PORT TOWNSEND — Puget Sound Express, the Port Townsend-based whale watching tour company, encountered a new addition to one of the orca pods feeding in the Hood Canal area.
Puget Sound Express spokesperson Keven Elliff said people on the company’s whale watching boat out of Edmonds witnessed the T65A transient orca pod in Hood Canal, including its newest member, named T65A6, on Monday.
The calf of unknown gender was first sighted a couple weeks ago by researchers north of the region.
“T65As are transient orcas that are well-known in the Salish Sea,” Elliff said.
He said the pod is expected to stay in the area for another week or two, then begin to migrate south toward the Lilliwaup area.
The leader of the matrilineal pod, dubbed T65A, was born in 1986 and has had five offspring.
“This is an impressive rate of breeding for an orca,” Elliff said.
“She appears to have time for two to three more calves before her breeding period comes to a close around age 40.
“We are currently viewing mother and children in Hood Canal feeding on harbor seals which are plentiful,” Elliff added.
“The region’s transients are flourishing, thanks to federal protection of marine mammals such as seals and sea lions. It’s encouraging to note that the younger orcas are leading some of these hunts.”
In contrast, the Southern Resident orcas are not faring well due to the lack of salmon that makes up their diets.
