areas in other parts of the province indicate seal populations grew exponentially at a rate of about 11.5% per year during the 1970s and 1980s, which probably represents the biological maximum rate of increase for this species. The rate of increase began to slow in the mid-1990s, and abundance now appears to have stabilized.

It is estimated that about 105,000 harbour seals currently inhabit coastal waters of British Columbia, compared with a population that had been reduced to perhaps 10,000 when the first surveys were conduced in the early 1970s.


Yup fully agree:)... but a balanced and measurable approach need to be taken.. its not the wild west anymore...;)
 
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