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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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Puget Sound-area killer whale population increases slightly
Tuesday April 15, 2003
NANAIMO, British Columbia (AP) The population of endangered
southern-resident killer whales off the coasts of Vancouver Island
and Washington state is increasingly slightly, a Canadian scientist
says.
Five calves have been born since last summer and one died,
leaving the population at a still-precarious 84 orcas, said John
Ford, senior marine mammal scientist at Fisheries and Oceans
Canada's Pacific Biological Station in this town northwest of
Victoria.
``I don't know if it is a record or not,'' Ford said Monday,
``but it is a big jump after the last couple of years anyway. It
does give cause for encouragement.''
Usually one to two calves are born to the southern residents in
a year.
Even a few more offspring can make a big difference, Ford said,
``but it may not represent the long term.''
The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Wash., has been
collecting information on the whales and sharing it with the
Canadian Fisheries Department.
Killer whales usually mate in the summer and have a 16- to
17-month gestation period. The calves, typically born in the
winter, have a mortality rate of about 40 percent.
More calves may be counted because two of the three pods are not
nearby and are expected to appear the area next month.
The L pod appeared in California's Monterey Bay last month and
have yet to return north. The J pod was off Parksville, northwest
of Nanaimo, in early March.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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