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WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

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...

Washington State's Lummi Tribe introduces new path to bring Tokitae home

A new angle is being explored in the ongoing effort to retire Tokitae (also called Lolita) and bring her back to her home waters in the Salish Sea.  Held captive at the Miami Seaquarium since she was taken from the endangered orca population known as the Southern Resident community in 1970, Tokitae was given the same Endangered Species Act protection as her family members in 2015.  This opened new legal avenues for addressing her captive living conditions and for securing her retirement to a seaside sanctuary.

The Lummi Nation, a Native tribe in Washington State, has long supported the movement to retire Tokitae and return her to the Pacific Northwest.  After decades of debate and in the midst of a court battle, a new effort using the 1855 Point Elliot Treaty, which allows the Lummi to protect their fishing areas and coastal lands, could be the intervention needed to finally free Tokitae as a member of an endangered orca population who share the Lummi Nation’s home waters.

At a press conference in Miami, representatives from the Lummi Nation were joined by Orca Network and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, who introduced a resolution to the city commission calling for Tokitae’s retirement, to discuss the treaty and this new approach.  The treaty has precedence in court, most recently with the successful termination of a proposed coal export terminal in Cherry Point, Washington.

This news comes at the same time as local efforts to protect her family, the Southern Resident population, are increasing.  Multiple bills were introduced in the 2018 Washington State Legislative session, and an Executive Order from Washington Governor Inslee was introduced on March 14th, directing increased efforts for the recovery of the orcas and their primary food, Chinook salmon.