ORCA Updates

If you’re curious about the orca videos created by Jason Shields or have questions about the process, this is the page for you! We asked Jason to answer some of the most common inquiries about his videos.

A T-Party of 33 Bigg's killer whales in Rosario Strait. Present were the T36A1s, T63, T65, T65A5, T75Bs, T90s, T99B, T100s, T101s, T123s, T124Ds, T137s 🤯

Yesterday and today, many observers were lucky enough to spot a brand new calf traveling with the J16s, a particularly hopeful sign after J36 Alki had lost her newborn earlier this month.

For all the moments of joy - and there are a lot of them - there are also moments of significant grief.

No Southern Residents visited the Salish Sea in May, June, or August 2025. Monika takes a moment to reflect on just how much things have changed over the last 20 years.

On September 3rd, Congress is considering H.R. 2073, the “Defending Our Dams Act,” a bill that locks in the failing status quo on the lower Snake River and blocks real solutions for salmon, orcas, and Tribal treaty rights.

This example is August 24th, when we had 12 different groups of Bigg's in the central Salish Sea alone totaling at least 57 animals.

Last night the orca-loving community on San Juan Island gathered at Lime Kiln Lighthouse for sunset with a chance of whales.

75 days after their last confirmed sighting in inland waters...

Today marks 8 week since our last confirmed report of Southern Resident orcas in the inland waters of the Salish Sea. ❤️‍🩹

Help us raise $10k for our 10th and keep an eye on your favorite items over the next few days. The auction ends at 9 PM PST on Sunday!

Over the course of six weeks under the instruction of Sara Shimazu you will learn to draw and paint orcas, ending the class with a finished painting.

Yesterday while on the water with our Bigg's 201 class we came across a humpback that has attained legendary status in the Salish Sea: a 4 year-old whale that is nicknamed Schooner.

We thought we'd like to take time to answer some of the most common questions received on our maps.

Over the last three months, we explored the important but often challenging stories of the orca captivity era in Puget Sound during the 1960s-1970s.

Last Saturday was a whale of a day in the Salish Sea, with confirmed reports of no fewer than 79 killer whales in the region!

How does a weekend camping on San Juan Island, hanging out with OBI, and seeing and talking about whales sound?

We meet the newest member of the Bigg's killer whale population, a calf that appears to be the firstborn of T46B3 Sedna.

To make it to the central Salish Sea this morning after last being seen in Monterey on March 10th, K-Pod transited nearly 1000 miles in just 11 days. That's an average of about 90 miles a day!

Yesterday's afternoon on the water was so remarkable it deserves its own mini-map as a summary!

The dramatic light made it an even more impressive sight. It was our first time getting to meet the newest calf, little J62!

Are you thinking about joining Bluesky? Several whale groups are making the jump!

Commercial finfish aquaculture has been banned in Washington state-owned aquatic lands!

Our current count is 37 whales! It's by far the largest group of Bigg's we've encountered in 2024. Here's Jason's video highlight compilation from our memorable encounter.

Ensure Washington State makes the non-native finfish aquaculture ban permanent!

"It's too many whales to be just K-Pod...it's too many males to be just J-Pod... WHO ARE YOU?!"

From everything we've seen and heard so far this season, chum salmon are returning in huge numbers...

We caught up with the pair at San Juan County Park. Just as surprising as the calf was perhaps the fact that there were no other whales in sight...

There are a lot of fan favorites among the T49As, but this is an appreciation post for one of the members who doesn't get as much attention, T49A5 Nebula.

After two weeks off the north end of Vancouver Island we are back home in the Salish Sea but with lots of data and media to process from 17 total encounters with Northern Resident killer whales. Check out our video!

This was a morning I will not soon forget! It was the first day of our 2024 time in Telegraph Cove and we got to meet up with the A34s. While shut down we were able to drop our hydrophone and listen in to their calling back and forth.

Since at least July 22nd, T65A5 Indy has been traversing the Salish Sea on his own and has been busy "doing Indy things", according to many of those who have been lucky enough to see him!

On the afternoon of May 30th, a group of Bigg's killer whales were picked up outside of Friday Harbor. Of course, tracking killer whale sightings the way we do, I was curious to find out who they were. When a friend messaged me and said "T19B is here" I said: "Impossible!" But, there he was!

The T146s, rarely seen in the Salish Sea, showed up this week, as did the T146As who as far as know have not been documented in the Salish Sea before!

The T90s were seen off the Oregon Coast on April 24 and made it Sidney Spit by April 29!

T46D, Strider, is has always been a bit of a wanderer. For those who were concerned, we got confirmation of his whereabouts! Thanks to photos taken by Jason Duncan and shared by Comox Valley Wildlife Sightings.

Update: Center for Whale Research has reported that calf J60 was not seen during their January 27th encounter with J-Pod.

Our consecutive days of confirmed Bigg's killer whales in the Salish Sea streak came to an end.