Globally, orca populations have rebounded since the 1970s, but a group isolated in the North Pacific may be dwindling due to inbreeding
Orcas living off the west coast of the US may be inbred to the point of stunting the population’s recovery. Researchers found these inbredCompared with other orcas , this group, known as the southern resident population, is strange. For starters, its members live year-round in the North Pacific Ocean, while most other orcas migrate around the world. They also only eat fish, avoiding mammals such as sea lions that most orcas include in their diet.
And unlike their cousins, the southern resident population is declining. By the 1970s, commercial fishing and water contamination had depleted the number of orcas around the globe. Habitat and hunting protections have since helped the species make strides toward recovery, but the southern resident population isn’t following suit.
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