The Impact of Environmental and Biological Factors on Orca Populations and Their Conservation

Abstract

As the top predator of the ocean, the orca’s role in protecting the environment should not be underestimated. Although the protection of killer whales is not mature at this stage, with the deepening of research on killer whales, the protection measures will become more and more perfect. This paper introduces the biological characteristics of orca populations, analyzes the effects of these four factors on orcas from dietary habits, reproductive habits, migration and the environment, as well as the relationship between human beings and orcas, and the results of the research are those orcas are most affected by the marine environment, reproductive habits are the second, and the dietary habits are mainly affected by the marine environment, so the best way to protect the orcas is to reduce the effects of marine pollution on their food sources, such as salmon’s heavy metal overload. This paper mainly give attention and protection to the neglected marine predator populations to monitor the development of the marine ecosystem better. There are still questions about the nutritional value of orca food and orca hunger tolerance that still need to be addressed, and future research could focus on the nutritional value that orcas receive and the direction of how to balance the relationship between humans and orcas.