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Conservation & Consumption

4 articles

Promises in the Water: Grading Washington, Oregon, and California on Their Failure to Save the Southern Residents

Two decades after Southern Resident killer whales received federal endangered species protection, a candid assessment of state and federal conservation efforts reveals a pattern of ambitious commitments, inadequate funding, and implementation failures that have left the population no larger than when protections began. This analysis examines which agencies are performing, which are not, and what specific changes would meaningfully alter the trajectory of Southern Resident survival.

Cargo vs. Current: How Pacific Northwest Port Expansion Could Cost the Salish Sea Its Last Salmon

Across the Pacific Northwest, proposals to expand commercial port infrastructure are colliding head-on with the ecological realities of salmon migration—and, by extension, the survival of Southern Resident killer whales. The debate pits powerful economic interests against mounting scientific evidence that further habitat disruption in critical nearshore corridors could prove irreversible. What happens in these negotiations will shape the Salish Sea for generations.

Rules of the Water: A Boater's Guide to Sharing the Salish Sea with Southern Resident Killer Whales

Every vessel on the Salish Sea — from kayaks to commercial ferries — has the potential to harm Southern Resident killer whales through noise, physical proximity, and the risk of direct collision. Understanding the regulations, best practices, and reporting obligations that govern whale-safe boating is not optional for responsible waterway users; it is a baseline requirement for anyone who shares these waters with one of the world's most endangered marine mammal populations.

From Your Plate to the Salish Sea: How Seafood Choices Determine Whether Southern Residents Survive

Every salmon fillet on an American dinner plate is connected, however invisibly, to the fate of the Southern Resident killer whales navigating the Salish Sea. As overfishing continues to hollow out the Chinook salmon runs these whales depend on, consumer choices at grocery stores and restaurants have become one of the most underestimated levers of marine conservation. Here is what the science says — and what you can do about it.