A critically endangered southern resident orca known as J31 was seen near Sombrio Point carrying and pushing a dead calf with her J Pod family members in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
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For the fifth time in the past decade, a female southern resident killer whale from the critically endangered population was found pushing and carrying a dead calf in the Salish Sea, according to the Washington-based Center for Whale Research.
Researcher Mark Malleson encountered J31, also known as Tsuchi, swimming with the dead calf and immediate family members in J Pod on Saturday near Sombrio Point in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Centre said it was unclear whether the newborn was male or female, whether it had been carried to full term and died after birth, or whether it was a stillbirth.
In a social media post Wednesday, the Centre said the loss was particularly significant given J31’s reproductive history and the continuing challenge of successful reproduction within the critically endangered population.
The 31-year-old whale had four miscarriages between 2009 and 2013 and had been observed carrying a deceased calf once before in 2016.
J31 has one surviving offspring, a daughter born in 2019 known as J56 or Tofino.
The Centre said there are 75 southern resident killer whales living in J, L and K pods, with J Pod holding 27 members, adding that the birth and survival of every calf matter to the population.
The Centre pointed to longstanding reproductive difficulties and said one of the most significant factors limiting the population’s ability to reproduce and recover is the lack of availability of large, nutritionally rich Chinook salmon the whales depend on.
It said recovery depends on creating conditions in which mothers and calves can survive and thrive.
The Centre also referenced past cases in which other southern resident whales carried dead calves, including J35, known as Tahlequah, which carried her dead calf for 17 days in 2018, and J35 carrying and pushing the dead female calf for 11 days after losing another calf in January 2025.
In September 2025, the Centre documented another dead calf with its umbilical cord still attached being carried by its mother, J-36 or Alki, in Rosario Strait between the San Juan Islands and Anacortes, east of Greater Victoria.
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