Task Force
Governor’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force
Former Governor Jay Inslee signed Executive Order 18-02: Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force in March 2018 and directed state agencies to implement immediate actions to benefit Southern Resident killer whales.
The order also established the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force to identify, prioritize, and support the implementation of a long-term action plan for the recovery of Southern Resident orcas to ensure a healthy and sustained population for the future.
The task force was responsible for preparing comprehensive reports to identify needed policies and programs with recommended priority actions to support recovery efforts, highlighting budget needs, and recommending legislation.
Creating the Task Force
The task force consisted of fifty representatives from different sectors, including local, state, federal, and Tribal governments; the Washington State Legislature; the private sector; nonprofit organizations; and the government of Canada.
Three workgroups were created, representing each major threat to killer whales: vessels, contaminants, and prey. Each group consisted of subject matter experts and stakeholders to support the task force with the best available science and to analyze potential actions.
Task Force Results
The task force developed a package of forty-nine recommendations in two reports supporting six goals:
- Increase Chinook salmon abundance.
- Decrease disturbance of and risk to Southern Resident orcas from vessels and noise and increase access to their prey.
- Reduce the exposure of Southern Resident orcas and their prey to contaminants.
- Ensure that funding, information, and accountability mechanisms are in place to support effective implementation.
- Reduce threats from climate change to Southern Residents, the region’s biodiversity, and the well-being of Washington’s people and economy.
- Reduce the threat that population growth and development pose to the critical habitat and sensitive ecosystems that Southern Residents and their food web rely on.