DRAFT Washington State Status Report for the Killer Whale Prepared by Gary J. Wiles Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Program 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA 98501-1091 November 2003 Nov ’03 i Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife This is the Draft Status Report for the Killer Whale. Submit written comments on this report and the reclassification proposal by February 3, 2004 to: Harriet Allen, Wildlife Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, Washington 98501-1091. The Department intends to present the results of this status review to the Fish and Wildlife Commission for action at the April 9-10, 2004 meeting in Spokane, Washington. This report should be cited as: Wiles, G. J. 2003. Draft Washington state status report for the killer whale. Washington Department Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 117 pp. Cover illustration by Darrell Pruett Nov ’03 ii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................VII LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................VIII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................IX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................X INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 TAXONOMY....................................................................................................................2 DISTRIBUTION............................................................................................................... 4 CLASSIFICATION OF KILLER WHALES IN THE NORTHEASTERN PACIFIC ........... 4 Resident Killer Whales................................................................................................................. 5 Southern residents....................................................................................................................... 6 Northern residents ...................................................................................................................... 7 Other residents............................................................................................................................ 7 Transient Killer Whales ............................................................................................................... 7 Offshore Killer Whales................................................................................................................. 8 NATURAL HISTORY...................................................................................................... 9 Social Organization....................................................................................................................... 9 Residents ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Transients.................................................................................................................................. 11 Offshores................................................................................................................................... 12 Vocalizations................................................................................................................................ 12 Diving and Swimming Behavior................................................................................................ 14 Diet and Foraging ....................................................................................................................... 15 Residents ................................................................................................................................... 15 Transients.................................................................................................................................. 17 Offshores................................................................................................................................... 20 Food requirements.................................................................................................................... 20 Nov ’03 iii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Other Behavior............................................................................................................................ 20 Traveling................................................................................................................................... 20 Resting....................................................................................................................................... 20 Socializing................................................................................................................................. 21 Courtship and mating ............................................................................................................... 21 Parturition................................................................................................................................. 22 Alloparental care ...................................................................................................................... 22 Care-giving behavior................................................................................................................ 22 Interactions between transients and residents.......................................................................... 22 Aggressive behavior.................................................................................................................. 23 Movements and Dispersal .......................................................................................................... 23 Southern residents..................................................................................................................... 24 Northern residents .................................................................................................................... 27 Transients.................................................................................................................................. 27 Offshores................................................................................................................................... 29 Dispersal among residents and transients................................................................................ 29 Habitat Use .................................................................................................................................. 30 Residents ................................................................................................................................... 30 Transients.................................................................................................................................. 31 Use of rivers.............................................................................................................................. 31 Reproduction and Growth .........................................................................................................31 Mating season and behavior..................................................................................................... 31 Gestation period........................................................................................................................ 32 Calving season and characteristics of newborns...................................................................... 32 Development and growth of young ........................................................................................... 33 Characteristics of reproductive adults...................................................................................... 33 Survival, Longevity, and Natural Mortality............................................................................. 34 Survival ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Longevity................................................................................................................................... 34 Natural mortality ...................................................................................................................... 34 Diseases .................................................................................................................................... 35 Parasites ................................................................................................................................... 36 Human-Related Sources of Mortality and Live-Captures...................................................... 37 Aboriginal harvest .................................................................................................................... 37 Commercial exploitation........................................................................................................... 37 Mortality associated with killer whale depredation ................................................................. 38 Incidental human-related mortality .......................................................................................... 39 Live-captures for aquaria ........................................................................................................