> About us
> NEWS
> ADOPT A
WHALE!
> Killer whales
of southern
Alaska
> Wanted:
ID photos
> Photos
> Sounds
> NGOS team
> Online store
> Publications
> Links
> Material
needs
visits
Killer whales of southern Alaska
by Craig Matkin, Graeme Ellis, Eva Saulitis, Lance Barrett-Lennard and Dena
Matkin
Order now
Summary: In 1899 the noted naturalist C. Hart Merriam was struck by the dramatic presence of killer whales in southwestern Prince William Sound. The dorsal fins of the males were "standing like huge stumps above the water," he recounted after his first close encounter. In 1976, just a few miles from where Merriam filed his account, we made the observations of killer whales that marked the beginning of our long--term study. With the guidance of the late Dr. Michael Bigg, we based our work on the repeat-ed identification of individual whales. In this volume, we present some of the results of this work, including a catalogue of individual whales arranged in their extended family groups.
The study has gone through many stages during its development. From our initial obser-vations made from kayaks and blufftop observa-tion posts, we developed equipment and tech-niques to follow the whales and learn more about their lives. Further impetus for study came in 1984 when Sea World Inc. came to Alaska with a federal permit to collect killer whales. Not only was public sentiment against the capture, but our work made it clear that the killer whales in southern Alaska numbered in the hundreds, rather than the thousands predicted.
In the mid-1980s a new conflict developed between killer whales and humans in Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea. In the Sound, whales from the AB pod of resident killer whales began to interfere with longline fisheries for halibut and black cod by stripping fish from the lines as they were hauled from the ocean floor. Shooting of whales became common place and known animals began to disap-pear. Our photographic evidence hastened the enactment of legislation that outlawed the shootings. Changes in fishery management helped eliminate the conflict in the Sound although it continues in the Bering Sea.
In 1989 AB pod and all other marine life in Prince William Sound faced the devastating effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Our group, now the non-profit North Gulf Oceanic Society, had baseline data on killer whales which allowed us to assess changes following the spill and doc-ument the losses of killer whales.
Since the spill, the long-term support of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council has facil-itated our work. Population assessments have continued and included studies of the whales , genetics and toxic contaminant levels. Hundreds of hours of recordings of killer whales have been analyzed to determine the unique dialects of the major resident pods and transient groups.
Recently we have begun working with the rapidly expanding tour and charter boat industry to establish guidelines and procedures for enjoy-ing the whales with a minimum of disturbance to the animals. With a cooperative effort, both the whales and those who appreciate them will benefit.
Ultimately, the protection of habitat and food resources for killer whales is the most critical factor. We hope this book will speak for the needs of the whales as well as enhance your enjoy-ment of these remarkable animals.
