On Jan. 24, the National Marine Fisheries Service released its final recovery plan for the Southern Resident orca pods, saying that recovery of the region’s iconic marine mammals will be a long-term effort requiring community support and that its plan provides a roadmap to help restore the population to healthy levels.

The Southern Resident pods — so-called because they spend much of the year here — were listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act in late 2005. The recovery plan is a requirement of that listing.

The pods were reduced in population from 1965-75 as a result of captures for marine parks. Before those captures, the population was estimated at about 121, Dr. Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research said in an earlier interview. Fifty whales were captured or died during capture; when the captures ended, the population was 71.

The population climbed to 99 by 1995, then dropped to 79 in 2001. It climbed to 80 in 2002, 83 in 2003, 85 in 2004 and, in 2005, 89. It has seesawed the past few years and is now 88, according to the Center for Whale Research. There are 26 whales in J pod, 19 whales in K pod and 43 whales in L.

NMFS said pollution, availability of prey and effects from vessels and sound are major threats to the whales’ health. The recovery plan addresses those issues, summarized in the following executive summary of the roughly 200-page plan. (To view the plan and related documents, visit http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Marine-Mammals/Whales-Dolphins-Porpoise/Killer-Whales/ESA-Status/Orca-Recovery-Plan.cfm )

Prey Availability: Support salmon restoration efforts in the region including habitat, harvest and hatchery management considerations and continued use of existing authorities under the Endangered Species Act and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to ensure an adequate prey base.

Pollution/Contamination: Clean up existing contaminated sites, minimize continuing inputs of contaminants harmful to killer whales, and monitor emerging contaminants.

Vessel Effects: Continue with evaluation and improvement of guidelines for vessel activity near Southern Resident killer whales and evaluate the need for regulations or protected areas.

Oil Spills: Prevent oil spills and improve response preparation to minimize effects on Southern Residents and their habitat in the event of a spill.

Acoustic Effects: Continue agency coordination and use of existing Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act mechanisms to minimize potential impacts from anthropogenic sound.

Education and Outreach: Enhance public awareness, educate the public on actions they can participate in to conserve killer whales and improve reporting of Southern Resident killer whale sightings and strandings.

Response to Sick, Stranded, Injured Killer Whales: Improve responses to live and dead killer whales to implement rescues, conduct health assessments, and determine causes of death to learn more about threats and guide overall conservation efforts.

Transboundary and Interagency Coordination: Coordinate monitoring, research, enforcement and complementary recovery planning with Canadian agencies and federal and state partners.

Research and Monitoring: Conduct research to facilitate and enhance conservation efforts. Continue the annual census to monitor trends in the population, identify individual animals, and track demographic parameters.

Recovery Goals, Objectives, and Criteria: The goal of the plan is to restore the endangered Southern Residents to the point where they no longer require the protections of the Endangered Species Act.

According to the plan, the Southern Resident killer whales will be eligible to be taken off the endangered species list if the population has an average growth of 2.3 percent per year for 28 years. They could be downlisted to threatened status after a 2.3 percent growth per year for 14 years.

NMFS estimates the plan will cost $1.5 million a year, or $49.5 million over a 28-year recovery period.

Many efforts are under way in the region to address recovery of depleted salmon stocks, improve the condition of the marine environment and assist in prevention and response to oil spills. Gov. Christine Gregoire’s Puget Sound Partnership is working to improve the health of the region’s marine environment by 2020. Projects are under way to improve salmon populations. The state Legislature is considering a bill that would require all vessels to keep a 100-yard distance from the endangered whales; violation carries a $500 fine. The bill mirrors a law approved last year by the San Juan County Council.

NMFS said the plan was developed with input from federal and state agencies, tribal governments, non-profit groups, industries, academia, and concerned citizens. Development of this plan was closely coordinated with the State of Washington and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

NMFS is a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.

“I am very excited about the recovery plan,” e-mailed Dr. Joe Gaydos of the Orcas Island office of SeaDoc Society, a marine ecosystem health program.

“NOAA has not just been sitting around since the 2005 listing of the Southern resident killer whales. Many people have been actively studying causes and potential causes for Southern Resident killer-whale decline and new information on vessel noise, contaminants, disease, strandings and other stressors has been incorporated into the plan. I like that while the plan includes efforts to continue to gather information where we need information, it plainly calls for action where we already know we need action — items like recovering declining salmon stocks and cleaning up contaminated sites in the region.

“I am not an economist, but with an estimated recovery cost of $50 million, what’s not to love here? Whales are a cultural icon and a critical component of the ecosystem and they have a huge economic impact on the region.”

Gaydos cited a 2001 study that assessed the value of the whale-watching industry in Washington at $13.6 million annually and in British Columbia at $69.1 million in 1998. This included estimated customer expenditures for accommodations, food, tours, travel and other expenses.

However, People For Puget Sound stated in a press release that the plan lacks specifics in actions needed to address the threats.

“We know that toxic pollutants are in the fats of Southern Residents and that the levels of these pollutants in their prey — salmon — need to be reduced,” People For Puget Sound’s Heather Trim said. “However, where are the actions to match these known threats? Current regulations are not protecting orcas. We would have like to have seen specific regulations proposed by NOAA in this recovery plan.”

Targets for reducing pollutant levels and for increasing prey levels are not specified in the plan, according to Trim.

“The plan continues to rely on the salmon recovery plans for prey increases,” she said. “With global warming and other threats, we know that these plans are not adequate. The plan also continues to rely on ongoing Puget Sound Partnership efforts rather than outlining what the Partnership need to address in its Action Agenda.”

One of the only definitive actions identified in the plan is to establish permanent funding for deploying a year-round rescue tug at Neah Bay, Trim said.