The decline in the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales began in the 1960s as orcas were picked out of the waters of Puget Sound.
SEATTLE — An orca species unique to the Northwest and closely connected to indigenous populations is struggling to survive.
The Southern Resident Killer Whales, or SRKW, currently have a population of 74 whales — a number expected to drop by one in the upcoming census, according to the Orca Conservancy.
Southern Residents have struggled due to the loss of Chinook salmon population and pollutants in the waters they call home, but whale rounds-up of the 60s and 70s
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