Hope to heartbreak: Newest endangered B.C. orca calf missing, presumed dead

Hope has turned to heartbreak for B.C.’s endangered southern resident killer whales. Newborn calf J64, who was first spotted in mid-September, has been declared missing and presumed dead by researchers from Washington-based Center for Whale Research. The calf’s mother J42, also known as ‘Echo’, was observed travelling with other members of J pod Oct. 23, in Swanson Channel off Mayne Island. “We found J42 and held the camera trigger down while waiting for J64 to pop up behind her,” said researchers in their report. “Unfortunately, J64 did not surface after J42. We hoped maybe it was nursing or something, but we kept seeing J42 surface repeatedly, and there was no calf with her. “After a few long dives and still no calf, we had to conclude that J64 did not survive and was now gone.” Hopes the newborn was playing with other whales, including calves J62 and J63, were also quickly dashed, notes the report. While J64 is “most likely deceased,” researchers will continue to monitor for the calf in future encounters, as their standard protocol is to consider an individual dead after three consecutive encounters without the whale present. “However, unlike adult whales, which may travel a significant distance from other whales for extended periods, we would not expect a newborn to be on its own for any length of time,” researchers said. The newborn was J42’s first confirmed calf. According to the Center for Whale Research, mortality rates for young calves, especially those born to first-time mothers, are incredibly high in the southern resident population. “Poor nutritional status and the transfer of toxins from mother to calf during gestation and lactation are key factors,” they said. “Southern residents need healthy, abundant chinook salmon populations to sustain themselves and the calves they raise if this population is to survive.” News of the calf’s likely death comes only weeks after the Center for Whale Research released the results of its 2025 census study. As of July 1, the southern resident population stood at 74, up just one from last year’s 73. During the census period, one adult male known as K26 – missing since the summer of 2024 – was confirmed dead. Four births were also documented across the year – three in J pod, and one in L pod. Of those four, only two females, J62 and J63, survived to the July 1 census. Born after the census period, J64 was not included in the count.