Putting the Data to Work: The Southern Resident Killer Whale Health Database and the Fight to Save a Species

The Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) of the Pacific Northwest are each known by name. The members of the J, K, and L pods have been the subjects of admiration and concern, as they are both highly beloved and critically endangered, with only 74 individuals remaining as of July 2025 (Center for Whale Research).

Why Health Data Matters More than Ever

A typical doctor’s visit for your yearly check-up might seem routine at this point. Your doctor may ask if you’re getting enough sleep, discuss your mental health with you, and ensure you’re eating a healthy diet. They’ll listen to your heart, your lungs, and may even take a blood test to check your cholesterol. At the end of your visit, your medical records are updated for later reference. You leave, maybe with a Band-Aid on your arm from getting this year’s flu shot, and then go on about your day.

For wildlife veterinarians, whose patients cannot communicate with them and are often hard to find in the jungles or oceans they live in, medical check-ups are anything but routine. And when a patient population is facing critical extinction, as are the Southern Resident killer whales, time is of the essence for these veterinarians to understand the whole picture.

A Brief Profile of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

Killer whales, also known as orcas, are the largest members of the dolphin family and are found in every ocean around the world. Since the 1960s, the killer whales in the Pacific Northwest of North America have been extensively studied due to their proximity to the coast and their time spent in the inshore waters of the Salish Sea.

Thanks to these efforts, we know that some killer whale populations can be separated into unique groups, known as ecotypes, based on their genetics, behavior, diet, morphology (i.e., their external appearance), and vocal communication. For example, there are three ecotypes in the Pacific Northwest:

• Residents (both Northern and Southern)
• Transients (a.k.a. Bigg’s)
• Offshores

We also know that they can live in tight-knit family pods led by a matriarch – the oldest female in the pod. In fact, killer whales are one of the few mammalian species aside from humans that go through menopause. These older pod members can pass down their pod’s specific culture by teaching their young unique hunting techniques and call types. Their specific dorsal fin shape and saddle patch, the white splotch behind their dorsal fin, allow us to identify individuals and build family trees that can span generations.

Saving the Southern Residents: From Challenges to Conservation

The Southern Residents have faced a variety of human-caused stressors that have led to their population decline, and were officially added to the U.S. endangered species list in 2005, where they still remain. Their main threats include, but are not limited to, depletion of their salmon food sources, noise pollution, and disease. Fortunately, there are a lot of scientific eyes and brain power going into their conservation efforts – from fisheries management and vessel noise reduction programs, to detailed monitoring of each individual’s health. These comprehensive snapshots are critical to inform long-term strategies for conservation and protection of the population. However, with a lot of science comes a lot of data, and making sense of the decades of photographs, behavioral observations, biological samples, and stranding reports can feel like a slew of jigsaw puzzle pieces waiting to be sorted into its final picture.

Building the Southern Resident Killer Whale Health Database

The creation of the Southern Resident Killer Whale Health Database began in 2016 when Dr. Joe Gaydos, science director at SeaDoc Society in Washington state, and fellow killer whale researchers from the US and Canada, gathered together and proposed the creation of a database to facilitate health evaluation in individual animals. On a grander scale, the goal for the database was to enable scientists to cross-analyze multiple, well-developed datasets to better evaluate the interaction of threats and define recovery options for this endangered population. “To all of us, [killer whales] symbolize freedom, family, and strength”, says Dr. Gaydos in one of his popular Salish Sea Wild videos on YouTube. “The urgency of the Southern Residents’ decline makes it necessary for us to view these wild animals the same way medical doctors see their human patients”. Consider a health database for killer whales to be similar to the records kept at your doctor’s office, where detailed notes on your family’s medical history and test results can help tell your story, and where future impacts to your health can be predicted and mediated.

Collaboration with NMMF began in 2017 with Dr. Stephanie Vann-Watson and was later led by Dr. Forrest Gomez, director of Conservation Medicine. Risa Daniels, who joined in 2019 as the Senior Data Analyst and Database Manager, said she was “beyond excited when asked to support the killer whale database project. By design, this database was built to answer questions, and the questions that can be answered are limited really only to the creativity of the asker, and the skill and experience of the analysts and end users.”

Questions like “How many killer whales are found stranded in Alaska every year?”, or “What types of toxins are found in the organs of adult killer whales?”, or even “How does blubber thickness change between a healthy and unhealthy killer whale?” can all be answered by working within the database. “We even had an artist reach out to us, wanting to make a to-scale sculpture of a killer whale,” says Jessica Sportelli, Research Associate and data manager of the database. “We were able to share accurate measurements for pectoral fins, circumference, dorsal fin, and flukes. Even the distance between the blowhole and the tip of the rostrum”.

The goal of building an all-encompassing health database, not only for the SRKWs but for killer whales all over the world, is similar to the goal of any scientist ― put the data to good use. Compiling decades of research into one accessible place allows patterns to be recognized, trends to be predicted, and progress to be celebrated. “Databases and technology can be powerful tools for researchers and policymakers working to protect endangered species”, says Lisa Clowers, software engineer for the SRKW database. “My hope is that this database enables collaboration and provides information that inspires inquiry and empowers proactive decision-making for the survival of the Southern Resident killer whales and other endangered species.”

A Closer Look at the Data

So what kinds of data make up the database, and where does it come from?

Data come from both living and stranded killer whales, collected by research groups and independent scientists stationed all over the country; from marine mammal stranding teams at Alaska’s Fisheries Science Center (NOAA), citizen science programs in Washington state, to veterinary labs at the University of Florida. Good science does not exist in a vacuum. Therefore, it was essential to the SeaDoc Society and NMMF to ensure that the scientists contributing their hard-earned data felt that their data were secure, represented properly, and attributed to the ones who did the work, highlighting the collaborative efforts that are necessary when protecting a species or environment. There are several types of data included in the database, one as equally important as the next.

Stranding Reports

When a killer whale carcass washes up on shore, stranding reports tell us where these whales are and give us a chance to take important body measurements like length, diameter, and weight (although sometimes weighing an adult killer whale that can reach over 6,000+ lbs on the beach is not possible!). The age and sex of the killer whale can be identified depending on how long the carcass has been on the beach. And pictures collected at the scene can help identify the individual if they’ve been observed in the wild before.

Necropsy Reports

Necropsy reports, or animal autopsies, can hold key information about the cause of death to individuals. Measurements of organs, blubber thickness, tooth condition, and observations of parasites are important clues to the story. Sometimes the results are obvious, such as intense bruising around the spine from a vessel strike or a stomach full of plastic. Other times, answers are better found in the lab through testing blood, urine, feces, and stomach contents.

Lab Reports

Lab reports that detail infections, illness, and even the accumulation of man-made toxins like Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) that enter the water through runoff and climb up the food chain, are windows into the current health of the water these animals are swimming in and into potential disease carried by other members in the pod. Knowing which illnesses and pathogens are influencing the immune system of these animals can help create detailed management plans for wildlife veterinarians.

Behavioral and Veterinary Notes

Behavioral and Veterinary Observation notes made by scientists on the water can contain information like normal and abnormal behavior, counting which individuals are traveling with each other, and even noticing if their breath stinks (yes, really, as stinky breath can be a sign of a respiratory infection).

Photographs and Imaging

Photographs from the field, at a stranding site, during the necropsy, and lab images help scientists visualize the results. Close-up photos of organs and CT scans of killer whale skulls can show us trauma and teach us about anatomy. Photos of blood, muscle, or even parasites taken under a microscope can show scientists things that are easy to miss with the naked eye.

The Database Today

By the end of 2024, there were at least 137 individual killer whales entered into the database, over 200 photos, and countless pieces of data ready to be used. “The opportunities for this database are endless,” says Jessica Sportelli. “We need collaborative tools like this now more than ever”. Risa Daniels agrees. “Knowing the power of this database,” she says, “I was positive that once researchers trusted their data was secure, it would absolutely be a tool to support the recovery of this population.”

Today, the database is in the capable hands of the dedicated staff at the Center for Whale Research, where it continues to grow. Dr. Michael Weiss, Research Director for the Center for Whale Research, says the database has been updated thanks to collaborations with SeaDoc Society and Northwest Conservation Tools, to be accessible for researchers, wildlife veterinarians, and decision makers. “We have been working with our colleagues from several government, academic, and non-profit organizations to add more datasets and develop tools that management agencies can use to make informed decisions for individuals and the population,” says Dr. Weiss. The updates include a new dataset dedicated to scat samples collected from SeaDoc Society, along with more details on SRKW demographics, something the Center has been famous for collecting over many decades. The work is not done, but thanks to the dedication of multiple organizations, scientists, veterinarians, and concerned citizens, there is hope for this endangered population of killer whales to thrive.

Join the Effort to Protect the Southern Resident Killer Whale

The NMMF is proud to have played a part in the conservation efforts of this species, and we’re not stopping here. Join us in continuing this vital work by donating today. Your support helps protect marine mammals and the ecosystems they call home.