Alva Review-Courier -

SEATTLE (AP) — Improving salmon runs could help the endangered killer whales that frequent the inland waters of Washington state, according to a new study that found the orcas cannot find enough fish to eat and that's causing them to have pregnancy problems.

Researchers analyzed hormones in orca excrement collected at sea and found that more than two-thirds of orca pregnancies failed over a seven-year period. They linked those problems to nutritional stress brought on by a low supply of Chinook salmon, the whales' preferred food.

"A large number of whales are conceiving, but when nutrition is...