The SeaDoc Board is instrumental to our mission here in the Salish Sea. Scott, Barb, and Jeff bring unique expertise, passion, and dedication to our team and we’re so excited to have them! View the whole board here and learn more about Scott, Barb and Jeff below.
A Non-Invasive Tool For Collecting Killer Whale Breath Samples
Drones can be powerful tools in gathering important health data about wildlife, including marine species like the Salish Sea’s endangered killer whales. Scientists have already established the benefits of collecting breath samples to monitor orca health, but we wanted to scientifically understand if it is less invasive than previous sampling methods–namely the use of a long pole with a petri dish extended from a nearby boat toward the whale’s blowhole.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Marine Mammal Science, led by SeaDoc Society Research Assistant Catherine Lo, answered that question by analyzing more than 1,000 drone-collected killer whale breath samples.
Meet SeaDoc's Newest Science Advisors, Caitlin Magel and Phil Bloch
This summer, our brilliant Scientific Advisory Committee gathered in Seattle to assess and ultimately determine funding for five new critical research projects here in the Salish Sea. You can read about those here.
Our Science Advisors are a vital part of our mission, and we’re excited to introduce two exciting new additions. They are Caitlin Magel of Puget Sound Institute and Phil Bloch of Confluence Environmental Company. We asked them a few questions so you can get to know them a bit better.
Welcome Caitlin and Phil!
SeaDoc Announces More than $200,000 in New Funded Research
We're excited to announce that SeaDoc Society will fund five new scientific research projects aimed at improving the longterm health of the Salish Sea. Each project was carefully reviewed and selected by our Scientific Advisory Committee and funded through your donations from people like you.
We look forward to sharing more about each of these as fieldwork ramps up, but here is a brief look at the newly funded projects:
Joe Gaydos Elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences
The 2024 Wine & Sea Auction!
To all who joined us for the 2024 Wine and Sea Auction, thank you again for caring so deeply and for taking action for this place we love! It was a gorgeous day on the water with amazing people, all in support of the Salish Sea. Thank you for being part of it! You truly make all of our work possible. Enjoy some photos from the evening below!
~ Team SeaDoc
The Ocean is Our Lab
The Molly B skims the water as divers prepare for a day of field work in the Salish Sea. SeaDoc Society’s research assistant Cat Lo gets ready to don her heavy dive gear and take a plunge. One by one, the divers back roll off the boat and splash into the water with their slates and survey equipment. They descend and begin their objective; to survey young-of-year rockfish.
Cat’s job entails a lot of time spent on or under the water, whether she’s surveying baby rockfish, assisting with killer whale health assessments, or the many other projects SeaDoc has in motion. Time spent in the field comes with its highs, its challenges, and its unexpected outcomes. While all components of science are important, much of the work we do puts us out in the field, interacting with the ecosystem first hand.
As marine scientists, the ocean is our laboratory.
Saying Goodbye to a Hero
The SeaDoc Society lost a great friend, and the world lost a true hero when Bill Anders died on June 7.
Bill’s famous “Earthrise” photo, taken aboard Apollo 8 as he became one of the first three astronauts to orbit the moon, was a stunning and poignant reminder that our planet is a small, watery blue marble floating in a vast universe. The image is credited with sparking the environmental movement and Life Magazine listed it as one of the “100 Photographs That Changed the World.”
Orca Action Month: A SeaDoc Society Toolkit
June is Orca Action Month–a perfect moment to spend some time learning about the local killer whales with which we share our home. SeaDoc has developed some great resources about orcas, including several great episodes of our web series Salish Salish Sea Wild and a seven-episode podcast series all about the plight and conservation of Southern Residents. Find more about what’s happening throughout June on the Orca Action Month site!
A Special Day with SeaDoc at Lime Kiln State Park
A special group of SeaDoc Society donors joined our team for a gorgeous day of tidal exploration at Lime Kiln State Park last month! Click through the slideshow above to view photos of this spring’s Tidepoolers event!
The Tidepoolers Club is a passionate group that cares deeply about the future of the Salish Sea. Become a Tidepooler today by pledging a recurring monthly donation in any amount and you’ll get invites to future events like this one, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes field updates and early access to select episodes of Salish Sea Wild and our podcast Pod of Orcas.
Conservation requires longterm dedication, and your monthly donation is a powerful investment in the mission. Let’s pool together to turn the tides for the Salish Sea!
Velcro Star Eating a Spotted Ratfish in the Salish Sea
Training The Trainers at Camp Orkila
Thousands of fifth-graders will cycle through Camp Orkila on Orcas Island this summer to engage with our marine ecosystem. As we round the corner into Spring, the counselors who will guide those kids (5,800 total!) are deep in preparation and training.
Last week, our team was honored to lead a low-tide beach walk at Camp Orkila to train this year’s Orkila staff. All of the counselors received a signed copy of our best-selling (and award-winning!) book for fifth graders, Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids.
Rochelle Severson and Kevin Campion Cycle off SeaDoc Board; Ardi Kveven is New Board Chair
Farewell Southern Resident IPA & Thank You Two Beers Brewing
As I write this, sitting in The Woods taproom where Southern Resident is brewed, Two Beers has donated more than $15,000 in support of the SeaDoc Society’s collaborative work to save Southern Residents.
Not to mention the story they’ve helped tell on thousands of boxes and cans sold throughout the Pacific Northwest over the last five years. In that initial creative design phase, their team was insistent that the whales’ story and SeaDoc’s mission be clear and prominent on the packaging.
Why are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them?
For decades, fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have been observed harassing and even killing porpoises without consuming them—a perplexing behavior that has long intrigued scientists.
A study published today in Marine Mammal Science, co-led by Deborah Giles of Wild Orca and Sarah Teman of the SeaDoc Society, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, looked at more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident killer whales and porpoises in the Salish Sea to better understand why they exhibit this behavior.
Field Notes: Behind the Humpback Comeback Story
It occurred to me as we bobbed around Hein Bank that even though we weren’t staring at literal humpback whales, we had been circling their story for hours. The cacophony of seabirds that ribbonned out across the channel for hundreds of yards was not there by accident. They were feasting on the same forage fish that make the Salish Sea a habitable home for humpback whales.
Lost Fishing Net Strewn Across the Salish Sea Floor Near San Juan Island
On a recent research dive near San Juan Island, SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos captured video of a large fishing net clinging to the rocky ocean floor. We immediately reported the net to the on-line, no fault reporting hotline so they can begin the process of removal, which is a complex and dangerous job - even for trained professionals.
2023 Was our Biggest Wine & Sea Auction Yet!
Big thanks to all who attended our annual Wine & Sea Auction on Orcas Island last weekend! It was so wonderful to celebrate together on a beautiful Saturday afternoon—all in support of Salish Sea science and conservation! Huge thanks also to our amazing hosts, sponsors, board members and volunteers, it was our most successful auction ever!
2023 Octopus Award: Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien
The purpose of the Octopus Award is to recognize individuals outside our program (i.e., not serving on the Board or in any kind of formal capacity) who have made significant contributions to the success of the SeaDoc Society and our mission in the Salish Sea. Past recipients include Malcolm Goodfellow (2004), Patti Moran-Hodge (2005), John Klacking (2007), Lynne Greene (2008), Compass Wines (Doug Charles and Will Parks, 2010), Bennie Osburn (2011), and Chris Dunnigan (2015).
2023 Honorees: Martha Kongsgaard and Stephanie Solien
Pacific Bluefin Tuna Found on Orcas Island Beach (PHOTOS/VIDEO)
How did you start your day? Was it by looking at a massive #bluefin tuna that washed up on the beach near your home? That’s how we did! That’s right, we woke up to find this beautiful bluefin tuna dead on Crescent Beach in Eastsound—right here on Orcas Island.