A newborn orca has been spotted off the west coast of San Juan Island, say whale researchers.

The killer whale calf is part of J Pod and has been labelled J-51. It is one of just 79 members of the endangered southern resident killer whale population in B.C. and Washington state.

J-51 was born to J-19 – nicknamed Shachi by whale enthusiasts - according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association. Shachi was born in 1979 and had given birth to two calves before J-51, according to the Orca Network. Her ten-year old daughter, J-41, was also in attendance. The newest baby appears healthy, the Center for Whale Research said in a press release.

In December, another baby orca was spotted swimming in the Southern Gulf Islands. That whale was labelled J-50 and was considered the first successful birth in two-and-a-half-years, according to Howard Garrett, a director of Orca Network. J-50 was also spotted with its J-16 family on Feb. 12 when J-51 was first spotted.

It was at first thought that J-16, the whale it was swimming with, was J-50's mother, but scientists now think J-16 was actually “babysitting” for her daughter, J-36, said Ken Balcomb, from the Center for Whale Research in Washington state.

In early December, a 19-year-old whale identified as J-32 and a full-term fetus it was carrying were found dead off the shores of Vancouver Island. Another calf had died about a month earlier.

This brings to twenty-six the number of whales in J pod, the most viable pod in the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale population. K pod has 19 individuals, and L pod has 34 individuals, according to the Center for Whale Research.

With a file from Canadian Press

mrobinson@vancouversun.com