British Columbia’s southern resident killer whales are on the verge of extinction. This population of orcas is down to 74 as of September 2018. As a result of climate change, pollution, overfishing, and fish farming, the herring and chinook salmon population has declined. Chinook rely on herring and orcas rely on chinook as staple food sources. Constant vessel traffic creates ocean noise affecting the essentiality of echolocation communication.

This life of stress and poor nutrition has resulted in orca’s becoming Canada’s most endangered marine mammal. The killer whales are an important symbol for Canadians history and culture, displaying significance for First Nations and a major factor in the ocean ecosystem. This concerning crisis needs to be recognized by Canadian Government ministers to create change.