The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is asking scientists, organizations and members of the public to submit information as it reviews whether the Southern Resident killer whale should be listed as an endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
The review follows a petition submitted by the Orca Conservancy on Nov. 25, 2025. On July 10, 2026, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to make the Southern Resident killer whale a candidate for listing, granting the population the same legal protections currently afforded to endangered and threatened species while the formal review process is underway.
Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) are a distinct population of fish-eating orcas that range along the Pacific Coast from Southeast Alaska to Point Sur, California. Unlike the more commonly observed transient, or Biggs, killer whales that prey primarily on marine mammals, Southern Residents feed almost exclusively on fish, particularly Chinook salmon.
The population is made up of three family groups, known as the J, K and L pods. While they spend much of the year in the Salish Sea between Washington and British Columbia, the K and L pods are periodically documented in California waters, particularly during the winter months.
According to CDFW, the whales face several significant threats, including declining Chinook salmon populations, vessel noise and disturbance, exposure to chemical contaminants and the cumulative effects of these stressors on their survival and reproduction.
CDFW now has one year to complete a comprehensive scientific status review that will help guide the California Fish and Game Commission’s final decision on whether the population should be listed as threatened or endangered under CESA.
As part of that review, the department is seeking scientific data and public information related to the whales’ ecology, genetics, life history, distribution, abundance, habitat, current management efforts and the threats affecting the population.
Comments and supporting information should be submitted by Sept. 10, 2026, to allow sufficient time for review.
Information may be submitted by email to [email protected] with “Southern Resident Killer Whale” in the subject line, or by mail to:
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Marine Region
Attn: Dylan Stompe
P.O. Box 944209
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
CDFW noted that all submitted comments, including contact information, become part of the public record and may be disclosed under the California Public Records Act.
Once the review is complete, CDFW will prepare a peer-reviewed scientific report with a recommendation on whether listing the Southern Resident killer whale as endangered is warranted. That report will be made available for public review before the California Fish and Game Commission, which serves as the final decision-making authority under the California Endangered Species Act, considers the petition.
