Posts by Colleen Weiler
Heavy Hearts for Southern Resident Orcas
Less than a day after the brief return of the Southern Resident orcas to their home waters in the Salish Sea, our excitement turned to sorrow with the devastating news that K21 (Cappuccino) was seen lagging far behind his podmates, severely emaciated and with a completely collapsed dorsal fin. While he has not been sighted…
Read MoreOrca Month 2021 – We are Family
We have come to the end of another amazing Orca Action Month, and for the second year in a row we took the celebration online, with (mostly) virtual events bringing together orca researchers, fans, and supporters from around the world. Orca Month began as Orca Awareness Month, created by our friends at Orca Network more…
Read MoreBelugas arrive in US despite objections from WDC and others
Photo courtesy of Mystic Aquarium In late 2019, WDC and our partners learned of a request from Connecticut’s Mystic Aquarium to import five belugas from Marineland, one of two facilities in Canada that still hold captive whales and dolphins, to be part of a research program at Mystic’s facility. While conditions at Marineland are notoriously…
Read MorePacific Gray Whale Population Drops by Nearly 25%
Being taken off the endangered species list sadly doesn’t guarantee a carefree future for whales. Recent research estimates that the population of Pacific gray whales off North America’s West Coast has declined by almost a quarter since 2016. These whales are known for the epic migrations between their Arctic feeding grounds and the breeding lagoons…
Read MoreHome of Southern Resident Orcas Named a Mission Blue Hope Spot
WDC is proud to be among the groups supporting the declaration of the Salish Sea, a body of water between Washington State and British Columbia and the home waters of the Southern Resident orcas, as a Mission Blue Hope Spot. Our friends at SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research (SR3) in Seattle nominated the Salish Sea,…
Read MoreA pleasant “Surprise” for Southern Resident orcas – a new baby!
SR3, NMFS permit #19091 2021 is off to a “Surprisingly” good start… for Southern Resident orcas, anyway. Following up the exciting announcement of a new opportunity to restore the lower Snake River, a vital source of food for these endangered orcas, the Center for Whale Research has confirmed a brand new baby!! Welcome to the…
Read MoreSouthern Resident Orcas: Dam Good News for Restoring the Snake River
Hysazu Photography Hysazu Photography In an exciting announcement for the Pacific Northwest, US Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) has released a plan outlining the steps for the biggest salmon and river restoration effort in history: a free-flowing Lower Snake River. A healthy river means more Chinook salmon, which means more food for endangered Southern Resident orcas!…
Read More“Big” News: New Whale Species Identified in the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Fisheries It is truly amazing that there is still so much we don’t know about whales – including the existence of a brand new species! A study led by NOAA Fisheries scientist Dr. Patricia Rosel confirms that a population of whales living in the Gulf of Mexico is in fact a new species –…
Read MoreNo More Salmon Net Pens in the Discovery Islands!
Breaking news from Canada: The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has announced the phase-out of Atlantic salmon open-net pens in the Discovery Islands. These fish farms can cause significant harm to wild Pacific salmon from Canada’s Fraser River by transmitting sea lice and other harmful pathogens to young wild fish. These salmon are not only an…
Read MoreBig win for orcas – the Klamath River dams are coming down
Even though Thanksgiving here in the U.S. isn’t until next week, we are thankful for some good news on the efforts to take down four dams on the Klamath River! This is a vital step to restoring abundant salmon in the river and boosting the food available for endangered Southern Resident orcas. On November 17th,…
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