FRIDAY HARBOR, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – It’s been a good year so far for the Southern Resident Orca population in the Pacific Northwest.

The Center for Whale Research released the results of its annual population survey on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Their census cycle runs from July 2, 2025 through July 1, 2026. During that time, 76 living Southern Resident Orcas were counted.

Four orca calves were born during the census period, but only two survived through July 1. One of those calves helped boost the K Pod’s overall annual population for the first time in two decades, and it marked the second year in a row where a new calf was born. No other adult whales were pronounced dead during the census cycle.

The Center for Whale Research warns that historically, periods of growth are often followed by a sharp decline. They attribute the drops to low reproduction rates and a lack of abundant salmon to sustain their populations.