The SeaDoc Society seeks a post-doctoral scientist to lead an international collaborative effort investigating status and trends of marine bird populations in the Salish Sea.

On December 10, 2009 Capt Jim Maya, a whale watch operator from San Juan Island, photographed this white/gray colored transient killer whale. While nobody knows for sure why this whale is colored this way, grey and albino killer whales have been reported before.

Scientists in Scotland, Canada and the US have proposed a new method to identify priority areas for whale conservation. The team's findings, published in Animal Conservation, suggest that even small protected areas, identified through feeding behaviour, can benefit highly mobile marine predators such as killer whales.

"Zoning the ocean is a new concept and is rife with human conflict," said Dr Joe Gaydos, science advisor to Puget Sound Partnership and Chief Scientist for the SeaDoc Society. "Science is our most objective tool for balancing species recovery and human needs and work like [lead author] Ashe's is critical if we're going to ask boaters and fishermen to leave important areas for the whales."

Read more:

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/whale-protection.html#cr

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/w-zto121409.php

Many of us have four-legged best friends and there's nothing better than walking our tail-wagging pups along the shore. But what happens when that tail goes up and processed kibble plops down somewhere it can wash into the water? What we do on land impacts the oceans, often in disgusting ways, and now a new SeaDoc study published in the Journal of Parasitology (pdf) shows that our dogs have a pollution problem too. The intestinal bug Giardia comes in a number of nasty strains that infect humans and all sorts of animals. When SeaDoc scientists tested our region's harbor seals, we found that nearly half of the Salish Sea's seals carry a unique seal strain of Giardia.

Disturbing results came from a site in south Puget Sound where seals were not only infected with their own brand of Giardia, but also with a canine variety, which shows that diseases from our pet dogs are being transmitted to marine wildlife. Future studies will tell us what effect the dog Giardia is having on the seals, but for now it's an important wake-up call and reminder for everyone who cares about the oceans: The land and sea are intimately connected and even doing simple things like scooping your best friend's poop will help keep the ocean and its wildlife healthy.

  Vermillion Rockfish by J. Nichols

[Comments are now closed on this plan. We will update the site with information on the final plan when it's available.]

Rockfish populations are in trouble, and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is writing the first Puget Sound Rockfish Conservation Plan.

This is a major step in protecting rockfish. Like the killer whale and salmon recovery plans, it creates a coordinated plan for recovery.

The plan is currently a draft, and comments are being accepted until January 4, 2010.

The Georgia Basin, Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan de Fuca are all part of a larger marine ecosystem, the Salish Sea. This was recently officially recognized. In August, 2009 the British Columbia Geographical Names Office approved a resolution recommending the Geographical Names Board of Canada adopt the name contingent on approval by the United States Board on Geographic Names. The name was endorsed by the Washington State Board on Geographic Names in October, 2009 and the United States Board on Geographic Names approved the name on November 12, 2009

Bellingham biologist Bert Webber, who initially proposed the name in 1989, says, "A lot of the credit goes to ... the support Sea Doc has given to the name. "

In celebration, SeaDoc is giving out a free 11" by 17" full-color map of the Salish Sea to the next 100 people who sign up for our email newsletter. You can find the signup box at the top and bottom of this page.

(The map is similar to the image at the right, but updated.)

To learn more about the Salish Sea, visit our Salish Sea Facts page.

On September 9, 2009, researchers who were tracking southern resident killer whales in Haro Strait noticed whales from J- and K-pods interacting with a harbor porpoise.

Three specific whales (J31, J36 and J39) spent the most of the time with the porpoise and J-31 was seen using its head to throw the harbor porpoise in air on two occasions. The entire interaction lasted over 30 minutes.

If you've ever wanted to know more about how Puget Sound works...

A recent SeaDoc-funded project has revealed how important herring spawn can be for species like migratory waterfowl. Eric Anderson, Jim Lovvorn and others studying the role of herring spawn in the diet of surf and white-winged scoters found that these birds aggregate to feed on herring spawn whenever it is available.