In March 2000, Everett the orca was found dead, washed up on Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen.
A necropsy revealed the 23-year-old, a member of the fragile J-Pod family of southern resident killer whales, died from a bacterial infection for which he had no immunity. It also showed J18 suffered from reproductive deficiencies.
Jessica Scott, senior manager of the Whales Initiative at Ocean Wise, said the necropsy found high levels of toxic chemical compounds known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in his tissues.
Everett is the subject of a new display at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea in Sidney, funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk, and one of many activities, events and learning opportunities to mark Ocean Week, which runs from Friday to June 11.
As chinook salmon — the southern residents’ main food source — decline, Scott said the orcas are going hungry and forced to metabolize their blubber reserves, which releases PCBs and other toxins into their bloodstreams, causing immune and reproductive impairments.
Now J18’s skull is on display at the Shaw Centre, where Scott said his tragic story is a reminder of the impact human activities have on the ocean.
Scott said people can help create quieter waters for killer whales that enhance their echolocation hunting and communication capabilities by reporting sightings to the Ocean Wise Sightings Network via the WhaleReport app.
She said reports help to minimize vessel disturbances by using real-time sighting reports to alert ship captains of large commercial vessels, like tankers and ferries, to the presence of whales in their travel paths.
Scott said disturbances from recreational and commercial vessels can hurt whales’ ability to find prey that are already in short supply, and deter them from entering important foraging areas.
“Decreasing vessel disturbance can have an immediate positive impact, allowing killer whales to find food more effectively.”
The southern residents are down to just 73 animals in J-, K- and L-pods and are listed as endangered in Canada and U.S. waters. Ocean Wise is also documenting levels and trends of contaminants in mussels and nearshore ocean sediments.
PCBs were historically used in products such as industrial lubricants, paints and adhesives and were released into the environment in huge quantities throughout the 20th century, making their way into the ocean, where they persist to this day, Scott said.
PCBs work their way through marine food webs, beginning with the smallest organisms and eventually ending up in animals at the top of the food chain, including orcas like Everett.
Whale Trail sites are ideal spots for land-based whale watching. There are 16 on Vancouver Island. Go to thewhaletrail.org.
• For a list of activities and events during Ocean Week in Victoria, see oceanweekvictoria.ca.
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