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What the Trans Mountain pipeline will mean for B.C.'s coast
B.C. and First Nations oppose it, Alberta wants it badly – and after an ultimatum from a U.S. oil giant, Ottawa has bought it to build it themselves. The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would bring billions in new revenue, but it would also mean an increase in coast-to-port tanker traffic, and w...
A Native American tribe demands the return of its spiritual relative — an orca - Religion News Service
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (RNS) — In the summer of 1970, a few dozen orcas were snatched and sold to various theme parks, decimating the gene pool of remaining whales. Only one survived. Now, the Lummi tribe wants her back.
At new First Nations consultations on Trans Mountain pipeline, ceremony, tears — and accusations the fix is in
Many participants were not shy in telling the NEB panel they had little faith in the process and feared it was headed for a ‘predetermined outcome’
“When we went to the fish farm, I’d never seen one in my life. All of us were quiet because of the smells and what we saw, the disfigurement of the Atlantic salmon. We were all in a state of shock,” said Christine Smith-Martin from Lax Kw’alaams.
https://www.thenorthernview.com/news/coastal-first-nation-leaders-call-for-an-end-to-fish-farms/?fbclid=IwAR1AyZ3s7d3FIfRu7o_FUA11zooPIEMCcoSmKQMcs1YL1BqduidnscKzLKg
Coastal First Nation leaders call for an end to fish farms - Prince Rupert Northern View
Five delegates from the North visit a fish farm on the south coast
Canadian teen tells UN to 'warrior up,' give water same protections as people | CBC News
Autumn Peltier, a 13-year-old from Manitoulin Island on Georgian Bay, delivered a strong message to the United Nations General Assembly that the world needs to stop polluting its water.
Nisqually Tribe raising bigger chinook to feed orcas - Northwest Treaty Tribes
The Nisqually Tribe is changing how it spawns hatchery chinook in an effort to give orcas a more nutritious meal. “Puget Sound hatchery chinook have been getting smaller and smaller for decades,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the Nisqually Tribe. The number of southern reside...
Thousands take part in Montreal climate march opposing Trans Mountain pipeline
The rally attracted concerned citizens and Indigenous leaders from British Columbia and Quebec who are opposed to the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline.
Fishermen Sue Big Oil For Its Role In Climate Change
The food industry is already feeling the effects of climate change, which will likely force expensive adaptations in the future. At least one sector is looking to make energy companies pay.
Global warming today mirrors conditions leading to Earth’s largest extinction event, UW study says
If humans continue to pump greenhouse gases at our current rate, “we have no reason to think it wouldn’t cause a similar type of extinction," said Curtis Deutsch, a UW professor and author of the research.
Fraser River chinook critical to orcas are in steep decline, new research shows
The fish declines are linked to a combination of factors, including poor ocean survival conditions, warming river temperatures and agricultural water withdraws from the rivers. The Fraser has no major dams.
A bill now being considered in Canadian parliament would ban the captivity of whales and dolphins in Canada.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-no-one-should-love-marineland/
No one should love Marineland
Bill S-203, which seeks to ban whale and dolphin captivity in Canada, is long overdue
House of Tears Carvers killer whale totem pole is featured the The Natural History Museum's exhibit that opens this week in Gainesville, Florida
Pop-Up Museums as Political Organizing: Can Totem Poles Help Turn the Tide on Fossil Fuels?
North American natural history museums have often had fraught relationships with Native American peoples. But a pop-up museum led in part by Native activists emphasizes “the sociopolitical forces that shape nature” and partners with other museums and institutions to raise awareness of environmen...
“We know what needs to be done,” Babcock said. “The challenge will be getting the political will, support and funding to actually go out and execute it.”
Can Puget Sound’s orcas wait 90 years for more salmon? They may have to
That’s what environmental activists found as they began to restore the tiny Rhone-Poulenc salt marsh deep in the industrial bowels of Tacoma.
Stretch of Skagit riverfront permanently protected for fish, wildlife
The 61-acres of habitat joins an uninterrupted stretch of protected land used by salmon, elk, eagles and other wildlife.
A mournful plea: NEB pipeline hearing challenged on endangered whales
Reconsideration of Trans Mountain now focused on the risk to marine life
"The ocean is a world of sound. Marine mammals and many other species rely on their hearing to feed, find mates, avoid predators, maintain bonds between mothers and calves – to do, in short, virtually everything they must to survive and reproduce in the wild," said Michael Jasny, the director of NRDC's Marine Mammal Protection Project.
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672199448/trump-administration-says-companies-can-incidentally-harass-marine-mammals
Trump Administration Says Companies Can 'Incidentally Harass' Marine Mammals
It's a decision opposed by environmental groups, who say the blasts could harm marine animals, and some coastal communities, who fear it could be a precursor to offshore drilling.
Reuben George, Tsleil-Waututh; Chairman Leonard Forsman, Suquamish; Chairwoman Marie Zackuse, Tulalip; Aurelia Washington, Swinomish; Lisa Wilson, Lummi; Steve Solomon, Lummi; Ellie Kinley, Lummi; Hereditary Chief Bill James, Lummi. All spoke to the necessity to protect the peoples, cultures, salmon, blackfish, and sanctity of the Salish Sea at the press conference prior to the National Energy Board hearings on the TransMountain Pipeline. Clips from the press conference are viewable at https://sacredsea.org
“What’s unfolded there has been tragic,” said Angelo. “The requirements for farmers to protect key habitat and riparian zones are very different from what we see in a forestry operation.” River banks in the area are heavily dyked, making the island a rare example of fish habitat still subject to natural seasonal flooding, which provides protection to juvenile fish during the spring melt, Angelo said. “We need to take action on this immediately,” he said. “This isn’t just the most urgent rivers issue in B.C., but the whole country.”
Fraser islands deforestation Canada's most urgent rivers issue
Herrling Island is being clear-cut as it transitions from a cottonwood tree farm to field crops by Klaassen Farms, the new owner
Mother orca who carried her dead calf at center of hearings over Trans Mountain pipeline
Canada's National Energy Board was instructed by the courts to hear out First Nation concerns, as well as effects the pipeline expansion would have on orcas and marine environment.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation protecting the Salish Sea with work against the Trans Mountain Pipeline (Kinder Morgan), against more tankers.
https://twnsacredtrust.ca/about-us/
About Us - Sacred Trust
What is the Sacred Trust Initiative? The Sacred Trust is an initiative of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN). Its mandate is to stop Kinder Morgan’s new Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project. The federal and provincial governments recently approved the project without TWN’s consent. I...
“Our Coast Salish way of life, economies, culture, and values are intertwined throughout the Salish Sea. Our Coast Salish people share bloodlines, cultures, and heritage, and like the water, salmon, and her resources, it recognizes no border,” said Swinomish Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby.
Northwest Tribal Leaders Testify in Opposition to Canadian Pipeline Expansion
Opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline from Coast Salish Tribes on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border continued today with indigenous people of the Salish Sea region testifying before the Canadian National Energy Board. Four U.S. Coast Salish Tribes — the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tu...
"Bill James, hereditary chief of the Lummi Nation near Bellingham, says the 'pipeline is going to affect each and every one of us.'"
Washington tribes warn Canadian officials Trans Mountain pipeline will harm orcas, way of life
The contentious Trans Mountain project would nearly triple the flow of oil from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast, and increase tanker traffic from about 60 to more than 400 vessels annually through the Salish Sea.
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article222332820.html
Washington tribes say pipeline will harm orcas, way of life
Several U.S. tribal leaders are voicing opposition to a proposed pipeline expansion project that would increase tanker traffic in the waters of Washington state and Canada.
Live stream of press conference with Coast Salish Tribal and First Nations before the Trans-Mountain Pipeline (Kinder Morgan) hearings on Wednesday, November 28.
https://q13fox.com/2018/11/28/washington-tribes-say-pipeline-will-harm-orcas-way-of-life/
Washington tribes say pipeline will harm orcas, way of life
SEATTLE — Several U.S. tribal leaders told Canadian energy regulators Wednesday that increased tanker traffic from a proposed pipeline expansion project would harm endangered orcas, natural resources and their cultural way of life. The contentious Trans Mountain project would nearly triple the flo...
Washington state First Nations speak out against Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
First Nation leaders from the United States and Canada are speaking to National Energy Board on Wednesday to explain why they think the proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion will harm their culture, treaty rights, and way of life.
Live stream of press conference with Coast Salish Tribal and First Nations before the Trans-Mountain Pipeline (Kinder Morgan) hearings on Wednesday, November 28. Tiny audio glitch at beginning resolves a couple minutes in.
Lummi, Swinomish, Tulalip, Suquamish will be presenting from 3pm-5pm on Wednesday, Nov 28 in Victoria, BC. The full schedule is available at the link attached. "On October 12, 2018, the NEB released a hearing order [Document 3621536] setting out next steps and the schedule, as well as requests for information from Trans Mountain and Federal Authorities required for its reconsideration of aspects of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project pertaining to project-related marine shipping. The hearing schedule includes filing deadlines starting in October, Oral Traditional Evidence presented by Indigenous groups in November/December and the potential for oral summary argument in January 2019."
https://www.neb-one.gc.ca/pplctnflng/mjrpp/trnsmntnxpnsn/rcnsdrtns-eng.html
Orcas thrive in a land to the north. Why are Puget Sound’s dying?
BLACKFISH SOUND, QUEEN CHARLOTTE STRAIT, B.C. — Bigger and bigger, with a puff and a blow, the orca surfaces, supreme in his kingdom of green.
https://earther.gizmodo.com/bold-new-museum-exhibit-urges-world-to-save-washington-1830575249
Jewell James, Sit Ki Kadem James, #HouseOfTearsCarvers, #LummiNation, #Tokitae, #SRKW, #blackfish
Bold New Museum Exhibit Urges World to Save Washington State's Nearly-Extinct Orcas
Two brothers, Jewell and Doug James, first started carving totem poles back in 2001 after 9/11. The brothers, both members of the Lummi Nation in Washington, created these poles as gifts meant to heal. They toured them around the U.S. and invited people to put their hands on them because people are....
Jewell James' and House of Tears Carvers' totem pole is featured in this exhibition at the Florida Museum of Natural History,8 Dec 2018-5 May 2019: "Whale People: Protectors of the Sea brings the whale totem into a museum for the first time, where visitors are invited to lay hands on it as thousands of others have on its journey. Alongside the totem is a selection from the Florida museum’s collection of historical northwest coast totem poles depicting the whale. A seven-channel 90-foot-wide immersive floor-to-ceiling video installation features spectacular underwater footage of the orca, and the voices of Indigenous elders communicate a message that was at the heart of the totem’s journey: what we do to the waters we do to ourselves."
http://thenaturalhistorymuseum.org/events/whale-people-protectors-of-the-sea/
Sit Ki Kadem James, Freddie Xwenang Lane
Whale People: Protectors of the Sea
Whale People: Protectors of the Sea Dec. 8, 2018 - May. 5, 2018 Florida Museum of Natural History Tweet Exhibition + Film by Lummi Nation and The Natural History Museum On display at the Florida Museum of Natural History 3215 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL December 8, 2018 — May 5, 2019RSVP on Faceboo...
Baby orca found on Nootka Island beach
On Thursday elders from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation marked the passing of a significant being in the Nuu-chah-nulth world, after a baby killer whale was discovered on Nootka Island Wednesday. The calf was found by a hiker on a beach near Beano Creek, located northwest of Yuquot on Nootka Is...
Puget Sound orcas are in town, chasing chum and wowing ferry riders
Lucky gawkers have been spotting J and K pod whales up and down the Sound this month.
The Governor's Orca Task Force Recommendations:
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/OrcaTaskForce_reportandrecommendations_11.16.18.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0ijo9-4F_3XS01Xl7HHqsbPlkGamgOAGa9LfZEcY6Hf_iiNtxahjzeXbY
Orca recovery task force urges partial moratorium on whale watching, study of dam removal
Gov. Jay Inslee's task force on southern resident orca recovery released its first recommendations Friday to help Puget Sound's orcas, on the brink of extinction.
Orca calls transmitted live from Puget Sound
Sounds of the Southern Resident Killer Whales are now available to the public, in real time.
The draft recommendations from the Governor's SRKW Task Force are here. Public comments will be accepted until MIDNIGHT ON OCTOBER 29, 2018.
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Draft_recommendations_OrcaTaskForce_10-24-18.pdf
Draft recommendations for orca recovery include permit system for whale-watching, millions in funding
The governor's task force on orca recovery is accepting public comment on 36 draft recommendations to help save the ailing southern resident killer whales, which are down to just 74 animals.
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/state/washington/article220466120.html
West’s rivers are hot enough to cook salmon to death. Will this court ruling keep them cool?
A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle directed the Environmental Protection Agency to devise a plan for cooling the Columbia River waters to protect salmon. The ruling has potential implications throughout the Pacific Northwest and California.
The letter from orca scientists to Gov. Inslee and the SRKW Task Force recommending increased spill on Columbia River basin dams and breaching the Lower Snake River dams.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5002547-Orca-Scientists-Letter-10-15-18-Final.html
Orca Scientists Letter 10 15 18 Final
Source document contributed to DocumentCloud by Lynda Mapes (The Seattle Times).
From Eriel Tchekwie Deranger of Indigeous Climate Action: “The reality is it’s our communities that have been safeguarding our lands and territories and the biodiversity of this planet—not just here in Canada but globally—and it’s time to recognize that when Indigenous communities are standing up for our lands and territories we need to start listening rather than criminalizing them.”
http://aptnnews.ca/2018/10/17/literally-life-and-death-indigenous-climate-leaders-critical-of-canadas-response-to-climate-change-report/?fbclid=IwAR3sYg3a02_6iHkyzGDi_xjLatHRplUZmSXykF0n-GjzsOeocUeK9OGybPA
'Literally life and death': Indigenous climate leaders critical of Canada's response to climate change report - APTN News
Indigenous climate leaders in Canada say parliament’s emergency debate on climate change Monday evening was necessary but inadequate.
Federal judge orders EPA to protect salmon from warm temps in Columbia River basin
Salmon in the Columbia River basin have struggled against slow-moving, warm waters produced by dams.
Orca survival may be impossible without Lower Snake River dam removal, scientists say
Southern resident orcas that frequent Puget Sound may not survive without breaching the Lower Snake River dams to help the salmon the orcas live on, scientists say.
Indigenous Peoples Are Vital to Curtailing the Climate Crisis
Keeping global temperatures within safe limits requires empowering the inhabitants of forests around the world
This interview with Dr. Kurt Russo has made waves and touched people far and wide.
http://forthewild.world/listen/kurt-russo-on-the-people-under-the-sea91
Kurt Russo on The People Under The Sea/91
It feels only right that we begin our “more-than-human” themed month of October in honor of the mother Orca, Tahlequah, who carried her dead calf on a “tour of grief” for more than a 1,000 miles over a 17-day period. It is a profound reminder that we share our place and experience with other...
from Howard Garrett of Orca Network
https://therevelator.org/save-southern-resident-killer-whales-extinction/
What Would It Take to Save Southern Resident Killer Whales From Extinction? • The Revelator
A recent meeting by the Orca Recovery Task Force shows the massive political and economic lobbies that stand in the way of success.
Federal court won’t reopen case of captive orca Lolita
Lolita lives in the country's smallest orca aquarium, and has been Seaquarium's star attraction since she was captured in Puget Sound in 1970.
Young Lolita/Tokitae, being transported to Miami Seaquarium.
The Government of Canada still plans to move forward on the pipeline formerly known as Kinder Morgan.
https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2018/10/government-announces-part-ii-of-path-forward-on-the-trans-mountain-expansion-project.html
Government Announces Part II of Path Forward on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project - Canada.ca
There is no relationship more important to the Government of Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples.
‘Our relatives are calling for help’ - Northwest Tribes stand up for dying Orcas - IndianCountryToday.com
J-35 or Tahlequah, was a young orca mother who pushed the lifeless body of her newborn calf in front of her for 17 days
https://therevelator.org/elwha-dam-removal/
The Elwha’s Living Laboratory: Lessons From the World’s Largest Dam-removal Project • The Revelator
Two dams removed from Washington’s Elwha River were branded as salmon-restoration projects, but their watershed and scientific impacts are just as significant.
https://crosscut.com/2018/09/plan-emerges-help-puget-sounds-embattled-orcas
A plan emerges to help Puget Sound’s embattled orcas
The governor-appointed coalition calls for adding 10 killer whales to the local population over the next 10 years.
Killer Whales Face Dire PCBs Threat
Concentrations of the toxins are very high, lingering in the orcas’ blubber, and are passed from mother to calf.
The public is invited to comment on the draft report at governor.wa.gov/orcareport. The deadline for public comment on the draft report is midnight on October 7, 2018. Public comments received on this draft report will be provided to the Task Force for consideration at the October 17-18 Task Force meeting.
This is the draft SRKW task force report:
https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/SRKWDraftReport_09-24-18.pdf
FAQ: A primer on the critically endangered southern resident killer whales
Where do they live? What do they eat? What can we do to help them? Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes answers common questions about the region's orcas.
Stormwater and salmon die-offs.
https://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/2018/09/automobile-tires-seen-as-a-prominent-suspect-in-coho-deaths/
Chemicals from automobile tires suspected in coho deaths | Puget Sound Institute
Findings authored this month by University of Washington scientists at the Center for Urban Waters and their collaborators provide new insight into “urban runoff mortality syndrome” affecting Puget Sound coho. By Jeff Rice Chemicals linked to automobile tires have been found in stormwater associ...
Another southern resident orca is ailing — and at least three whales are pregnant
The southern resident killer whales have struggled to reproduce over the past several years, and lost three members just this year.
http://amp.theolympian.com/news/state/article218606765.html
Best way to save the orcas? Borrow a submarine and travel down the food chain
As the debate rages about best to save endangered southern-resident killer whales — and the chinook salmon they eat — a team of research scientists climbed into a small submarine and plunged to the bottom of the Salish Sea last week, in search of the forage fish that are a staple of the chinook....
Gov. Jay Inslee’s orca task force draft report out for public comment
A governor's task force on orca recovery has released its draft report on potential recommendations to save the southern resident killer whale from extinction. The 53-page report is a kitchen sink of possible fixes, touching on everything from dam removal...
Controversy heats up over removal of Lower Snake River dams as orcas suffer losses
Orca champions have joined forces with dam busters, bringing new energy to an old fight to take down the Lower Snake River dams.
Senator demands bold action to save Northwest orcas
Senator Kevin Ranker is proposing bold action to save the Southern Resident Killer Whales from extinction.
Agreement to boost salmon returning to Pacific Northwest waters
Pacific Salmon Treaty agreement finalized; agreement will support improved salmon recovery to benefit orcas
from Tom Wooten, Chairman of the Samish Indian Nation.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/to-save-the-orca-we-must-save-the-salish-sea/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_left_1.1
To save the orca, we must save the Salish Sea
Without forage fish, there is nothing for salmon to survive on. Without salmon, you will not have the southern resident killer whales.
"The Samish Indian Nation is committed to serving as a leader against global climate change to create a better community for our next seven generations. The Tribe's Department of Natural Resources has seen the impact of climate change first hand. We've watched as the increasing acidification of the Salish Sea has had an impact on everything that lives in or relies on the sea to survive. The sea levels continue to rise around our region. Native sea life like the J-Pod of Orcas, with whom we share a deep connection, are suffering from declining salmon populations. All of this adds up to a sad picture for our future generations." Tom Wooten, Chairman, Samish Indian Nation
https://www.samishtribe.nsn.us/government/current-leadership/support-for-i-1631
On September 24, the public will be invited to comment on the SRKW task force draft recommendations. Meanwhile, an early draft version has some task force members worried: "I have to really decide whether or not this task force is for me or not. It doesn't seem to be for the whales so, therefore, I think it's not for me," (Center for Whale Research's Ken) Balcomb said."
https://q13fox.com/2018/09/16/potential-recommendations-from-orca-task-force-include-mandatory-slow-speed-zones-and-killing-sea-lions/
Potential recommendations from orca task force include mandatory slow speed zones and killing sea lions
Q13 News has obtained documents containing potential recommendations that could come out of the Governor Jay Inslee's task force to save southern resident orcas, but some task force members are already saying they don't go far enough.
Angry at plight of southern-resident orcas, speakers rebuke NOAA in public meetings
Attendees criticized NOAA for coordinating the now-canceled rescue effort of the orca J50 with SeaWorld, the entertainment park that had for decades profited from capturing the animals for use in its aquariums.
Around the time that we humans were coming to the conclusion that J50 was likely dead, J, K, and L pods all came together in a rare greeting (or grieving?) ceremony.
https://youtu.be/J0S_1vymGjg
This photo is of J50/Scarlet, when she was full of life (and joy).
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/orca-j50-declared-dead-after-search-southern-residents-down-to-74-whales/
Orca J50 presumed dead but NOAA continues search
A search effort has been underway for J50, as a superpod gathering of J, K and L pod orcas converged in waters near Race Rocks. She was not among them.
Not proven conclusively, but likely.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/lead-researcher-says-ailing-orca-j50-is-likely-dead-as-noaa-ramps-up-search/
Ailing orca J50 is likely dead, says lead researcher, as NOAA ramps up search
NOAA has prepared plans to capture J50 if she can be taken from her pod safely or is otherwise stranded or alone. But no one has seen her in days.
Is capturing J50 the only way to ensure her survival? Officials are considering it | CBC News
Believing the survival of the young orca in the wild is now unlikely, experts say they may attempt to capture J50 so they can better diagnose and treat her.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
A pollution-based economy is not sustainable. We need to stand up and protect our strong water quality standards.
From Dr. Kurt Russo, some information about our resident blackfish/killer whale population, Chinook salmon, and the Snake River dams.
1. Our resident Salish Sea blackfish (orca/killer whale) subsist largely on Chinook (king) salmon. The average killer whale must eat about 2.5% to 5% of its body weight per day. This means that the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population needs approximately 580,000 twenty-pound Chinook per year to maintain the population at its current level.
2. Historically, the Fraser River provided much of the Chinook that our SRKW needed. Today, however, the Fraser salmon population is much depleted. The Columbia and Snake River systems are a viable alternative, as Snake River runs of returning adult Chinook salmon historically were in the hundreds of thousands.
3. Dams block adult fish trying to return home to spawn, and also juvenile fish trying to get to the ocean. 8-15% of the out-migrating salmon are killed at each of the eight dams and reservoirs on the Columbia/Snake River systems.
4. Restoration of these runs to a natural carrying capacity of wild fish will likelyrequire both augmenting Chinook population with hatchery production and breaching the four lower Snake Rive Dams.
5. The Corps of Engineers can breach the lower four dams without Congressional authority in a matter of months.
6. The dams provide only about 4% of the region’s energy, and a new study indicates that this energy could be easily and affordably replaced. The surplus energy is sold by Bonneville Power Administration to out-of-region markets, usually at a loss.
Some sources and relevant articles in the comments below.
"There is a high level of concern about the health of a young Southern Resident killer whale, J50, who has been documented to be in very poor body condition in recent months. Since early August NOAA Fisheries and response partners have implemented a medication strategy to try to administer antibiotics and dewormer. To assess the effectiveness of medication, and to monitor her general condition, SR3 has continued its collaboration with cetacean health experts at NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center to collect aerial images for ongoing photogrammetry research." SR³ - Sealife Response, Rehabilitation & Research
https://www.sealifer3.org/news/monitoring-the-condition-of-an-ailing-southern-resident-killer-whale-j50
"September 10: New aerial images collected through a collaboration between SR3 and NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center has given us new insight into the condition of J50 and her mother, J16. These images will help the teams assess further options to support J50. See the images at SR3’s website."
from http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/marine_mammals/killer_whale/updates-j50-j35.html
Updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales J50 and J35 :: NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Biologists are mobilized and responding to an emaciated and ailing three year-old killer whale (born December 2014), J50 also known as Scarlet, of the critically endangered Southern Resident population. J50 appears lethargic at times with periods of activity, including feeding. Scientists observing....
"September 8: J50 was seen lagging a half-mile to a mile behind the rest of her family group at times on Friday (9/7), and her body condition is not improving. She appeared to have lost more weight and looked very thin. With growing concern, we are working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to evaluate options. Our highest priorities are to do all we can to ensure J50 remains a contributing part of the Southern Resident killer whale population and to prevent any harm to her and her family under any potential response scenario. That is the bottom line." from http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/marine_mammals/killer_whale/updates-j50-j35.html
Updates on Southern Resident Killer Whales J50 and J35 :: NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Biologists are mobilized and responding to an emaciated and ailing three year-old killer whale (born December 2014), J50 also known as Scarlet, of the critically endangered Southern Resident population. J50 appears lethargic at times with periods of activity, including feeding. Scientists observing....
Firing a dart into a wild, sick orca ‘a little bit different,’ sharp-shooting veterinarian says
Ailing orca J50 isn't fairing well, but an international group of scientists is working to save her, including sharp-shooting veterinarians. They've administered medicine to the whale over the past month.
Canada proposes more habitat protection for southern-resident orcas
As the southern resident killer whales struggle to birth healthy young, Canada has proposed increasing their critical habitat. The whales are threatened by underwater noise interfering with their ability to hunt, as well as reduced populations of their primary prey, chinook salmon.
Concerns grow for young orca’s life as it struggles to swim with family in Salish Sea
The three-year-old orca, J50, fell behind her family and went missing for more than three days. She was spotted Monday morning with her mom.
Last year, Lummi Nation cleaned up a spill of these farmed salmon. Also known as "zombie fish," these fish often carry diseases that are dangerous to our native Salish Sea salmon and blackfish/orcas.
800,000 more farmed Atlantic salmon coming to Puget Sound before industry’s permits expire
The juvenile fish will be placed in pens this fall, more than a year after thousands of fish escaped from a Cooke Aquaculture facility.
The Court has ruled: "Canada failed to fulfil the duty to consult owed to Indigenous peoples." Kinder Morgan has been dealt a crushing blow, thanks to the leadership of First Nations.
https://decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/fca-caf/decisions/en/item/343511/index.do#_Summary_of_Conclusions
Tsleil-Waututh Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) - Federal Court of Appeal
Federal Court of Appeal Website (Canada)
Concern over endangered orcas blows up approval of Trans Mountain pipeline in Canada
The Canadian government has recently moved to nationalize the expansion of the controversial pipeline. But the ruling Thursday by the Federal Court of Appeals is requiring the government to assess the project's possible impact on southern resident killer whales, which use trans-boundary waters of th...
Orcas in the Mist
The Pacific Northwest’s Southern Resident killer whales are dying. And it's our fault.
KUOW - Seattle chef Renee Erickson pulls king salmon from menu
A Seattle restaurateur has stopped offering chinook salmon at her restaurants. Renee Erickson, chef and owner of a group of restaurants, including The...
Farmers working to save wild salmon!
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article216618980.html
Whatcom County agricultural and conservation communities unite in a rescue mission
Whatcom County farming volunteers assisted the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other conservation agencies rescue salmon and other marine life after water levels dropped along Double Ditch Road.
Lummi Nation feeding Chinook salmon to the emaciated 4 year old blackfish, J-50, in the Salish Sea.
That pain you feel about orcas? The Lummi know it well
Helping our relatives. That’s what Darrell Hillaire calls the project to offer salmon to the young whale known as J50.
Saving the orcas: meetings, meetings and more meetings
Meetings and more meetings. Comments and more comments. Welcome to the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force that’s to come up with policy recommendations to help the distressed orcas.
‘I am sobbing’: Mother orca still carrying her dead calf — 16 days later
Tahlequah is still carrying her dead calf, for a 16th straight day, and researchers fear she could be in danger.
Potent drugs found in West Coast sewage threaten chinook salmon, study reveals | CBC News
A Seattle expert in environmental contaminants says chemicals common in sewage put juvenile chinook salmon at risk.
J50 has been found. Now biologists must figure out how to save her
J50 is alive. The emaciated, 4-year-old orca had seemingly gone missing over the weekend, leading some biologists to worry that she may have died. Plans
From Children of the Setting Sun Productions: a video of our test run procuring Chinook from the reefnet gear off Lummi Island. The Chinook need to be vigorously alive and bright, otherwise orcas will not eat them. All this for the effort to provide the starving 4-year-old J-50 with emergency food and medication.
