Resident orcas live in coastal waters, while offshore orcas live in the open ocean and have a larger geographic range. The table below shows the top three threats to orca populations. Table1. Factors considered in listing and potentially affecting recovery of Southern Resident killer whales.
Threat Listing Factors Severity Likelihood Feasibility of Mitigation
Prey availability Habitat High High High, many salmon recovery efforts underway
Contaminants Habitat, Inadequacy of Existing Regulations High High Medium, Puget Sound clean-up efforts underway
Vessel effects (commercial, recreational whale watch) Habitat, Overutilization, Inadequacy of Existing Regulations High High High, whale watching guidelines and outreach underway, NOAA evaluating regulations and/or protected areas
© 2016 Source: Final Recovery Plan for Southern Resident Killer Whales, NMFS 2008a

What prediction can you make about the impact of these threats on the resident populations versus the transient populations?
The resident populations are more likely affected by these threats because of their proximity to shore.
The resident populations and the transient populations are likely to be equally affected by these threats.
The transient populations are more likely affected by these threats because of their distance from shore.
Neither the resident populations nor the transient populations are likely to be affected by these threats in the future.