This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Puget Sound’s endangered resident orcas have welcomed yet another new addition.

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The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor confirmed on its Facebook page this weekend that a newborn orca, designated as J53, was seen traveling on Saturday in Haro Strait with a 38-year-old orca known as Princess Angeline.

Conservationists are thrilled. The newborn orca is the sixth baby born to Puget Sound’s three pods since last December, boosting their numbers to 82.

Michael Harris, the executive director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, said the whale watch community was referring to the baby boom as the “class of 2015”.

There could be more on the way. Federal biologists recently used drones to take thousands of images of the orcas, and they said several appeared to be pregnant.

The Puget Sound orcas that frequent the inland Washington waters are identified by unique black and white markings or variations in their fin shapes.

They were listed as endangered in 2005, and are struggling because of pollution, lack of food and other reasons. The survival rate for babies among the Puget Sound pods is about 50%.