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Every year, Salish Sea residents eagerly await the return of the southern resident killer whales to their Summer feeding grounds. In late June, the orca community’s three extended family groups or pods were spotted off the coast of Vancouver Island. This year a total of 73 orcas—made up of J, K, and L pods—have returned to a quieter ocean due to the COVID-19 shutdown, and recent sightings suggest that a member of J pod is pregnant. To find out more about these endangered social mammals and their future, we spoke to Ocean Networks Canada’s junior staff Scientist Kristen Kanes, who specializes in passive acoustics research methods to study at-risk cetaceans.

A federal investment in Ocean Networks Canada (ONC), an initiative of the University of Victoria, will advance the infrastructure and scientific data required to grow Canada’s ocean intelligence for the benefit of society and a sustainable planet. The funding announced on Tuesday is awarded to UVic through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Major Science Initiatives Fund, which supports a portion of the operating and maintenance costs of selected national science facilities across Canada. Funding ensures organizations like ONC continue to operate and maintain leading-edge ocean technology and data infrastructure.