Yesterday L Pod made history as the first Southern Resident killer whales to return to Penn Cove since the horrific captures in 1970. Today Ls surprised us all again by not only returning to Penn Cove, but going much further into the cove.

For our supporters in British Columbia ⬇️. Orca Conservancy’s Board Secretary will be speaking on Thetis Island this Sunday (10/08)! .

What do you want to know?.

RT @EmergencyInfoBC: Tsunami Watch upgraded to Tsunami ADVISORY for #BC Notification Zones A, B, C & D. Strong & potentially dangerous wave….

RT @BayCetology: The NRKW ID app version 2.0 is now live! Recent populations updates include 20 newly documented calves, 8 missing individu….

Photo: J63 and J40 Suttles (front), J41 Eclipse, J62, and J27 Blackberry (back). Picture Credit: @kendyjnelly.

She is the first calf born to J40 Suttles, an encouraging development that the population has another reproductive female. Female calves like J63 are vital for future growth. Both male & female calves play a key role in supporting genetic diversity needed for long-term survival.

J63 IS A GIRL! 🩷 . In early July, researchers got photograph of the underside of J63, confirming her to be a female!. J63, first seen in April 2025, is the youngest member in J Pod.

RT @OakBayNews: "Urgent and bold action" is needed to save the endangered southern resident killer whales from extinction “before it’s too….

📸: AK6s | Emma Luck.

📸: Cook Inlet Beluga | Emma Luck.

📸: Members of the AT1s | Emma Luck.

Weakening the Marine Mammal Protection Act now puts other vulnerable populations, like the Southern Residents, at risk of the same irreversible outcome.

Their collapse shows what can happen when protections fail or come too late. Strong, science-driven safeguards like those in the MMPA are essential to prevent other vulnerable populations, like the Southern Residents, from meeting the same fate.

The AT1 killer whale population, a unique group of mammal-eating orcas in Prince William Sound, was devastated by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Declared depleted under the MMPA, this population has seen no births since 1984 & is now functionally extinct.

The MMPA directly mandates the sustainable management & protection of critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales, their habitat, & prey. Under proposed changes, marine mammals would no longer be protected from activities with high potential for disruption or injury.

• Constrain the federal definition of ‘harassment’ so it no longer prohibits actions with potential to harm marine mammals.• Require unreasonable or impossible data to estimate population abundances & design best practices for management, which will hinder conservation efforts.

The proposed amendment would: .• Strike down protections for poorly-known populations, such as Alaskan killer whale populations.• Eliminate best-practice precautionary approaches backed by decades of science

What’s happening: Earlier this week, Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) introduced a draft bill amending the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), the landmark federal legislation that has guided marine resource management and conservation in the United States for over fifty years.

🚨 ACTION ALERT 🚨 . Contact your representatives to protect the Marine Mammal Protection Act from weakened regulations. We have put together additional information, contacts, suggested talking points, & resources. Hearing Date is July 22nd.

Photo 1: J Pod in a greeting line (Southern Residents).Photo 2: T19 Nootka breaching during a predation (Transients).Photo 3: A5 Pod (Northern Residents).

Our work is rooted in protecting wild orcas & the web of life they depend on. That means restoring wild salmon, defending clean waters, & speaking up for the wild places that sustain us all. Today is a celebration and a reminder that their survival depends on our choices.