The only orca whale calf born to the J Pod last fall died as long ago as November, when it was only a few weeks old, according to whale experts who confirmed the death earlier this month.

It was likely due to food scarcity rather than habitat contamination or mother-baby bonding issues, according to Ken Balcomb, executive director of the Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor.

The calf was first spotted Nov. 6, 2007, and was thought to be only a few days old.

Balcomb added that it was not unusual for the orca to die, as 40 percent of calves do not survive.

On November 21, 2007, independent researcher Mark Sears saw the J Pod without the calf.

“The pod was acting kind of strange that day; they weren’t foraging,” he said. “They just came down and turned around, even though there was a lot of chums (salmon) around.”

He said he couldn’t guess the cause of the calf’s death, but added that it would have been a boon if researchers had found its carcass. Orca carcasses are rarely found because they usually sink, but when a carcass is retrieved, it is a “treasure trove of information,” Sears said.

Information on the toxins the whale has accrued throughout its lifetime as well as its sexual viability can be determined from a carcass, he said.

Sears works for the National Marine Fishery Service, the orca research arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), out of Fauntleroy Cove near the north end ferry terminal. He tracks the orcas when they come to the waters off the shores of Seattle, Vashon and Bainbridge, and has been tracking the black-and-white mammals since 1976, when Puget Sound orcas were still being snatched from their habitats and relocated to aquariums.

Annie Stateler, one of Vashon’s resident whale aficionados, said the calf frequented Vashon waters in early November.

The calf’s mother had raised several calves, so it was “mysterious” that her youngest died, she said.

“The common wisdom is that the first-born calf takes a really heavy hit of the mother’s toxin load through the placenta and nursing. That’s why it’s believed that the successive calves have a better chance of survival.”

She also said the inexperience of first-time mothers can contribute to the deaths of orca calves.

“It’s a rough life living in the ocean,” she said.