Puget Sound orca pods sport 2 newborns

Good news for Puget Sound's endangered orca whales: Two newborns have been spotted.

The newest babies, J44 and L112, were spotted off the waterfront of Victoria, B.C., earlier this month. They are probably only about a month old, said Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research, who photographed the animals.

The births bring the population of southern-resident killer whales that frequent Puget Sound to 85, still too low for comfort. The animals were listed as endangered in November 2005.

Balcomb keeps track of the population under a contract with the federal fisheries service, reporting twice a year with counts in July and October. It is too soon to say whether all the known animals have made it through the winter. But Balcomb said he has concerns about L57, a 31-year old male who has not been photographed lately — even though the orcas he tends to swim with have been.

"I can't really say one way or another," Balcomb said. "He is not in the pictures we took. We will see as spring goes along. It is very unlikely he went off by himself; he is 31 years old and has been swimming with these whales for 31 years.

"On the other hand, he could just be 10 miles behind, and no one saw him. We just hold out hope that he is out there somewhere."

Orcas can give birth any time of year, and the number of births to the southern-resident population can be as high as seven in a year. These are the first known births of 2009.

Balcomb was heartened at how healthy the babies looked. He described them as well-fleshed-out — not skinny — and vigorous and adventurous.

The animals are so young that a fetal fold crease can still be seen on J44, ahead of the dorsal fin, indicating the whale was probably only a few weeks old when photographed. Balcomb isn't sure of the animals' gender yet, or who their mothers are. That will come in time, as the animals are seen together.

The federal fisheries service is considering enacting restrictions to help the animals recover and rebuild to healthier populations. Researchers are looking at a range of factors to find out what is putting the animals at risk, from underwater noise, to scarcity of the salmon the orcas like to eat, to toxins in the food chain and more.

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com