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Thursday, May 21
 

9:30am PDT

Spatial patterns of foraging activity in endangered killer whales shift with changes in Chinook salmon abundance
Thursday May 21, 2026 9:30am - 10:00am PDT
Critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) rely heavily on Chinook salmon as their primary food source. Declining salmon stocks, coupled with vessel noise and habitat degradation, are pushing the population towards an extinction vortex. By integrating 20 years of SRKW behavioral research with a regional Chinook salmon index, we developed spatial models to compare whale distribution and behavior in the waters of the U.S. San Juan Islands and Canadian Southern Gulf Islands during periods of varying prey abundance. GIS allowed us to harmonize disparate datasets and visualize habitat use relative to static management boundaries. We found that in low salmon years, foraging became more diffuse and shifted beyond their historical core summer habitat, highlighting potential mismatches between dynamic ecological processes and fixed conservation zones. Our approach demonstrates how GIS can inform adaptive, transboundary management. SRKW survival and recovery depends on international collaboration and safeguarding of habitat.
Speakers
avatar for Kimberly Nielsen

Kimberly Nielsen

Research Associate, Oceans Initiative
Kimberly is a marine ecologist driven by a deep commitment to using science to support conservation. Her work has taken her from the Northeast Pacific to Antarctica, studying how highly mobile species like cetaceans respond to environmental and anthropogenic change.

She is currently a Research Associate with the non-profit Oceans Initiative, where she contributes to a broad range of applied conservation research. Her work spans field-based data collection, spatial and statistical modeling, and scientific writing, with a focus on translating data... Read More →
Thursday May 21, 2026 9:30am - 10:00am PDT
409
 
2026 WA GIS Conference
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