The Canadian Press
SECHELT, B.C. — A dead orca found on British Columbia’s coast has been identified as a member of an endangered population.
Fisheries and Oceans spokesman Dan Bate said a male orca was found Tuesday near Sechelt, B.C., on the Sunshine Coast.
He said the animal has been identified as J-34, a southern resident killer whale believed to be about 18 years old.
The southern resident killer whales are a clan of about 80 orcas that live in the waters off southern British Columbia and Washington state.
Results of a necropsy scheduled for Wednesday are expected soon.
At least two other animals in the group have died this year, including a 23-year-old female called J28 who died in October and male known as L95, which died in April.
Paul Cottrell, Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal coordinator, credited the Coast Guard and Sechelt First Nation for being quickly available to assist with the recovery.
“The people we were able to get here quickly is amazing, and a testament to how dedicated they are,” he said.
“Every day that goes by you lose information in terms of tissues and pathologies. So it’s good that we acted fast in determining the cause of death for this animal.”
Also known as Double Stuf, J-34, which was born in 1998, was part of the pod that experienced a baby boom in 2015, with eight calves born in total.
It’s one of three pods that make up the southern resident killer whale population, and it comprises of approximately 80 members.
Canada listed the southern resident killer whale as endangered under the Species At Risk Act in 2003.
