Presidential Address: The orca conjecture
本文研究商业船只交通（与国际贸易相关）对南居留虎鲸种群的负面影响，利用生物学证据说明船只噪音干扰觅食和社交行为，并通过种群间竞争加剧灭绝风险。
Abstract In this address, I argue that the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population has been negatively affected by commercial vessel traffic, tied to international trade, in the post‐1998 period. I present new data showing a dramatic increase in both the volume of kilometres travelled and the composition of vessel traffic in the Salish Sea. By exploiting recent work in biology linking vessel noise to changes in foraging and socializing behaviour, I argue that these changes have degraded their habitat significantly. Moreover, because SRKWs and Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKWs) share prey, this negative vessel disturbance shock to the SRKW is magnified by the existence of across‐population competition. Vessel disturbance magnified by competition for prey has placed the SRKW on a slow‐motion path towards extinction.