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Dolphin in Brazil helping with fishing illustration

Dolphins and fishers working together

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) Gray whale in Ojo de liebre lagoon Baja California.

Why we’re walking for whales to save the world

We've got enormous ambitions when it comes to fighting climate breakdown, and so two members...
Dolphins with keepers in the new Windsor Safari Park. Image: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Three decades on from UK’s last dolphin show, what needs to change?

The UK hasn't had captive whales and dolphins on display for 30 years, but it's...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...
Whale evolution cover

How did whales end up living in the ocean?

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Fishers chatting

Scottish fishers working with us to reduce risks to whales

Small changes to fishing gear could make a big difference to whales around Scotland, and...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
tins of whale meat

How Japan’s whaling industry is trying to convince people to eat whales

Japan's hunters kill hundreds of whales every year despite the fact that hardly anyone in...

We break for whales

These things happen when a bunch of orca aficionados get together… right in the middle of the first night of presentations (including an update on the Taiji drive hunts and the problems with sonar testing by the Navy), a small group of orcas passed by the island outside the house, and everything came to a halt.  The 30-40 people in attendance immediately rushed to the porch with binoculars, telescopes, and cameras.  “I hope this is a sturdy deck,” someone quipped.

The appearance of orcas reminded us why San Juan Island is the gathering place for the human Superpod – it is one of the best places in the world to see orcas, from land or from a boat.  Even in a room full of people who devote their lives to studying orcas and advocating for their protection, everything stops when a group of whales swims by.

Yesterday was World Orca Day, so it was only appropriate that we celebrate with the orcas themselves.  They have been out in force lately, and hopefully I will see much more of them during my week here.  Even after only one night, I am already buzzing with new information and excitement at the potential for learning. 

Today I am heading out to Lime Kiln State Park, home to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse and one of the best land-based whale watching places in the world.  This evening, we have a screening of Blackfish and a Q&A with some of the scientists and former SeaWorld trainers who appeared in the documentary.  Last summer, I was part of WDC’s screening and Q&A with director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in Boston, and I am excited to learn more from others who were involved with the making of Blackfish.

San Juan Island (SJI) is beautiful, and I have seen a number of seabirds on the ferry ride over, in addition to the orca visitors last night.  Sadly, I didn’t have my camera handy for last night’s sighting, but I am better prepared today and hope to get some good shots to share!