Justin Cox
Velcro Star Eating a Spotted Ratfish in the ...

Check out this velcro star with a spotted ratfish locked in a full nelson! SeaDoc Society scientists Joe Gaydos and Cat Lo came across this scene during a research dive in Howe Sound in British Columbia.

Justin Cox
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. 

Training The Trainers at Camp Orkila
Justin Cox
Rochelle Severson and Kevin Campion Cycle off ...

After a decade of service on the SeaDoc Society’s Board of Directors, Rochelle Severson and Kevin Campion will cycle off, with Board Member Ardi Kveven taking over as Board Chair.

Justin Cox
Farewell Southern Resident IPA & Thank You ...

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. 

Farewell Southern Resident IPA & Thank You Two Beers Brewing
Justin Cox
Why are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing ...

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.

Why are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them?

funded research

SeaDoc Society to Fund Six Critical Research Projects 

SeaDoc Society to Fund Six Critical Research Projects 

Science is the vital first step in driving positive change for wildlife, people, and the environment. All efforts to change hearts, minds and policy flow from solid data.

This year, SeaDoc Society will fund six new scientific research projects that will ultimately improve the health of  the Salish Sea. Each project was carefully reviewed and selected by our Science Advisors and funded thanks to all sizes of SeaDoc Society donations. 

Each project is funded at the level of $50,000 and will answer questions where more information is most likely to improve our ability to recover or manage important living resources. In addition to producing quality science to be published in peer-reviewed journals, each project also will meet the criteria most often associated with research that has a positive conservation impact. 

Field Photos: The Art of Working With Surf Smelt Embryos

Field Photos: The Art of Working With Surf Smelt Embryos

We recently funded a project that will study smelt habitat, which is being encroached upon by development. The project uses underwater cages to measure pollution exposure, which you can read about in our June blog post.

Photojournalist Gemina Garland-Lewis is shadowing the team in the field. Here are photos from a recent excursion.

Is a Newly Discovered Worm a Threat to Oysters in the Salish Sea?

Is a Newly Discovered Worm a Threat to Oysters in the Salish Sea?

Is a newly discovered shell-boring worm a threat to Olympia oysters—a species of concern and the only oyster species in the Salish Sea?

Dr. Chelsea Wood and her team at the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences aims to answer that question. If so, this will be crucial information to modify the current restoration plan for Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida).