The Herald editorial crying “waste” about money spent to move the baby orca (“Saving Springer cost the taxpayers a pretty penny”), is an example of thinking in a little corner of the box. We humans, especially editorial writers, must at some point begin to notice that we are using up our planet’s living foundations and poisoning or otherwise degrading whatever is left. Starting in September, 8,000 square miles of coastal waters off Oregon and Washington will be declared off-limits for bottom trawling by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Nobody noticed that we were removing virtually all the bottom fish until it was too late. These fish reproduce slowly and neither the fish nor the fishery, will return for over 100 years. Oops. If editorial writers had supported the scientists who tried to sound the alarm ten years ago, that disaster may not have been so severe.
Ecologic calamities tend to cause economic catastrophes. We have to learn to notice these mistakes before they reach catastrophic proportions.
Another such tragedy in the making is the steep die-off of Washington’s orca population. In 1995 our much-loved resident orcas, the J, K and L pods of the Southern community, had slowly rebounded from the capture era of 30 years ago to almost 100 individuals. Then salmon runs reached historic lows, while at the same time chlorinated chemicals and fossil-fuel contamination poisoned their bodies to the point that their immune systems were compromised and many were unable to reproduce. Springer is a member of the Northern orca community, from northern B.C. waters. Until recently, it was believed that this population was faring better with over 200 animals and growing, but new surveys have revealed that they are also losing members faster than they are reproducing.
Moving the baby orca has demonstrated the indelible family bond that holds orca communities together. As a society we’ve gained a new understanding of our orca neighbors. We’ll need to understand and care about them much more if we are to do what it will take to rebuild salmon stocks and clean up the waters that the salmon, the whales and we, too, depend on. Moving Springer back to be with her family was a profound educational experience and an exercise in caring about the natural life around us. Let’s build on that effort and do more to help the orcas. Future generations will be glad we did, and disappointed in us if we don’t.
Orca Network
Greenbank
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