The oldest resident orca on British Columbia’s south coast is believed to have died. Known as K7 and the matriarch of K pod, (and more affectionately as Lummi) hasn’t been seen since Christmas. Her pod was seen in early June but she was not with them.

This whale was notable for two reasons: female orcas generally live to approx 50 years in the wild and this grandmother whale is believed to have survived for nearly a century during one of the most dangerous periods for orcas because at one point, they were regarded as killers, and often shot by fishermen and fisheries officers, bombed by planes for target practice, or killed through attempts to capture them for display. Orca experts believe she was born about 98 years ago and if not seen for a full year, will be officially be declared dead.

Scientists divide West Coast orcas into four separate populations. The southern and northern resident orca populations return every summer to the islands along the B.C. coast to hunt salmon in larger pods using complex vocalizations. A third group of transient orcas roam more freely over a much wider overlapping range in smaller pods, and generally hunt marine mammals. Not much is known about a recently documented fourth population living farther offshore that is believed to feed mainly on fish, but also hunts marine mammals and sea birds.

The southern resident population however is one of the most studied and frequently seen off Vancouver Island. Their numbers have dropped as much as 20 per cent in the past 12 years, with approximately 80 left in their population. Recent studies have indicted the population could be extinct in as little as 30 years if the downward trend continues.

The whales are a popular tourist attraction on B.C.'s south coast - the whale-watching industry in the area is estimated to be worth more than $100 million per year, more than the entire B.C. commercial salmon fishery!