#l84

L84 Nyssa: 1990-2019

Possible great-grandson of L9 Hopi

Probable grandson of L3 Oriana

Son of L51 Nootka

Brother of L97 Tweak

Probable nephew of L33 Chinook, L59 Fred, and L74 Saanich

Possible great-nephew of L5 Tanya

Possible first cousin once removed of L58 Sparky and L73 Flash

The Center for Whale Research is announcing today that we are back down from 76 to 73 Southern Resident killer whales with the deaths of one whale in each pod. These are photos I took today in their workshop where they track the family groups for all three pods.

Nyssa (L84) 1990-2019 💔

It has been a sad day as the Center for Whale Research announced that L84 is missing from the Southern Resident community of orcas, along with J17 and K25, bringing the total population down to 73. News release at: https://www.whaleresearch.com/july2019population

Thanks to Cindy Hansen for sharing her thoughts below on the news of the loss of L84, Nyssa. ❤️ To help us through these losses, we must all gather our strength and continue to move forward doing anything we can to bring back the salmon for the Southern Resident orcas...

Oh Nyssa. 😪

The end of a matriline is a truly tragic event in a population full of tragedies. And what a beautiful amazing matriline it was back in the day. L5 Tanya with her big handsome sons L58 Sparky and L73 Flash. The three of them were so tight knit. Cousin L74 Saanich was usually nearby with his mother L3 Oriana. Those three boys were so impressive together and I looked forward to seeing them whenever I was on the water.

When L84 Nyssa’s mother L51 Nootka died, witnesses reported that they had seen Saanich and his nephew Nyssa trying to feed Nyssa’s orphaned sibling pieces of salmon. But L97 was an infant and he or she also perished.

They are all gone now. A wonderful family that is now an empty space in an ID guide that has more tombstones than photos of living whales. We thought L84 had beaten the odds by adopting a new surrogate mother and some new brothers after the rest of his family died. And I guess for a while he did. I’m glad he had them at the end. Such a sad sweet story.

Please don’t let them be forgotten. We have to keep these stories alive even when the whales are no longer here to show us. RIP Nyssa. You will be deeply missed my friend.

Cindy Hansen, longtime educator, naturalist, Orca Network Education Coordinator and friend of the orcas

Photos by Alisa Lemire Brooks, Orca Network Sighting Network Coordinator

BaT Auction: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible L84 Fuelie 4-Speed

This 1965 Chevrolet Corvette convertible was delivered new to Yenko Chevrolet of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and was acquired by the seller around 16 years ago. Finished in silver with a black soft top over a matching vinyl interior, the car is powered by a 327ci fuel-injected L84 V8 paired with a four-speed manual transmission. Additional features include a Delco-branded AM/FM radio, pop-up…

L84 Nyssa  1990-2019 L84 Nyssa. Adult male Nyssa was the only living member of the family group, the L9s, at the time of his death . He was often seen traveling with L-54 Ino and her offspring. On August 7, 2019, the Center for Whale Research declared Nyssa as Deceased.