KGMI News
2016 was a rough year for our resident orcas, but researchers are encouraged by recent sightings in the San Juans.
The orcas that get their sustenance almost entirely from chinook salmon saw six deaths in the pod last year, bringing the total to 79.
KIRO reports the whales were rarely seen over the summer and researchers have determined they went to the open ocean to find more food.
The Pacific Whale Watch Association says if we can increase the chinook population, which has plummeted since 1980, it will benefit the orcas and give us the chance to see them more frequently.