Following Tokitae's sudden death, Northwest tribes call for repatriation of orca's remains Tokitae, the orca who died suddenly last week before her scheduled return to the Pacific Northwest, has been sent to the University of Georgia for an autopsy. It was a move that the Lummi Nation, one of the groups working to bring Tokitae home to the Salish Sea, said blindsided them. The tribe is now calling for the orca's remains to be returned to the region. Ruby de Luna Play AudioListen 2 mins
Lolita, oldest orca held in captivity, dies before chance to return to the ocean After years of pressure to set the Miami Seaquarium orca free, Lolita was scheduled to spend her final days in her natural habitat sometime next year. On Friday, she died of a "renal condition." Juliana Kim
2 rambunctious youngsters, no dying elders might spell hope for NW orcas Whale researchers say the Northwest’s endangered orcas have apparently had a very good year. John Ryan
'Things are looking really good' for captured orca's return to Salish Sea The lead veterinarian overseeing the orca known as Tokitae said she's in good clinical condition for her pending relocation from Miami to her native Washington waters. KUOW Staff
Revenge of the killer whales? Recent boat attacks might be driven by trauma The marine mammals have been "attacking" sailboats since 2020. But those encounters are becoming more frequent, and some say the orcas' tactics are evolving. Scott Neuman
Northern and southern resident orcas hunt differently. New study could help orca numbers According to a new study from the University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries, northern and southern resident orcas, who live in the Salish Sea have different fish hunting patterns. Natalie Akane Newcomb Play AudioListen 2 mins
First orca to be stranded in southeast U.S. in decades showed signs of illness A killer whale more than 20 feet long died after beaching itself in Palm Coast, Fla. This is the third known orca to be stranded in the southeastern U.S. and the first since 1956, an official says. Kaitlyn Radde
Fishing boat lifted out of orca waters after 5 weeks on sea floor A salvage team successfully lifted the Aleutian Isle onto a barge Wednesday afternoon, more than five weeks after the fishing boat sank into the depths off San Juan Island. John Ryan
Coast Guard postpones effort to remove sunken fishing boat after lifting it to surface Salvage crews have been unable to remove enough fuel and seawater from the Aleutian Isle to lift it onto a barge and transport it away from the critical orca habitat where it sank five weeks ago. John Ryan
