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A story of an Orca- its fate and uncertain future. HOW WATER POLLUTION IN THE PUGET SOUND IS AFFECTING THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND THE DIVERSE POPULATION OF SALMON AND ORCAS. BY OLGA BAOS MALLOL

The weather in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, all along the coast of Victoria in Canada, is generally divided into four categories: cool, cold, very cold, and freezing. Even in Summer, when we are there, is smack dab in the middle of “freezing “and “very cold”, which means the skies are cloudy, and the sun is above the horizon only for a few precious days. The light is fantastic, bathing the sea in an ethereal glow.

Our Home

My family and I, J, -K and L-Pods travel 50 to 100 miles per day to reach this landscape from Northern California, to enjoy the rich sound estuary embraced by mountains, rivers, wetland and forests. The island, peninsulas and saltwater bays, were shaped once by ancient glaciers. We are not the only ones there. The area has colorful species of marine mammals and most important for us different kinds of Salmon. We love Chinook salmon, but this sort of salmon is severely decimated. My younger sister L-112 Sooke, washed-up dead when she was 3 years old and some of my brothers are dying from starvation. When we are fortunate to catch our favorite salmon, we have to share it among us, and sometimes is not enough to keep our bellies full.

The Puget Sound-Salish Sea Map. A Marine ecosystem stretching from British Columbia, Canada into Washington State, U.S. Map of the Salish Sea & Surrounding Basin. Map: Stefan Freelan. Retrieved from: https://www.eopugetsound.org/articles/salish-sea-geographic-literacy-survey
Whidbey Island scenery. June 21-23, 2019.

My home looks like a very healthy and vibrant fjord thou underneath the surface, it hides a variety of devastating ecological issues. It is not only because of global warming but mainly due to the unsuitable disposal of human and animal waste that causes water pollution, nutrient pollution and toxic pollution from city sewage, stormwater, and industrial dumping. Although we are considered the most watched population of Orcas in the world and an icon of the Pacific Northwest, we are at the brink of extinction. We need clean water in the Puget Sound and Salish sea.

Whidbey Island scenery. June 21-23, 2019.
Our Puget Sound waters should stay clean.

Different species of Salmons, especially Chinook Salmon and many shellfish have been impacted by the number 1 toxic pollutant in this area: Polluted Stormwater runoff. These toxic contaminants accumulate in our bubblers and make us sick to death and vulnerable to many infections.

Clean water stream. Carnation, WA June 2021 and Snoqualmie River near Fall City in WA.
Salmon exposed to polluted Stormwater dies before it can spawn. Picture from Washington State University K. King-USFWS Photo. Retrieved from: https://news.cahnrs.wsu.edu/article/salmon-are-dying-from-toxic-stormwater-runoff-puget-sound-area-residents-can-help-scientists-figure-out-why/.
Our Favorite Prey: Chinook Salmon threaten by Polluted Stormwater.

When we swim through the Tacoma Narrows, we can see a gooey and yellowish reflection in the water. The rain washes down all kind of litter from the roads, fertilizers, motor oils, toxic chemicals and other waste that goes directly to our waterways. Also, we find large pieces of unknown stuff, maybe plastic or food wrappers.

Stormwater- a cocktail of oil, fertilizers, heavy metals and waste that ends up in rivers and streams, very toxic to Chinook and Coho Salmon and other fish species. Stormwater runoff. Photo credit: Washington State Department of Ecology. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/puget-sound-partnership/can-polluted-stormwater-affect-soil-health-87208625cae8

All these toxic chemical contaminants runoff from neighborhoods, agricultural land and city streets and end up in streams and rivers and in the precious salmon habitat. Waste discharges from boats, sewage water, wastewater treatment plants, and ocean debris enter our waters, contaminating the Puget Sound shorelines and beaches and pass the toxics to us, the Southern Resident Orcas.

Stormwater Pollution killing our Salmon.
Stormwater Pollution in Puget Sound Streams Killing Coho Before They Can Spawn. Posted Thursday October 19,2017 Retrieved from: https://www.chronline.com/stories/stormwater-pollution-in-puget-sound-streams-killing-coho-before-they-can-spawn,22454
Stormwater and Salmon do not mix.
Dead salmon due to stormwater pollution. The Puget Soundkeeper. Retrieved from: https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/2017/10/25/polluted-stormwater-killing-salmon/ AND Southern Resident Orca pursuing some salmon. Retrieved from: https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/environment-and-planning/2018-03-14/not-too-late-to-save-critically-endangered-orcas-say-state-leaders-and-feds

But why is our most precious food disappearing? Our brothers and sisters, the Transient Orcas can eat harbor seals, squid and other fished, but we only like Chinook Salmon. We can consume hundreds of pounds of fish each day and the wellbeing of different salmon populations in the Puget Sound is very important for a healthy environment. 60% of our beloved Chinook and even Coho salmon population have been declining and we will not be able to survive if these conditions persist.

Mussels are great for monitoring water pollution
Mussels containing opioids in the Puget Sound. Bay Mussel Mytilus trossulus growing on the pilings of the Edmonds Ferry Dock. By Jeff Rice. Retrieved from: https://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/2018/05/bay-mussels-in-puget-sound-show-traces-of-oxycodone/

Our friends, the oysters, and mussels detect current contaminants in the water. Mussels do not have a liver and they do not metabolize the chemicals present in the water. They are filter-feeding organisms, and they build up those toxic contaminants in their tissues.

Razor Clams in the beaches of Olympic Peninsula in WA. Their shell is endangered by the acidified oceans. Picture by Olga Baos

Besides, ocean acidification, weakens the grip and the shells of many mussels putting them under crucial stress. Traces of opioids oxycodone were discovered in their tissues, as well as chemicals from detergents and cleaning products. Apart from all this human activity is diminishing and ruining ocean resources and driving our marine environment to extinction. We are considered the most contaminated animals on Earth with PCB. We store PCB in our bubbler which damage our immune system, harm our reproduction, and change our behavior.

Clamming Trip in the Puget Sound with Friends. We could not find many clams thou. Picture by Olga Baos
Only 72 remaining in the Salish Sea
A young Southern Resident Killer Whale chasing Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island, Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091. Retrieved from: https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/environment-and-planning/2018-03-14/not-too-late-to-save-critically-endangered-orcas-say-state-leaders-and-feds

Only 72 of us are remaining (between J pods, K pods and L pods) around the Salish Sea and the Puget Sound. While other orca population are doing well, we are the most vulnerable and the most endangered species. There are still three main reasons why we are declining so fast:

San Juan Island, June 2019. Whale Watching. Picture by Olga Baos
  1. The decrease of our favorite prey: Chinook Salmon
  2. The presence of so many pollutants in the water
  3. The disturbances and noise from the vessels that are disrupting our habitat and making echolocation difficult, especially when chasing and tracking our prey.
Whale Watching and Wildlife watching in August 2019, near Roche Harbor, WA in San Juan Island, WA. Picture By Olga Baos

The plunge of the Pacific Northwest salmon caused by climate change, has aggravated the situation in the habitat of the Southern Resident Orca and has put a major threat to our survival. Climate change has impacted the clean and cold water in the rivers where salmon live. Warmer air in the PNW has impacted the snowpacks which stores much of the necessary freshwater for the salmon to survive. In Springtime, when snow in the Cascade Mountains melts earlier, it provides less cold water to feed streams in the Summer, then the population of salmon decreases and there is less food for us, the Southern Residents.

Can you still create an environmental future for us?

Our situation among the Sothern Resident Whales has been aggravated. We are a species that do not diversify ourselves by joining and breeding with other orca population. We are menaced by the presence of loads of pollutants in our bodies. It is sad to see how pollution in the waters of the Puget Sound is impacting on us so clearly. When we are very hungry, we go hunting, putting a lot of effort in out catch. Thou, all those toxic chemicals from our bubblers go into our bloodstream, harming our immune system and putting us at risk of any disease. Our fertility rate decreases, and those toxins sometimes act as a neurotoxin, making us confused at the time of hunting for prey. Can humans still create a better environmental future for us?

Main Picture of San Juan Island, WA by Olga Baos Mallol.

Things to know.
Infographic made by Olga Baos Mallol

Left: Picture of San Juan Island, WA. June 2019 by Olga Baos Mallol.

“Social life for killer whales…is deeper and more omnipresent than it is for humans; their identities are defined by their families and tribal connections; and their empathy is powerful enough to extend to other species. If orcas have established empathy as a distinctive evolutionary advantage, it might behoove a human race awash in war and psychopathy to pay attention.” -David Neiwert1

olga_m_baos@hotmail.com/ sensipants@gmail.com/OMallol20@unity.edu

References: Other Pictures: Pollution in Our Waterways - Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Herring with Stormwater pollution picture. Retrieved from: https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/pollution/

First Picture: Photo by Bart van Meele on Unsplash. Retrieved from: https://becauseturtleseatplasticbags.com/for-the-love-of-orcas/

Second Big Picture: Deception Pass in Whidbey Island from the Bridge in June 2021

Department of Ecology State of Washington. Water and Shorelines- Issues and Problems in Puget Sound. Retrieved from: https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Puget-Sound/Issues-problems

Puget Sound Keeper. Pollution in our Waterways. Retrieved from: https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/pollution/

Clean Water advocates release frightening facts about pollution in the Puget Sound. By Kiersten Throndsen Wednesday, October 30th, 2013. Retrieved from: KOMO NEWS https://komonews.com/archive/gallery/clean-water-advocates-release-frightening-facts-about-pollution-in-puget-sound?photo=1

For the love of Orcas. December 11, 2020 by Marie. Quote at the end. Retrieved from: https://becauseturtleseatplasticbags.com/for-the-love-of-orcas/

Created By
Olga Baos Mallol
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