From Environment America (https://environmentamerica.org/):
Scientists recently observed one of the skinniest orcas ever seen alive, struggling to stay afloat against the current — and then they never saw him again.
Orcas are starving.
Scientists recently observed K21, one of the skinniest orcas ever seen alive, struggling to stay afloat against the current — and then they never saw 
him again.1
K21’s death isn’t anomalous. Across Puget Sound, 73 surviving Southern Resident orcas are struggling to find food for themselves and their young. The cause? Dams in eastern Washington are blocking salmon — orcas’ main food source — from swimming to sea.2
But there’s a solution: Breaching the dams.
Call on the Biden administration to breach the Lower Snake River dams, restore orcas’ main food source and save these marine wonders at https://environmentamerica.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=47738.
When an orca can’t find enough food, it falls victim to a vicious cycle. Without proper salmon resources, the orca starts losing body fat. Its dorsal fin, which once soared out of the sea, begins to collapse.3
Less body fat leads to less buoyancy, meaning an emaciated orca has to swim harder and faster to keep itself from sinking. And in that process, it loses even more of the precious body fat it needs to survive.
Unfortunately, too many orcas have seen the last step in that vicious cycle, leaving only 73 Southern Residents in Puget Sound. If we don’t stop this cycle, these orcas could become effectively extinct in 15 short years.4
Help breach the dams and save orcas by adding your name.
There’s still hope for the critically endangered Southern Residents. Three pregnant orcas are set to give birth this year.5
If we want to ensure that these orca calves lead healthy lives and grow to lengths of up to 28 feet, we need to make sure that they have access to the salmon they need to survive.
The good news is that there’s a reserve of orcas’ primary food source just within reach. The only thing standing in the way is the Lower Snake River dams — and your voice can help breach those dams.
Right now, there’s growing momentum to save these orcas. Supporters like you have convinced some members of Congress as well as lawmakers in Washington state to breach the dams. Now, we need to get the Biden administration on our side, too.
Urge the Biden administration to save orcas by breaching the Lower Snake River dams.
1. Lynda V. Mapes, “Did the oldest male southern resident orca die too young — at just 35?,” The Seattle Times, August 16, 2021.
2. Lynda V. Mapes, “Northwest tribes unite over GOP congressman’s pitch to breach Lower Snake River dams,” The Seattle Times, May 27, 2021.
3. Lynda V. Mapes, “Did the oldest male southern resident orca die too young — at just 35?,” The Seattle Times, August 16, 2021.
4. “Three Critically Endangered Killer Whales Are Pregnant In British Columbia,” News 18, September 21, 2021.
5. “Three Critically Endangered Killer Whales Are Pregnant In British Columbia,” News 18, September 21, 2021.
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