The appearance of orcas in Penn Cove this week is a reminder of  how much remains to be done to protect the beloved mammals.

It’s also a reminder of how much we’ve learned about the whales and how they live since the brutal roundup of orcas in Penn Cove in 1970. At the time, few people — if any — understood the dynamics of  pods and the importance of the family unit to the species.

In 1970, a group of orcas was herded into the cove, trapped and young whales were snatched from their pods to be transported to enclosures at marine parks, destined to become imprisoned entertainers. In the end, some of the older whales were left for dead, their carcasses later washing up on beaches.

Among those captured was Tokitae, who has performed as Lolita at Miami Sequarium for the past 45 years.

Frankly, whales jumping through hoops and gliding through a small pool with a trainer atop their backs is not natural, and has, arguably, placed the orcas at the center of marine park fatalities over the years.

Recently, Tokitae was added to the endangered species list, but it’s merely a designation at this point. It doesn’t mean she will be returned to the wild anytime soon, as advocates hope.

Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research and Howard Garrett of the Orca Network believe they have a solid plan to bring Tokitae home.

According to the Journal of the San Juans, Tokitae would be placed in a transitional coastal sanctuary sea pen where she could be monitored by veterinary staff, taught how to capture and eat live fish and follow a boat that would lead her to the open ocean.

Balcomb and Garrett say that, if Tokitae is not ready to be released into the open water, she can stay in the bay, receive human care for the rest of her life and have the real ocean to swim in.

It’s believed that the orca family from which Tokitae was snatched still roams Puget Sound waters, but has yet to return to the Penn Cove. The pod sighted in the waters of Coupeville is believed to be a transient group.

State Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas,  is prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5666, a preemptive strike against holding, capturing or importing whales, dolphins and other porpoises in Washington state for performance or entertainment.

“Washington is fortunate to share its waters with orcas and many other species,” said Ranker. “There is no good reason to put these animals at risk through captivity.”

We couldn’t agree more.

If the residents of Washington state don’t find a way to protect these incredible animals, who will?