Search Results for: resident

Vessel interactions/noise talks

14:55 Val Veirs giving Marla’s talk on “Vocal Compensation in SRKWs” Background noise levels had mean of 110.1 DB +/- 4.1; range 98-123dB Call source level: mean of 55.3dB +/-7.4 dB Lombard effect in SRKWs is present; ~1dB increase in … Continue reading

Ken Balcomb: SRKW demographic update

First there was Mike Bigg.  Early census effort started in 1976 and was motivated by concern about the captures for aquariums which took out about 50 animals.  1976-1984 habitat use was very similar to current critical habitat!  Most encounters May-October, … Continue reading

U.S.+Canada recovery process, U.S. whale watching industry

10:00 Lynne Barre, NWFSC Critical habitat can be modified.  A future step is designating habitat outside of the inland waters of WA. Recovery plan implementation was started in 2003, well before the endangered listing in 2005. Proposed regulations are under … Continue reading

NOAA finds SRKWs offshore on day 4!

Just got an exciting email from Dr. Marla Holt, bioacoustician on the NOAA cruise that aims to understand how the southern residents utilize the outer coast of Washington. They departed last Monday and are scheduled to return April 9th, making … Continue reading

Earth Hour

Here’s an opportunity to act (at least symbolically) for resident orca and WA salmon by reducing electricity (mostly from hydropower) demand for a special hour: 8:30-9:30pm this Saturday, March 28. On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off … Continue reading

Snake River Salmon on KUOW

The most prominent appeal in this discussion was whether we can move away from litigation and towards more collaborative processes to restore the wild populations of Columbia salmon and steelhead. The agreement between 3 tribes and federal agencies (the “Columbia … Continue reading

A map for including killer whales in NW fisheries managment

Just happened upon this nice synopsis of how WDFW views the various processes by which fishing harvests are governed in the Pacific Northwest. For me, this helps clarify which processes we killer whale advocates could influence to bolster the number … Continue reading

Loss of salmon smolts in BC and CA

An awareness seems to be dawning that salmon smolt mortality is increased by human activities — both in the nearshore environment and in river systems. A recent biological opinion regarding Sacramento salmon suggested that about 8% of the smolts entering … Continue reading

Strong spring chinook run on the Columbia

Here we are in mid-February, a couple weeks into the blackmouth opening in the Salish Sea, and WDFW is opening up recreational fishing for spring (winter?) Chinook running in the Columbia [see today’s email announcement below].  This makes me wonder … Continue reading

Toxics assessment process in Puget Sound

James Maroncelli Phase 1 of toxic loadings to PS initiated in 2006 by a coalition (PSAT+WA Ecology+…): realized that air deposition was an important pathway Phase 2: spring 07 $300k from EPA, $300 from Ecology TPA, $55k NOAA funded all … Continue reading