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Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...
WDC Seal Rescue April 2023 (1)

WDC conducts milestone seal rescue in Marshfield

For Immediate Release, April 10, 2023 MARSHFIELD, MA - A young grey seal was found...

New research reveals noise threat to endangered orcas

Findings from new research published in the journal Peerj highlights the negative impact that man-made noise could be having on endangered orcas.

The study looked at the effect of noise on the Southern Resident orcas of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest. Just 85 individuals survive in the wild and they inhabit some of the busiest shipping lanes on the west coast of North America. Previous studies have documented how low level frequency noise can have an impact on large whales, this one also looked at medium and high frequency sounds.

Orcas use echolocation to find their food, in particular chinook salmon in this area. Due to other environmental threats, the salmon have become increasingly rare in recent decades, so finding food is already an increasing challenge for the whales. The research looked at the sound made by a dozen type of vessels operating in the orcas’ home waters and discovered that the noise being created by many of these was so loud it was likely to be interfering with the orcas’s ability to communicate, navigate and locate their prey.

The research concludes that reducing the speed of vessels would improve the situation by making them quieter, as well as also reducing the risk of collisions.