Posts by Colleen Weiler
Pacific 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,…
Read MoreEnding whale and dolphin captivity in the US – how our fight continues
We’ve been thrilled to share happy news with you recently about our work to end captivity. Those two awesome belugas, Little White and Little Grey have been exploring their new sanctuary home and France is ending whale and dolphin captivity. These stories have shone some light into these difficult times. But sadly things are not…
Read MoreNew babies bring hope for endangered Southern Resident orcas
A silver lining of this strange year was the news that Tahlequah, the orca who touched hearts worldwide two years ago as she mourned the loss of her newborn calf, was pregnant again. Now we are celebrating two new babies in the population… Your donation will help protect these amazing orcas. YES. I’LL DONATE. In…
Read MoreTahlequah’s Pregnancy and Why I’m Cautiously Optimistic
Photo taken under NMFS Permit #19091 SR3/NOAA/SEA The summer of 2018 was perhaps one of the most stressful summers I have had during my time working to protect Southern Resident orcas, a unique and highly endangered community of orcas who live in the waters off the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. That summer,…
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