Orca Recovery Conference
The purpose of the conference was to draw together scientists, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations to discuss a recovery plan for the Southern Resident orca population. There was plenty of speculation as to whether the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) would list Southern Resident orcas under the Endangered Species Act. Yet despite the failure on the part of the NMFS to list the orcas as an endangered species, it was generally accepted even before the conference that action would be needed to ensure the survival of this population.

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Here are the Conference documents: the Final Report, Papers presented, and various Addendums:

• Behavioural Responses of Male Killer Whales to a 'Leapfrogging' Vessel", by Rob Williams, David E. Bain, John K.B. Ford and Andrew W. Trites (File Size: 138 KB)
• Orca Recovery Conference 2002 Report, (File Size: 563 KB)
• Status of Killer Whales in Canada, by Robin W. Baird, (File Size: 542 KB)
• Status Review under the Endangered Species Act, by the National Marine Fisheries Service, (File Size: 542 KB)
• Petition to List the Southern Resident Killer Whale as an Endangered Species, (File Size: 542 KB)
• Southern Resident Killer Whale Workshop, the National Marine Mammal Laboratory, compiled by Marilyn Dahlheim, David Bain, Christy Sims, and Douglas DeMaster, (File Size: 435 KB)
• Georgia Basin - Puget Sound Ecosystem Indicators Report *NOTE: This PDF weighs in at over 7 MGs.
• Evaluation of Factors Influencing the Population Dynamics of the Southern Resident Population of Killer Whales, by Carlos M. Alvarez-Flores and Glenn R. VanBlaricom, (File Size: 683 KB)
• A Model Linking Energetic Effects of Whale Watching to Killer Whale Population Dynamics, by David Bain, (File Size: 402 KB)
• Population Trends of Southern Resident Killer Whales from 1960-1999, by David E. Bain and Kenneth C. Balcomb III, (File Size: 416 KB)
• The Navy’s Relative Contribution to Puget Sound Pollution, by Fred Felleman, MSc., (File Size: 198 KB)
• A Review of Potential Infectious Disease Threats to Southern Resident Killer Whales, by Joseph K. Gaydos, Kenneth C. Balcomb, III, Richard W. Osborne, and Leslie Dierauf, (File Size: 174 KB)
• Bioenergetic Changes from 1986 to 2001 in the Southern Resident Killer Whale Population, by Birgit Kriete, (File Size: 323 KB)
• Addressing Non-Point Toxic Effluent: One Possible Solution to the Decline, A Proposal by Project SeaWolf, (File Size: 52.1 KB)
• Wave of the Future: The Orca Pass International Stewardship Area, by Bryan Nichols, (File Size: 977 KB)
• Short- and Long-term Effects of Whale Watching on Killer Whales in British Columbia, by Andrew W. Trites and David E. Bain, (File Size: 31.8 KB)
• Behavioural Responses of Killer Whales to Whale-Watching Boats: Opportunistic Observations and Experimental Approaches, by Rob Williams, Andrew W. Trites and David E. Bain, (File Size: 330 KB)
• Policy Regarding the Recognition of District Vertebrate Population - Notice, the Federal Register, (File Size: 33.2 KB)
• Recovery Plan Guidelines, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Office of Protected Resources, (File Size: 61.9 KB)
• Endanbgered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: 12-Month Finding for a Petition to List Southern Resident Killer Whales as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Federal Register, (File Size: 55.2 KB)
• Regulations Governing the Taking and Importing of Marine Mammals; Eastern North Pacific Southern Resident Killer Whales, the Federal Register, (File Size: 37.2 KB)