(Salem, OR) -- The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission has accepted a petition to list the Southern Resident killer whales as Endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. There are 73 whales in three pods that swim off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. Their numbers have been declining. Some of the reasons include declining chinook salmon, high levels of pollution, disturbance from vessels and inbreeding. The whales are already listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The petition starts a biological assessment.