New baby orca spotted off Whidbey Island

Orca fans are celebrating the arrival of J43 to one of the local pods.

It's not the catchiest name, but does follow the scientific format of designating which group of orcas it belongs to and its birth order.

And since no one knows yet if it's a boy or a girl, J43 will suffice for now.

The baby orca was discovered by observers on Whidbey Island on Tuesday, and confirmed by government scientists Wednesday. It's the fifth offspring of J14, or Samish, a 33-year-old orca. That's a plus for the new arrival.

The mother "has had a chance to offload a lot of her toxics on the other calves," said Susan Berta, co-founder of Orca Network, a non-profit that tracks the animals.

The local orca population has declined in recent decades and was declared at risk of extinction under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2005.

Threats to the orcas' survival include toxic pollutants, a shortage of salmon to eat and disturbance from pleasure and commercial boats. Toxic substances build up in the orcas' fat and can be passed from mother to baby during development and nursing.

The orcas spend part of the year in Puget Sound and around the San Juan Islands, venturing up and down the West Coast from late fall until late spring.

Recently the family of orcas known as J pod has been seen around Shilshole Bay, between the Edmonds-Kingston ferry run and near Bainbridge and Vashon islands.

This birth brings the number of orcas in J, K and L pods to 88. Photos are online at orcanetwork.org.