Southern Resident killer whales face nutritional crisis as Chinook salmon populations collapse, with hunger driving chronic stress and population decline in one of the worlds most-studied whale groups.
Southern Resident killer whales are experiencing documented starvation from insufficient prey. Malnourished females fail to maintain pregnancies or produce enough milk for calves. Calves born to malnourished mothers have high early mortality. The whales are observed engaging in extended, unsuccessful foraging behavior that indicates chronic hunger. This is a welfare crisis caused by human disruption of the salmon runs these whales evolved to depend on — dams blocking migration, overfishing depleting runs, and warming water reducing salmon survival. Dam removal offers the most direct welfare intervention available.