SRKW 2022 Calves

J59 breaching with mom (Hy’Shqa J37)

Photo by: Emily Perkovic

With the recent announcement from DFO, we now know that both 2022 Southern Resident calves (J59 & K45) are female!

J59 was first spotted in early March off San Juan Island traveling with Hy’Shqa, Notch & Suttles (J37, J47 & J40). J59 is Hy’Shqa’s second calf, her first T’ilem (J49) was born in 2012.

J59 breaching with mom (Hy’Shqa J37)

Photo by: Emily Perkovic

A video of a potential new K Pod calf was collected in April of this year. In July, the calf was posted again traveling with Spock (K20), and officially designated K45. Like J59 K45 is also Spock’s second calf, her first Comet (K38) was born in 2004. K45 is the first calf born into K Pod, the smallest of the SRKW pods, since 2011, when Ripple (K44) was born.

This is great news as reproductive females are vital to increasing the SRKW population and each new female brings hope for the future of the population!