orca

My name is Kaia, and I’m a high school sophomore currently interning at Friends of the San Juans. Some of you may know my grandpa, San Olson, current board member, past board president, and longtime resident of Lopez Island. It is largely because of my grandpa that I have the chance to write this letter ... read more

The 2020 boating season is officially upon us, and as we saw with Mother’s Day weekend, our anchorages will begin to fill with private boats. Our amazing group of islands, where boaters find wonder and relaxation, are also where fish and wildlife find food and shelter. One of the most critical and sensitive marine habitats ... read more

Victory in the Salish Sea! Xylene will NOT be manufactured and exported from the Anacortes refinery! An additional 120 tank vessel transits will NOT impact Southern Resident orcas, our economy, our marine ecosystem, and shoreline communities with increased vessel noise and the increased risk of accidents and spills. [NOTE: not just oil spills – xylene spills ... read more

We all did it together! All Orca Emergency Response Bills have passed out of the Washington State House and Senate! Thank you for your time and efforts to contact our representatives – they heard you ask for better protection of our Salish Sea. Here’s the scoreboard for these bills – all addressing the protection and recovery of ... read more

Have you ever been in such a noisy or crowded room that you find yourself yelling to be heard and sometimes giving up on getting food? Imagine what the Southern Resident orcas (SROs) face as they forage for scarce Chinook salmon while being accompanied by boats. Please join us in urging your state legislators to ... read more

Here are five important things you can do today to support our Salish Sea as we close out 2018… Make an Impact to Protect What You Love: 1. Give Southern Residents their fair share of salmon. Ask the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission to allocate 410,000 Chinook salmon for the Southern Residents annually. ... read more

Washington State requires refineries to have a state-approved oil spill response plan that ensures their ability to respond to major oil spills. Ecology is asking for public comments on the contingency plan for the Anacortes refinery that used to be called Tesoro, was then re-branded as Andeavor, and has now been bought by Marathon Oil. Your ... read more

Governor Inslee’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery and Task Force has issued the updated draft recommendations for actions to recover Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). Show your support for SRKW protection and recovery actions by taking the survey! Click here for the online public comment portal. Comments must be submitted no later than midnight, Monday October 29, via the Task Force ... read more

The news of J35’s deceased calf has hit us all hard. She carried her deceased daughter for 17 days and hundreds of miles – it was truly heartbreaking to see this mother orca mourning the death of her newborn calf. It is also a stark reminder of the trouble the Southern Resident Killer Whales are in.It ... read more

Friends has joined with the Wild Fish Conservancy to bring you a public discussion about Atlantic salmon net pens and PRV (Piscine Reovirus) in Puget Sound. Details: ATLANTIC SALMON NET PENS and their residual implications for Chinook Salmon and Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Wednesday, August 8, 7:00 pm, The Commons at Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan ... read more