The local population of orcas has been threatened by a number of factors in recent years, including habitat loss, and over-fishing, especially of Chinook salmon – the primary food source for this group of killer whales.
But California whale lovers are celebrating because the federal government recently decided to expand protections of critical habitats for the endangered species, including all of Monterey Bay and a portion of Big Sur.
"I think it’s really great and very important," said orca researcher and Oakland resident Kelly Newman.
According to Newman, record numbers of killer whales are coming into Monterey Bay in search of food.
"If you just go in a boat, you see whales within an hour," she said. "You don’t have to go that far."
Newman records calls of killer whales and said that among other things, noise pollution from ships is also threatening orcas, hindering their ability to communicate with each other.
"They will send a call that will travel several miles, a few miles away, and they will be coordinating their movements with other groups," she said.
The new protection expansion will hopefully mitigate that issue, along with other factors threatening the species including oil spills, ocean pollution and ship strikes.
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