Posts Tagged ‘critical habitat’
Mayday Monday – Boat Traffic and Noise Pollution
Primary Threat #3: Boat Traffic and Noise Pollution Orcas are acoustic beings, and sound is an indispensable aspect of their daily lives. Vocal communication is particularly advanced for orcas and is an essential element of their complex social structure. Each pod has its own dialect, or “accent” on shared calls within clans, which are similar…
Read MoreOne of new Southern Resident orca calves missing
WDC is saddened to share the news from our colleagues at the Center for Whale Research (CWR) that newest calf in the critically endangered Southern Resident orca population, J55, is missing and presumed dead. J55 was first seen in mid-January swimming with the J14 family group. His or her mother was never confirmed, as the…
Read MoreMayday Monday – Legacy Toxins and Bioaccumulation
Primary Threat #2: Legacy Toxins and Bioaccumulation Chemical pollution is another major threat to the orcas: the Southern Resident orcas are one of the most contaminated marine mammal populations in the world. They are a long-lived top predator, which makes them incredibly vulnerable to pollutants that accumulate up the food chain. Their home in Puget…
Read MoreMayday Monday – Depleted Salmon Stocks
Primary Threat #1: Depleted Salmon Stocks The fates of Resident orcas in the Pacific Northwest and their salmon prey are one and the same. The extent of this relationship is reflected in an old tribal adage, “no fish, no Blackfish.” The availability and abundance of salmon is the most influential threat to the Southern Residents’ recovery.…
Read MoreMayday Monday – the Cumulative Nature of Threats
Last week we explained that despite protection as an endangered species for the past ten years, the Southern Resident orca population has failed to show signs of long term recovery. The current amount of federally designated critical habitat only covers the summer home of the Southern Residents, which is why WDC supports expanding their critical…
Read MoreMayday Monday – What is Critical Habitat?
CLICK HERE for this week’s special feature, an interview with WDC’s Erich Hoyt, Research Fellow and Program Lead for Critical Habitat and Marine Protected Areas. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is the branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responsible for legal protection of marine life and the recovery of protected species. The…
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