How Many Endangered Orca Remain? 77 and 3 New-Borns. Still Dangerously Low.

By srschram|March 16, 2015|Orca, Orca Relief, Protection Zone|

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, “the population [of Puget Sound’s endangered Orca] now totals 80, still dangerously low.” While the birth of three new Orca is a hopeful sign, one new-born Orca this past year did not survive, and another died un-born with its mother in November (the loss of a pregnant breeding female is doubly devastating). Even if the three new-borns all survive, this is only a

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Only 81 of These Killer Whales Are Left, but Their Chances of Survival Just Got a Big Boost

By srschram|February 26, 2015|Marine Mammals, News, Orca, Protection Zone, SRKWs|

From Take Part media: The federal government wants to greatly expand protections for the Southern Resident orcas off the West Coast. “The Obama administration will nearly quadruple the protected habitat of the Southern Resident killer whale, the worldโ€™s most endangered orca. Only 81 Southern Resident killer whales remain, but the United States National Marine Fisheries Service announced this week that it intends to protect as many as 9,000 square miles

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Do local orcas need a room of their own?

By srschram|January 8, 2015|News, Orca, Protection Zone, Puget Sound|

From Crosscut: “The orca iconography in Puget Sound tourist gift shops borders on sappy, but for those lucky enough to have seen an orca in the flesh, the love of these whales is not so hard to understand. Yet the whale tourism industry may also come with a darker side: Are we literally loving the Southern Resident killer whales to death?” Read the complete article

Concept for a Whale Protection Zone

By srschram|December 10, 2014|Orca, Orca Relief, Protection Zone|

We need a Whale Protection Zone for the endangered Puget Sound Orca. New report by Orca Relief tells how a WPZ could be designed, managed, and enforced. We are calling on the US National Marine Fisheries Service to use this report as a start for setting up a WPZ. Read the new report and please sign the petition to NMFS. http://ow.ly/FGmiv