Aquatic Species at Risk - Killer Whale - Northeast Pacific

At a glance

Traveling in small groups of one to three individuals, northeast pacific transient killer whales range over great distances of ocean from California to Alaska. Although the largest whale fisheries were discontinued in the early 1980s and 1990s, it is likely that small numbers of transient killer whales are probably still being taken.

About killer whales

The largest members of the dolphin family, killer whales are cosmopolitan animals that have been observed in all the oceans of the world.

With no natural predators, killer whales can live to between 50 and 80 years of age. However, mortality between the ages of birth to six months can be as high as 50 percent. High levels of neonatal mortality lead to average life spans of only 17 years for male killer whales and 29 years for females. Male and female killer whales reach sexual maturity at 15 years of age and females calve generally only once every five years. Combined, these factors lead to extremely slow potential population growth rates.

How to recognize a killer whale

The killer whale’s size—seven to nine metres long and between four and five tones in weight—striking black-and-white colouring, and long, rounded body makes it unmistakable. The first sight of a killer whale is often the tall dorsal fin. In fully grown males, this fin sticks straight up, often as high as 1.8 metres. In females and young whales, the fin is curved and less than one metre high. Behind the dorsal fin is a grey area called a saddle patch. The shape of the dorsal fin and saddle patch, as well as natural nicks and scars on them, are unique to each killer whale.

Killer whales talk to each other through a complex variety of whistles, squeaks and whines, made with air trapped in their blowholes. Killer whales are very vocal when hunting for prey, using a series of clicking sounds that bounce off fish and other objects in the water. Called echo-location, this natural sonar is useful when searching for food or navigating in murky water, enabling the whales to build an accurate picture of what’s around them.

Where the killer whale lives

Killer whales are found in all three of Canada’s oceans, as well as occasionally in Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In British Columbia, transient killer whales have been spotted in almost all saltwater and some freshwater areas, including many long inlets, narrow channels and deep bays.

Why it’s at risk

The transient killer whale population is small—approximately 200 calves and adults—and its potential rate of increase low. Historic population numbers are not known, but are likely to have always been in the hundreds rather than thousands. Because many years often elapse between sightings of individual whales, it has been difficult to determine population trends with any degree of accuracy.

Transient killer whales are potentially at risk from threats such as organochlorine and toxic-chemical contamination. Increasing levels of water pollution make the whales susceptible to disease and reproductive difficulties. High levels of water pollution also contaminate the whales’ prey. Recent studies have found that transient killer whales have the highest concentrations of organochlorines of any marine mammal.

Increased ocean-going vessels might interfere with the whales’ echo-location method of hunting. It’s also possible that the large and growing recreational whale-watching industry may be having a negative impact.

Among natural factors that threaten the survival of killer whales are mass strandings and entrapment in narrow inlets or by ice.

Read About : Killer Whales Serve as Sentinels for Ocean Pollution

What’s being done

Legislation to protect killer whale populations in British Columbian waters was first introduced in 1970, under British Columbia’s Wildlife Act. In 1982, the whales were included in regulations under the Fisheries Act of Canada. These regulations prohibit hunting without a licence, except for Aboriginal hunting. No licences are currently being issued. Whale-watching guidelines have also been introduced to minimize negative interactions between boats and whales.

A Recovery Strategy for the transient killer whale has been finalized and is available on the SARA Public Registry. 

What can you do?

Killer whales will get the protection they need only if all Canadians work together to reduce threats. Find out more about killer whales and be aware of man-made threats to transient killer whales such as entanglement in fishing gear, noise and water pollution, and collision with boats. Do your best to reduce these threats wherever possible to better protect the whales’ critical habitat. Get involved with the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP) or another conservation organization.

Join a stewardship program such as the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network. The Network’s main goals are to identify key habitats and help reduce threats. The Network also solicits cetacean sighting reports from mariners along British Columbia’s coast. Find out more >>.

Or, join the British Columbia Adopt a Killer Whale Adoption program, run in conjunction with the Vancouver Aquarium. Find out more >>

Background information provided by Environment Canada in March 2004.