Posts by Colleen Weiler
Joint response concerning “no apparent shortage of prey for Southern Resident killer whales” in the Salish Sea
October 14, 2021 On October 12, the University of British Columbia (UBC) issued a press release claiming that a newly published study[i] has “debunked” the idea that there are fewer Chinook salmon available during the summer for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales compared to the abundance of fish available to the Northern Resident killer whales.…
Read MoreAlarming report raises worries for marine mammals held at the Miami Seaquarium
Leonardo Da Silva/Flickr A disturbing report on the conditions at the Miami Seaquarium from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), released along with an extensive interview from one of the facility’s former veterinarians, highlights the horrendous and dangerous treatment of marine mammals, including the endangered Southern Resident orca Tokitae (also called Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, or Lolita).…
Read MoreOrcas, sea lions, and viral videos
“What do I do?!” You may have seen the latest viral animal video involving a sea lion, some hungry orcas, and an unfortunate boater caught in the middle. While I found myself chuckling at the memes and the commentary as folks debated over what they would do in the situation – ferry the sea lion…
Read MoreCaptive beluga dies shortly after transfer into US
Sadly, a beluga known as Havoc, one of five whales recently moved from MarineLand in Canada to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, has died after just a few months in the facility. He was approximately six years old. According to Mystic Aquarium, Havoc suffered from a pre-existing gastrointestinal issue, but it has yet to be determined…
Read MoreHeavy 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…
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