Posts by Colleen Weiler
Stream to Sea: Orca Action Month 2022
This June was an exceptionally busy and exciting Orca Month, starting with a somewhat surprising but wonderful return to their summer home waters by J pod of the Southern Resident orca population. Orca Month is celebrated in June to align with the time the orcas historically returned to the Salish Sea, but in recent years…
Read MorePregnant Southern Resident orcas and an ask for more space.
A mixed bag of news for endangered Southern Resident orcas was announced at the end of Orca Action Month in June. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) declared 13 individuals in the population “vulnerable” ahead of the summer season when the orcas are usually in their core summer habitat around Washington’s San Juan…
Read MoreIt’s Time To Breach The Snake River Dams
The Snake River dams were controversial even before they were built. While they were still in the planning stage, Northwest Tribes, salmon advocates, and even state agencies spoke out against the damage that would be caused to salmon. Tribes who lived along the Snake River had already seen the devastation that major dams caused to…
Read MoreOffshore Wind: Don’t Blow It
Recently, new areas were added to the growing list of potential sites for offshore wind development on both the East and West Coasts of the U.S. The Biden-Harris Administration announced the news with excitement, as these two areas – off the coast of Oregon and in the Central Atlantic – are part of the Administration’s…
Read MoreConfirmed! There is a New Southern Resident Orca Calf from K Pod!
CONFIRMED! On July 9th, 2022 the Center for Whale Research confirmed the newest member of the Southern Resident orca community! See photo above ©Center for Whale Research Center for Whale Research designated this newborn as K45 and reports “K45’s sex is unknown at this time. Its size and shape are typical of a calf in…
Read MoreKlamath River Dams Update: One Step Away from Finally Being Removed!
The Southern Resident orcas are a true “Pacific Northwest” community, living in the waters off British Columbia, Canada to Northern California, and relying almost totally on salmon – a cultural and ecological icon of this region. The orcas’ dependence on salmon means their future is deeply connected to the state of salmon in the Pacific…
Read MoreOregon Groups Request Additional Look Before Selecting Wind Development Areas
OREGON – WDC joined nine other national and Oregon-based conservation groups to submit a formal request to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), urging them to take a more comprehensive look at the marine life off our coast and the potential impact from offshore wind development. Multiple fishing groups also joined the letter, supporting…
Read MoreA happy ending for Tokitae (Lolita)? New Seaquarium owners commit to her retirement.
Tokitae, also called Lolita and named Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut by Washington State’s Lummi Nation, will no longer perform shows at the Miami Seaquarium, where she has been held since she was taken from her home waters in 1970. As a condition of the permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), new operators of the Florida facility…
Read MoreA New Calf Provides Hope for Endangered Southern Resident Orcas
Sara Hysong Shimazu (Hysazu Photography) GOOD NEWS – A new baby orca! On March 1st, observers with Washington State-based Center for Whale Research and Orca Behavior Institute were watching members of J pod of the Southern Resident orca community off San Juan Island and spotted a tiny dorsal fin amongst the more familiar orcas. The…
Read MoreIs an orca (killer whale) a whale or a dolphin?
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. It’s one of the hottest topics we see discussed online, so please geek out about whales with us for a minute as we dive into the answer: what…
Read More