Species Protection

The orca whale is a beloved symbol of the Pacific Northwest. The San Juan region’s resident orca population is in serious decline due to huge decreases in salmon population, and increases in chemical pollutants and underwater noise pollution. Friends continues to protect the orcas by restoring forage fish spawning habitat, advocating for limited and safer commercial shipping, and supporting management of human activities in critical habitat. The success of the orca is strongly tied to the region’s economic success, as well as to the success of the broader ecosystem on which the orca depends.

The Cherry Point herring (near Bellingham) are the most genetically divergent herring population in Washington. They are reproductively isolated due to unique spawning locations and timing. Once considered Washington’s largest population of herring, Cherry Point herring populations have plummeted by 90% over the last three decades and are struggling to recover.  Friends fights to protect Cherry Point herring by working to preserve  their habitat.