New Calf in J pod

Exciting news! A new calf, J60, was spotted with J pod last week by researchers Mark and Maya Sears. The father/daughter team first noticed the peachy-colored newborn among a group of orcas near Fay Bainbridge Park in central Puget Sound. The young orca is likely the offspring of 19-yr-old J40, aka Suttles. J60 is her first calf (that we know of.)

Mark reported that the young whale appeared healthy, and “spunky” – even practicing tail slaps! Based on their previous encounters with the whales, J60 was almost certainly born on Christmas Day.

An interesting bit of history – Mark and Maya were the first people to spot J40 in 2004, when she was a newborn calf. The Sears encountered J40 and her mom J14 (Samish) mid-channel between Lincoln Park and Blake Island on December 21 2004.

Nearly nineteen years to the day after they spotted J40, they spotted her first calf (J60).

There’s long been speculation that central Puget Sound is a calving ground for the southern residents. At least for J pod, that appears to be true!

Mark and Maya Sears were out with J pod again on Thursday (December 28). They saw J60,  and confirmed he is a male! They encountered the whales near Point No Point on the north end of Bainbridge Island

It can sometimes takes a while to determine the sex of an orca. When they are young the only way to tell them apart is by the markings on their underbellies. An orca has to roll over so the markings are visible – which J60 did on Thursday, twice!

There are now ten calves under five years old in the southern resident population, and six of those are female. The future of the population is here! Whether they survive and thrive into adulthood is up to us. Here’s how to help:

• Give the orcas the acoustic space they need to forage, rest and socialize.
• Watch southern residents from shore, and stay 1000 yards away from them at sea..
• Take the pledge at givethemspace.org and encourage your friends to take it too.
•  Download the free app Whale Alert to learn when southern residents are near. Share any whale sightings with the app too..

This year Washington State passed legislation to establish a 1000-yard acoustic buffer around the orcas. The setback will become mandatory in 2025 – a welcome step forward. But the orcas need our help today. Take the pledge and help us give J60 a fighting chance.

Happy Holidays everyone. And godspeed, baby orca! Long may you run.