Mark Balcomb News Today

His annual orca survey helped transform the animals’ image from soulless predators to compassionate creatures worth protecting.

Kenneth “Ken” Chester Balcomb III – a tenth-generation Balcomb – died peacefully in his sleep on Dec. 15, 2022 surrounded by loving family at the Center for Whale Research’s “Balcomb Big Salmon Ranch” above the shores of the Elwha River near Port Angeles, Washington.

Researcher spent five decades studying the Pacific Northwest's endangered killer whales and help ended their captivity at marine parks.

Researcher spent five decades studying the Pacific Northwest's endangered killer whales and help ended their captivity at marine parks.

Ken Balcomb, an orca researcher who championed the endangered species for nearly five decades, dies at 82 years old from prostate cancer in Washington.