Killer whales – or orcas – have been declared an endangered species since 2005, although they were threatened with extinction long before that. Even Hollywood made an effort to raise awareness and give orcas a different facet – the name “killer whale” estranged the public and many were indifferent to their issue, by making the popular movie “Free Willy” and its sequels. Given their status, all the orcas in the world are under close scrutiny. The last count rose to 90 orcas.

Seven of the planet’s last killer whales were regular visitors of Puget Sound. Their survival depends on the Chinook as food, the Chinook itself being an endangered species. The distress of these two species raises yet another alarm that the ecosystem as a whole is facing serious problems. Saving orcas depends on saving the salmon they feed on. Saving only one species is not only nearly impossible following a natural path, but also dangerous if achieved artificially.

The seven Puget Sound orcas haven’t been seen around for nearly a year. They are believed to be dead by scientists – which is the grimmest prospect. If the conviction proves true, scientists already have explanations: the increasing number of noisy boats hindered the whales’ process of foraging for food. The Chinook salmon being endangered and dropping in numbers, it’s easy to understand why the seven whales ever left for bluer seas or have unfortunately died. The last time such a big number of whales died was in 1999. The group that recently disappeared showed excellent signs of development and gave scientists hope, as two of the females bore calves. However, one of the whales in the group was declared emaciated by scientists, when spotted last week.

The five mature whales were named Splash, Aurora, Ankh, Blossom and Lummi. The group also included Luna, a killer whale who ended up in Canadian waters in 2001. The two calves were numbered J-43 and L-111 – they disappeared before getting a chance to be named.