4 FALL/WINTER 2018 PSF.CA
Focus on
Chinook
CHINOOK & ORCAS
T
wenty-five years ago, Chinook returns in the Strait of Georgia mysteriously
plummeted by about 90 per cent and never recovered. Now, Southern Resident
Killer Whales are on the brink of extinction, with only 74 left. One of the main
reasons is lack of Chinook – a keystone species within its ecosystem. The Salish
Sea serves as critical foraging ground for these orcas, where Chinook make up to 90
per cent of their diet. For reasons not fully understood, Southern Residents rarely switch
their primary food source, and thus face starvation in the wake of dismal Chinook returns.
While the plight of these struggling whales and their need for more food has been
well-documented by the media, Chinook have been a major priority of the Pacific Salmon
Foundation long before they were in the headlines. Since inception, PSF has invested via its
Community Salmon Program to conserve, enhance and restore Chinook and their habitat.
And about five years ago, PSF added a major research and restoration initiative to
its eorts – the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project – focused on Chinook recovery
in the Salish Sea. In the pages to come, we shine the spotlight on a few critical programs.
The decline of Chinook salmon has contributed
to a corresponding drop in Southern Resident
Killer Whales. Several initiatives in the Salish
Sea Marine Survival Project (SSMSP) are
targeted at staving off extinction for both.
MAIN PHOTO: ALAMY
