The first baby orca of the year has been born to J pod, boosting an endangered population of whales that needs every birth it can get.

The calf was spotted chugging alongside its mother in Puget Sound between Des Moines and the north end of Vashon Island on Sunday.

The birth brings to 88 the population of southern resident killer whales that frequents Puget Sound. That's a bit of a comeback after a drop in population of 20 percent between 1996 and 2001. Orcas, a species of dolphin, were listed as endangered in November 2005.

"This has us back on an increasing trend, and that is good news," said Lynne Barre, marine-mammal specialist for the National Marine Fisheries Service. However the baby's mother, born in 1998, is quite young, raising concern for the survival of both the mother and her offspring. Orcas don't usually come into their reproductive years until they are about 15.

Births among the southern resident orcas are not unusual; last year there were five. But the youngsters often die, so they aren't officially counted in the orca population until they are a year old.

The Marine Fisheries agency has proposed regulations to protect orcas, including new restrictions on whale watching. The rules would create a no-go zone for recreational-vessel traffic along the west side of San Juan Island, where the orcas spend much of their time feeding in the summer months.

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