Erich Hoyt, Research Fellow, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Program Lead, Critical Habitat and Marine Protected Areas helps us explain more about what critical habitat is and what it can do for whale and dolphin populations.  His answers draw on his book Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (Routledge, Taylor & Francis 2011,…

Who are the Southern Residents? The Southern Resident orca community lives in the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest. This iconic, beloved fish-eating population of orca is in trouble: they have become one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet. Their range overlaps with mammal-eating Bigg’s orcas and the Northern Resident population, and…

MAYDAY: Despite recent baby boom, Southern Resident orca population still face uncertain future Whale and Dolphin Conservation is currently working to expand critical habitat for Southern Resident Orcas. We are asking the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to revise the current extent of designated critical habitat for the Southern Residents in the US to include…