Southern Puget Sound Resident Orcas

Southern Puget Sound's resident orca population has made gains since the early 1970s.

Date range: 1971-2005

Caption: Strict protection measures helped restore the southern Puget Sound resident orca population from 70 in 1976 to about 90 resident orcas, but the southern resident population is still nowhere near historic levels. Living next door to millions of people and their industry, orcas are constantly exposed to high levels of toxic contamination and their main source of food, salmon, are too scarce.