Justin Cox
A Non-Invasive Tool For Collecting Killer Whale ...

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. 

A Non-Invasive Tool For Collecting Killer Whale Breath Samples
Justin Cox
Meet SeaDoc's Newest Science Advisors, Caitlin ...

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! 

Justin Cox
SeaDoc Announces More than $200,000 in New ...

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:

SeaDoc Announces More than $200,000 in New Funded Research
Justin Cox
Joe Gaydos Elected to Washington State Academy ...

The Washington State Academy of Sciences has elected 36 new members in recognition of their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement. Among the select group in this year’s slate is SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos!

Joe Gaydos Elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences
Justin Cox
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. 

The Ocean is Our Lab

sustainbility

The Refuse-to-Use Water Bottle & Coffee Cup Challenge

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In an effort to bring attention to the massive amount of paper and plastic waste we all produce in single-use beverage containers, The SeaDoc Society and the Orcas Exchange invite you to participate in the 2017 Refuse-To-Use Orcas Water Bottle & Coffee Cup Challenge!

It’s easy to play: Promise not use any single-use coffee cups or water bottles in 2017, and instead use your favorite reusable containers. Then try not to lose those containers ALL YEAR. Manage that, and win prizes from SeaDoc and The Exchange!*

Follow these steps to participate:

  1. Take a photo of your favorite reusable coffee cup, water bottle, or both (extra points for including a furry friend in the pic).
  2. Upload the photo to your Facebook page, tell your friends what you are up to, and challenge your friends to participate.
  3. Tag “The Exchange/ORS” or “The SeaDoc Society” and include the hash tag #RefuseToUseOrcas so we can keep track of entries.
  4. Make sure the privacy is set to “public” so we can see it, and then click “post.”
  5. Posts must be up by midnight, March 1, 2017.
  6. Next is the easy step—reuse your bottle and/or cup all year long!
  7. Between December 1, and December 15th 2017, follow the steps above, posting a new pic of your well-worn, well-traveled container(s) to complete the challenge. Final pics must be posted by Midnight, December 15th.

Only entries posted by midnight March 1, with subsequent December posting will be considered eligible for prizes. Winners and prizes will be announced at the end of December! To receive two cool, free stickers for your reusable container, sign up for the SeaDoc newsletter at www.SeaDocSociety.org.

  • *Gifts are limited to residents of Orcas Island—but we hope this promotion goes viral! It beats dumping ice water on your head…
  • What the gifts actually are has yet to be determined… but they will be super cool, not terribly valuable, and environmentally friendly!
  • We realize there are lots of ways to game the system here so we are going to count on the honor system. We will check date stamps on image files, and compare the before-and-after pics to see if the containers match. ORS/SeaDoc retain the right to award or withhold prizes to anyone.