The lone orca whale known as Luna was killed on Friday March 10th, 2006 in an accident with a tugboat near Gold River.  The accident happened at approximately 9:30 a.m. in extremely rough weather when Luna was swimming under the vessel and was struck by the tugboat's propeller. 

It is clear that Luna’s death was an accident, and there is no blame. DFO surveyed the site of the accident, interviewed the skipper of the vessel involved and collected samples for scientific purposes. These samples will be further analyzed to help in the understanding of marine mammals.

All groups with an interest in L-98 - First Nations, scientific bodies, conservation groups and both Canadian and US governments - had the same objective: to protect Luna and to protect the public. DFO’s efforts were aimed at minimizing interactions between Luna and boaters, and in collaboration with First Nations, carried out a public education and awareness program. While there were several options available to manage the solitary whale, each had inherent risks and no guarantees for a positive outcome. 

Luna’s legacy will be higher awareness and understanding of killer whales. The Southern Resident population is endangered and is facing increased human pressures from noise and pollution.  The Southern Resident population is listed as endangered, and the Northern Resident population as threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

A draft recovery strategy for Resident Pacific killer whale populations has been developed to address the recovery of these whales.