The study says the most endangered types of Fraser River Chinook salmon are also the most energy-rich prey for the whales
Researchers say British Columbia’s southern resident killer whales are not only threatened by the decline of the overall salmon population but also the reduction in high-quality fatty salmon, the whales’ preferred meal.
Understanding the differences in “energy density” of salmon and their populations could help manage both the fish and the whales that feed on them, the researchers say in the study published in Nature last week. Lerner said the scientists began with the hypothesis that all Fraser River Chinook salmon have the same value to southern resident killer whales.
The study found that southern residents would have to consume 30 per cent more fall-run salmon than in the spring, since the early-run fish tend to be fatter and more energy dense. “We identified a spectrum of high, medium and low-lipid Chinook populations from the Fraser that can be used to better inform energetics models and manage both species,” said Lerner in a news release.
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