Posts Tagged ‘MigrationNation’
Southern Residents: turning talk into action
Even while we were busy absorbing information and networking at last month’s Society for Marine Mammalogy Biennial Conference, the world went on without us (shocking!) and a couple important news stories broke about the Southern Resident orcas. I did a quick read-through while we were at the conference, and have had more time this week…
Read MoreDon't Let Orcas Be Dammed: Progress on Freeing the Klamath
Southern Resident orcas spend a lot of their time in the winter and spring months off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, foraging for their favorite prey – Chinook salmon – from the great salmon rivers of the West Coast. Sadly, these salmon populations have been declining since major settlement of the West Coast…
Read MoreSouthern Resident orcas need Snake River salmon
The recent comment period for dam operations in the Columbia Basin, the focus of our #MigrationNation campaign, has officially closed, and nearly 400,000 voices across the nation and the world spoke up to demand fair consideration of dam removal on the Lower Snake River. The Columbia Basin was once the greatest salmon river in the…
Read More#MigrationNation – Hope for 2017
After a particularly difficult 2016, which included the loss of beloved matriarch Granny (J2), we are hopeful that 2017 will see some positive changes for the critically endangered Southern Resident orca population and some real progress towards their recovery. That recovery needs to start with addressing the top threat to the Southern Residents – prey…
Read MoreA Leader Lost: What's Next for the Southern Resident orcas?
Granny was a living legend, famous at home and across the world; a matriarch and guiding light for critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. Researchers knew Granny as J2, the leader of the Southern Resident orca community, but she has been missing for months and now, sadly, the Center for Whale Research (CWR) recently announced that…
Read MoreAnother Southern Resident orca found dead
The Center for Whale Research and Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed late last night that a dead orca found floating off the coast in British Columbia was 18-year-old J34, known as Double Stuf, a member of the critically endangered Southern Resident orca population. This loss marks the fourth adult orca to die, and…
Read More#MigrationNation – Now is the Time
For nearly two decades, national and regional conservation groups have gone to court to challenge plans from federal agencies regarding dam operations in the Columbia Basin. Five federal plans have been declared illegal by three different judges, because they failed to protect threatened and endangered Snake River salmon. This time is different. Why? On our…
Read More#MigrationNation – No Fish, No Blackfish
Research has shown that the survival of the Southern Resident orcas is closely linked to salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest of Canada and the US. We have established, earlier in this campaign and in previous efforts, that these orcas are incredibly dependent on salmon, especially Chinook – up to 80% of their diet. But…
Read MoreGovernment Actions Will Harm Endangered Southern Resident orcas
Recent government actions in the Pacific Northwest are moving projects forward that would significantly harm the critically endangered Southern Resident orca community that lives off the western coasts of Canada and the United States. Despite objections from WDC and partner organizations, the US Navy is planning to implement their Northwest Training and Testing plan, which…
Read More#MigrationNation – Salmon and Clean Energy
The four Lower Snake River dams have impeded access to salmon’s historic spawning grounds for decades. Removing these dams is the best chance to help restore this vital salmon run, an important food source to the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas. In this week’s #MigrationNation, we’re sharing an op-ed from our partners in the Northwest…
Read More