In 2002, Krahn et al published a report for the US Department of Commerce, studying the number of Southern Resident Killer Whales in the US Northwest (Krahn et al, 2002). Their data, shown in Fig. 15.6, showed a significant decline in orca numbers from 1996 to 2001. The data from the final 10 years

a. Plot the data points from the table.

b. What is the approximate rate of growth of the pod in 1998?
(It will be a negative rate of growth, as the pod numbers are declining.)

c. When you estimate the growth rate in 1998, you are approximating the slope of the tangent to the graph. Is your approximation an overestimate or an underestimate? Explain your answer carefully.

d. What is the average rate of growth from 1996 to 2001?