Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force

Adapted from Southern Resident Orca Recovery website.

Southern Resident killer whales, or orcas, are a beloved icon of the Salish Sea and have been respected and honoured by Indigenous cultures as friends, family, or benefactors for millennia. Complex social beings with culture and language of their own, the Southern Resident orcas have been steadily declining over recent decades and now number only 73 individuals. They are listed as ‘Endangered’ in both Canada and the United States under the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) and the US Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Southern Resident orca recovery is a collaborative effort involving a wide range of partners. In 2018, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee created the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force to identify and prioritize recommendations and support the implementation of a long-term action plan for the recovery of Southern Resident orcas. Participants from many US state agencies, local governments and entities, Tribes, and Canadian government agencies were invited to participate. The task force identified needed policies and programs, recommended priority actions to support recovery efforts, highlighted budget needs and recommended legislation. The resulting reports can be viewed and accessed from the Southern Resident Orca Recovery Resource Library.

We must work together across governments, organizations, and borders to save Southern Resident killer whales. We do not want to lose them from the fabric of our region and ecosystem. When they are in trouble, we are in trouble.

~ Tara Gladuska, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (Orca Task Force)

Partners in both the US and Canada are working to recover salmon populations, decrease inputs of pollutants to the marine system, and manage vessel activity in the preferred habitat of the Southern Resident orcas in the Salish Sea. Partners are also increasing education and awareness around orcas and orca recovery. Progress on the task force recommendations is being tracked by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office within the Recreation and Conservation Office and can be seen on the Southern Resident Orca Recovery website. Many partners are working together on orca recovery in the region.

For more information visit the Southern Resident Orca Recovery website.