Endangered Orcas Get New Protection From US Government

A female resident orca whale breaches while swimming in Puget Sound near Bainbridge Island, as seen from a federally permitted research vessel, Wash., on Jan. 18, 2014. Elaine Thompson/File/AP Photo

SEATTLE—Endangered killer whales received new habitat protections from the U.S. government on Friday.

The National Marine Fisheries Service finalized rules to expand the Southern Resident orca’s critical habitat from the Canadian border down to Point Sur, California, adding 15,910 square miles of foraging areas, river mouths and migratory pathways.