Orcasphere

On October 29, salmon advocates asked a federal judge to reject the Obama Administration’s 2010 Plan for Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead. This includes chinook salmon that are essential nutrition for our Southern Resident Killer Whales. Today, three facts are clear. One, our orca are often very hungry. Two, they historically dined regularly on Columbia [...]

As the southern residents are visiting Puget Sound today, I’m inspired to learn a bit more about chum and where to view the fall runs. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has some good background information in their section on Chum Salmon Stories.  Of particular import to the southern residents is the fact that [...]

This week the Canadian Acoustical Association is running a conference on marine and environmental sound (abstracts).  Below are notes from talks that relate to the southern resident killer whales, presented in near-real-time. 9:00 Keynote: The Marine Soundscape and the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Animals Christine Erbe Marine soundscapes include natural sounds (e.g. from rain), [...]

Interesting Kiro 7 video report regarding harassment of killer whales in Puget Sound during 2010. And here’s a sighting report from Orca Network that is probably related: Sighted 2 Orca for sure, when they came back east I thought at one point there were 3. They were in Hammersley Inlet at approximately N 047 12.360 [...]