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California river conditions could starve killer whales; as salmon go, so go the killer whales

Posted by: Maven on February 18, 2009 at 8:13 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

California’s degraded rivers and voracious water demand are not just a local problem. They threaten to exterminate a unique population of Pacific killer whales, federal scientists have found.

In a draft ruling, the National Marine Fisheries Service says the southern resident population of killer whales may go extinct because its primary food – salmon – is imperiled by the state’s vast network of dams and canals.

This killer whale population is a unique species, already endangered under federal law. They number only 84 animals. They normally reside in and near Puget Sound, but in recent years have spent more time off Central California.

Killer whales, also called orcas, never venture into freshwater. But their food does. The Sacramento River’s salmon runs are the largest on the West Coast, but declining.

The fisheries service last month determined that Central Valley salmon populations will go extinct unless state and federal agencies change their water operations in California. After further study, it now believes killer whales will follow salmon into the grave.

“There’s so many parts of our (aquatic) system that depend on salmon,” said Maria Rea, Sacramento-area supervisor of the National Marine Fisheries Service. “It does really highlight the interconnected nature of what happens in the Central Valley and the Delta to the ocean.”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here, and by clicking here.

February 18, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Wildlife & Endangered Species

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