Beam Reach

Some orcas extend their stay in Puget Sound; others visit capture site for first time in years – Puget Sound Institute Endangered species k C E Some orcas extend their stay in Puget Sound; others visit capture site for first time in years By Christopher DunaganPublished November 7, 2024 Comments Closed Southern Resident killer whales have been hanging out in Puget Sound much longer than normal this fall, probably be...

We’re very excited about this OBI/CWR collaboration near the Orcasound - Listen for Whales hydrophones in Puget Sound!

Earlier this week we were on the water doing an equipment test for a brand new project we are undertaking in partnership with the Center for Whale Research! This is a project Monika and Michael have long dreamed about and we're excited it's finally happening: our goal is to pair localized hydrophone recordings with drone observations of Southern Resident killer whales to see if we can link any specific vocalizations with key behaviors such as prey-sharing or nursing. If so, this could vastly expand the insight from passive acoustic monitoring efforts to gain knowledge not only about where whales are, but about what they're doing in those areas.

Our first dedicated field effort starts in just over a week when we will be relocating to Puget Sound in hopes of spending time with Southern Residents in their typical fall range. Thus far, anecdotal reports have been that chum salmon are abundant this year, and if the whales are any indication, that seems to be true, as J-Pod has been down in Puget Sound for almost a week straight as of today! Fingers crossed the whales and weather cooperate; we can't wait to share updates from the field on this exciting new venture.

This month, join us in taking 17 days of action for SRKWs = Southern Resident Killer Whales!

A new tidal turbine design may be coming to Rosario Strait… https://salish-current.org/2024/05/13/opalco-proposes-to-harness-tidal-power-for-san-juans/

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After spending a week up in the Strait of Georgia, J-Pod made their way back south towards the San Juan Islands this morning. It feels a little like the good ol' days to have them around in early May!

On Friday, a commercial fishing vessel ran aground and sunk in Haro Strait off Henry Island. Thankfully, unlike with the Aleutian Isle two years ago, this vessel settled in shallower water and responders were able to remove most of the 400+ gallons of fuel on board yesterday. The local emergency response department reported that they believed the environmental risk was greatly diminished by the time J-Pod transited the area today.

As they passed Lime Kiln Lighthouse heading south, most of J-Pod was in one tight group fairly close to shore. I thought I'd share some love for one of the members who gets featured a little less often: here's J39 Mako who gave us a lovely pass.

We are sad to hear there is another diesel spill in the core critical habitat of the SRKWs = Southern Resident Killer Whales. Yesterday the a 48-foot commercial fishing vessel sank off the southwest side of Henry Island around 6 am (3 May 2024). The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a crew member & his dog, observed a 100' sheen, and estimates the Chief Joseph has 400-500 gallons still aboard.

https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3765320/coast-guard-other-agencies-respond-to-sunken-vessel-near-henry-island-washington/

Happy Earth Day! Here's a new dashboard that mashes up orca and salmon data the same way SRKWs = Southern Resident Killer Whales mash up Chinook from the Fraser and Columbia rivers.

https://salmonorca.fly.dev/

Congrats to volunteer Zoe Liu for winning the *2023 Best Visualization of Ecosytem Data* across all open source projects of the Orcasound - Listen for Whales community!

Read more about this new Earth Day tool and inspiring volunteer on the Beam Reach blog -- https://beamreach.blue/2024/04/22/an-orca-salmon-dashboard-for-the-endangered-southern-resident-killer-whales/