Southern resident orca calf missing, presumed dead: Center for Whale Research

FRIDAY HARBOR — The group that has been tracking southern resident killer whales since the 1970s says a calf in one of the three pods is missing and thought to be dead.

The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash., says it followed J pod in the Swanson Channel that runs through B.C.’s Gulf Islands but saw no sign of the calf designated as J64.

The organization says in a statement on social media that the team on the water on Oct. 23 saw J42, the calf’s mother, but the months-old calf was not with her.

The statement says they hoped it may have been nursing or with another group, but there was no sign of the young whale.

Based on the encounter, the organization says it is most likely that J64 is deceased.

The group says it will continue to monitor future encounters with the pod as its protocol is to consider a whale dead if it hasn’t been seen in three consecutive encounters, although they wouldn’t expect a newborn to be on its own for any length of time.

“This is J42’s first confirmed calf, and mortality rates for young calves, especially those born to first-time mothers, are incredibly high in the southern resident population. Poor nutritional status and the transfer of toxins from mother to calf during gestation and lactation are key factors,” the statement says.

The Center for Whale Research recently put the population of southern residents at 74.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press