Southern Resident killer whales are a critically endangered population of orcas on the West Coast. Its latest plan would radically change the existing process for deciding when to exclude a particular area from a critical habitat designation for wildlife or plants protected by the Endangered Species Act. It would give extra weight to industry claims of economic impacts, which can be highly speculative. Killer whales, also known as orcas, are not officially endangered. ET. She says that she heard whistling sounds during the attack, which she believed to be the orcas communicating. After pressure from the Center and our members and allies, Washington Gov. These authorizations are required by NOAA Fisheries under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for activities that may disturb or harm marine mammals, such as disruptive underwater sound from energy exploration, construction or even scientific research. "Clearcutting the Tongass and wiping out enormous carbon stores is like cutting off part of the planet's oxygen supply," said Randi Spivak, the Center's public lands director. Tahlequah's baby inspires us to keep fighting for these rare animals. They travel as far south as Monterey, California, and as far north as southeast Alaska. “Sound carries better in water than it does in the air and very loud explosions like thousand-pound explosions can have a physical impact on the body of a killer whale,” Giles said. The Navy says it only expects the lowest level of impact: Temporary disturbances that might, for example, lead to a change in the orcas’ rate of vocalizations, or prompt them to interrupt foraging to swim away. In an email to CBS News, the Navy said it is “keenly aware of the challenges faced by the Southern Resident Killer Whales resulting from a multitude of human activities. Read more about the issues they face & help us save an endangered animal from extinction today. Judith Schwartz, author of The Reindeer Chronicles, talked to The Revelator this week about how restoring ecosystems and landscapes — even on a local, personal level — can also inspire us with faith in the future. That’s why a recent request from the U.S. Navy seeking authorization for 51 “takes” of killer whales in the region each year for the next seven years alarmed many environmental groups. In the Pacific Northwest, an endangered community of killer whales has been on the decline for years due to a variety of factors, all related to human activity. The Revelator: Restoring the Land, Healing Ourselves. The video below, from 2003, was captured by the Center for Whale Research in the Salish Sea, near Seattle. Birth of Rare Orca Calf Brings Hope. Read more. Facebook Twitter. "Wildlife simply can't survive or recover without places to live, but that's exactly what will happen if the administration succeeds in turning over the critical habitat designation process to industry." Watch a video and learn more at HuffPost. American Burying Beetle Loses Needed Protection. Orcas are highly intelligent, with a lifespan of 80 years. A 15-year project spearheaded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, which uses autonomous underwater vehicles for mapping, has produced an animated map showing the ocean canyon is every bit as rugged and beautiful as its desert counterpart. Relatively unknown until recently, it stretches for nearly 300 miles and is over 5,500 feet deep. If you're looking for a free, easy way to help the Center from home, you're in luck. Requesting takes is a normal procedure for the Navy, but its request recently increased from 2 to 51 per year, which unnerved Dr. Deborah Giles, a killer whale researcher at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology who is also a member of Wild Orca, an advocacy organization. The administration is now pushing even more rules to weaken habitat protections for endangered species. This type of behavior is very unusual for the species, which is typically known to be friendly and playful. “Just the loss of one whale or the harm to one whale could have population level impacts,” Giles said. This message was sent to (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews)Opt out of mail list. Making matters worse, new information shows climate change is decimating the species in the southern Plains.