Orcas take a hit

I was dismayed to see both of these stories Saturday morning, about how seven orcas, including the baby, are now assumed dead. And the reason, they probably starved to death because there were not enough salmon to eat.

Now before anyone uses this as an excuse to shoot the sealions again (which I believe orcas do hunt), think about why there aren't enough salmon in the food chain. And it's not because of the sealions.

Photo from the Seattle Times.

Salmon news, orca news

I've been collecting string on fish, and mammals that swim of late.

I first spotted this orca story this weekend, talking about the sea wolves going down to California to find something to eat, because presumably, they can't find grub up here (fish, salmon, seals).

In the all things are connected train of thought, part of the reason there may not be enough food to keep the orcas here, can be traced to the environmental degredation that results in fewer fish for them to eat in the first place.

Of course, they might not find the salmon fishing much better in California, according to this article.

Finally, there's an interesting New York Times piece that talks about environmental groups struggling to define what to protect in the age of global warming and changing ecosystems. The article again talks about the effort to save the salmon here, when the fish are having trouble making it upstream due to thermal blocks in the rivers.

Photos courtesy of the Associated Press