Posts Tagged ‘Southern Resident orcas’
Petition Seeks Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas
For Immediate Release, February 16, 2023 PORTLAND, OR — The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation filed a petition today to protect Southern Resident orcas under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. As of the most recent census, just 73 Southern Resident orcas remain, divided among three family groups. “Southern…
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 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 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 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 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 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 MoreThe Penn Cove orca captures
On August 8th, 1970, more than 80 orcas were rounded up and herded into nets in Penn Cove, Washington. Seven of these orcas, likely from the the Southern Resident community, were taken into captivity, including Tokitae. This video is original and shocking footage of this notorious event, known as the Penn Cove orca captures. Five…
Read MoreColumbia-Snake Rivers plan condemned as failure for salmon, Tribes, communities
“We recognize our responsibility to help save them from extinction, and stand ready to do the work to restore healthy ecosystems and rebuild the abundant salmon populations that support the Southern Resident orcas and our communities.” – Colleen Weiler, WDC Jessica Rekos Fellow for Orca Conservation Organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest today called a federal plan for…
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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