Groups bid farewell to deceased orca
At age 98, killer whale was the oldest in pod of southern residents
Judith Lavoie
Times Colonist
Friday, September 26, 2008
She's been missing and presumed dead for several months, and now it's time to say good-bye.
Lummi, the oldest orca among the three pods of endangered southern resident killer whales, did not return to the waters off southern Vancouver Island and Puget Sound this summer, and a celebration of her life will be held tomorrow at Lime Kiln Point State Park lighthouse on San Juan Island.
The ceremony, organized by the Orca Network and The Whale Museum at Friday Harbor, will include stories about Lummi and a special tribute by the Ohileq-sen canoe family from the Lummi Nation.
Whales must be missing for a year before being officially declared dead by the Center for Whale Research. Though Lummi was last seen Dec. 23, 2007, her absence from the pod since leaves little doubt that she is dead, said Howard Garrett of the Orca Network.
The whale, officially designated K7, is believed to have been born in 1910.
"Her loss removes a repository of cultural knowledge and history of the southern residents," Garrett said.
"She knew more than anyone about the last 90 to 100 years, and it was a tumultuous century."
In her youth, Lummi saw the first downturn in salmon stocks and, as more Europeans moved into the area, orcas were considered vicious killers and routinely shot.
"She had to guide her family to find scarce salmon and avoid hostile humans fishing for the same fish," Garrett said.
Then came a period of intense whale hunting that lasted until the 1970s, when legislation finally offered the mammals official protection.
Today, the main threats to the tiny, remaining population -- 87 whales in the three resident pods -- are pollution, falling salmon runs and noise.
The oldest remaining whale is believed to be Granny (J2), born in 1911, followed by Ocean Sun (L25), born in 1928.
For information about the tribute to Lummi, e-mail cindy@whalemuseum.org or susan@orcanetwork.org.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=21017c09-6bec-45df-896d-7eb68d602e62