Celebrating Southern Resident Orcas, icons of the Pacific Northwest and helping this endangered population by raising awareness of the threats they are facing.
From the late 1960s, live captures of orcas for the entertainment industry resulted in a massive decline in this population. Although the last captures were in the 1970s, these orcas face potential extinction due to the fall in the supply of their preferred food to their habitat (Chinook salmon) due to blocking dams, noise and overcrowding due to boat traffic and also high levels of contaminants in their natural habitat.
ACTION ALERT – HOW YOU CAN HELP SOUTHERN RESIDENT ORCAS
Contact MR JAY INSLEE, Governor of Washington State – ask him to:
(1) Formally request the Army Corps of Engineers begin breaching the four Lower Snake River Dams as a matter of extreme urgency (2) Increase funding to restore vital salmon habitat that provides food for the orcas (3) Take action to increase Chinook and chum hatchery production as a short term measure also ensure bodies responsible for regulating fisheries in the area give Southern Resident orcas a significant allotment of Chinook takes.
Watch the NOAA Fisheries video on the Southern Resident Orcas
