Orcas of Alaska struggle 26 years after giant oil spill

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Joe Copeland

Joe Copeland Jan 12, 2018

Jan 12, 2018

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                <h1>Orcas of Alaska struggle 26 years after giant oil spill</h1>
                <h2><p>National Geographic has produced a new documentary showing that the nearby population of orcas have never recovered in the 26 years since the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill. The local resident population lost 14 of its 36 members, according to National Geographic. The population of transient killer whales is now</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/joe-copeland-crosscut-com/">Joe Copeland</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Jan 12, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>National Geographic has produced a new documentary showing that the nearby population of orcas have never recovered in the 26 years since the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill. The local resident population lost 14 of its 36 members, <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160126-Exxon-Valdez-oil-spill-killer-whales-Chugach-transients/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">according to National Geographic</a>. The population of transient killer whales is now down to seven, compared with 22 before the spill. Part of the transient population's problems may stem from pollution carried from Asia. Something to think about as oil and coal shipping proposals are considered in the Northwest?</p>
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National Geographic has produced a new documentary showing that the nearby population of orcas have never recovered in the 26 years since the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill. The local resident population lost 14 of its 36 members, according to National Geographic. The population of transient killer whales is now down to seven, compared with 22 before the spill. Part of the transient population's problems may stem from pollution carried from Asia. Something to think about as oil and coal shipping proposals are considered in the Northwest?

By Joe Copeland

Joe Copeland is the former senior editor&nbsp;for Crosscut, where he has been an editor since 2010. Before that, he was an editorial writer and columnist for the Seattle P-I and editorial page edi