International Marine Mammal Project
Seattle,
Washington - The name and the familiar black-and-white image of the
orca, the “killer whale,” is omnipresent in this town. There is the
Orca Inn, Orca Electric and even the Orca volleyball team. Sadly, the
whale that inspires people to pay attention to commercial advertising
is dying in the wild.
Three main pods of “southern resident” orcas spend much of the
year in the Salish Sea, an inland body of salt water that stretches
from the southern reaches of Puget Sound northward past Seattle and
into Canada. These whales are suffering and dying.
In 1995, the orcas in these three pods numbered 99 individuals. In
June 2001, the Center for Whale Research (CWR) surveyed the orca
community following the pods’ return from its still-unknown winter
habitat and counted only 78 survivors - a decline of more than 20
percent over five years.
The most likely causes of the orcas’ decline are toxic
contamination, lack of food and the impacts of boat traffic. The orcas
of the Salish Sea are listed among the world’s most highly contaminated
marine mammals.
Salmon, the resident orcas’ main food source, have been in steep
decline throughout the region, forcing these northwest orcas to travel
all the way to California in search of food. Vessel traffic has
increased with the human population.
Reversing the orcas’ decline will require successful campaigns to
restore salmon and salmon habitats. It will be essential to clean up
toxic waste and prevent further toxic pollution; to conserve water so
the salmon will have water in which to spawn; to reduce household and
lawn use of toxic substances; and to ensure that orcas have sufficient
“alone” time in the water, away from boats and people.
The Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the National
Marine Fisheries Service to consider listing the orcas as an endangered
species - a process that will take at least two years.
Restoring the orca population will require more than a successful
petition to list the animals as endangered: it will take action. To
expand on the considerable efforts of other environmental
organizations, Earth Island has launched the Orca Recovery CAmpaign
(ORCA) to educate and engage the public.
In April 2001, an Elway Research Poll conducted on behalf of ORCA
revealed that, while only 42 percent of people in Washington state knew
about the plight of the orcas, 64 percent felt that orca protection was
very important. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed wanted pesticides
phased out and toxic waste cleaned up. Half of the respondents were
willing to reduce water use by 10 percent, with 44 percent willing to
conserve even more.
Regardless of where you live, you can help. Our willingness to
write letters to our political representatives can lead to policy
decisions that will increase funding to restore the salmon runs and
remove toxic waste.
ORCA’s new website [www.saveorca whales.org]
lists “Ten Things You Can Do To Help Save the Southern Resident Orcas.”
The website also offers links to nearly 50 other specialized
organizations, government agencies and political contacts. At the
website, you can hear orcas vocalize while you are learning how to help
them. You can also request free decals and brochures.
Over the coming year, we will update our website with information
about new opportunities to take an active role in protecting the wild
orcas. Please take the time to help the orcas before all that remains
of these magnificent creatures is a logo on a cafe window or a photo in
a magazine ad.
We arrived in San Francisco on the evening of September 11 to the
news of the horrific terrorist attacks. Despite this tragedy, our work
goes on.
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