The SeaDoc Society is a program of the Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

The SeaDoc Society works to protect the health of marine wildlife and their ecosystems through science and education.

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SeaDoc developed an oil spill contingency plan to keep killer whales out of oil spills in the Salish Sea. Photo: S. Buckley

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SeaDoc research showed that proximity to human habitation increases otter exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is carried and shed by cats. Photo: P. Greene.

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SeaDoc-sponsored work pioneered techniques for releasing genetically sound hatchery reared abalone that survive in the wild. Photo: J. Bauma.

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SeaDoc-supported research developed a tool for determining which sites are most important for refueling migrating Western Sandpipers. Photo: T. Bell.

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SeaDoc funded research showed that in British Columbia, fishing bycatch is probably harming Pacific white-sided dolphin populations. Photo: J. Gaydos.

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SeaDoc is pulling together the science and writing the status review for listing the Western Grebe as threatened. Photo: G. Gumm and D. Poleschook.

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SeaDoc has trained hundreds of recreational SCUBA divers to help monitor the abundance and distribution of marine invertebrates. Photo: N. Brown.

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SeaDoc has determined the top ten principles for designing healthy ecosystems, for people and wildlife. Photo: P. Naylor.

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SeaDoc-supported science showed that in four Washington counties, scoters are being hunted at non-sustainable rates. Photo: J. Evenson

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SeaDoc research has shown that while mandatory Marine Protected Areas are working to protect rockfish, voluntary ones are not. Photo: J. Nichols.

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Making a Difference in the Salish Sea

The SeaDoc Society, founded in 1999, conducts and sponsors scientific research in the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest, also known as the Salish Sea.

joe gaydos
Joe Gaydos, DVM PhD
Regional Director

We work to figure out what's happening to our local species, and why. And then we share that information by facilitating collaboration and networking among the different agencies, governments, and individuals who make the decisions about how the 6 million people living in Puget Sound can live in harmony with the marine environment.

SeaDoc strives to find science-based solutions for marine wildlife in the Salish Sea using a multi-species approach. We work to advance stewardship in at-risk places, respond to emergency ecosystem health issues, educate the community, and train current and future leaders.

Top Ten Principles for Ecosystem Design

san juan islandsAfter a decade of funding and conducting science in the Salish Sea, the SeaDoc Society recognized the need to set out basic principles for designing healthy coastal ecosysystems. In 2009 we published our top ten principles in the international journal, EcoHealth.

Click to read more, or downloadpdf symbol a PDF copy of full manuscript.

 

SeaDoc seeks PostDoc for marine bird research

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.

Gray-colored transient killer whale spotted

gray killer whaleOn 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.

Ocean Zoning may help killer whales

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

Your best friend may not be so eco-friendly

harbor seal pupMany 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.

 

Rockfish Recovery Plan: Your Opportunity to Comment

Vermillion Rockfish by J. Nichols

  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.

Salish Sea name gets recognition

inland waters of Puget Sound and Georgia Basin

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.

Killer whales kill and then abandon a harbor porpoise off San Juan Island

Harbor porpoise with rake marks from killer whales

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.

How Puget Sound Works

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

Herring Spawn: nutritious fast food in danger?

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.




Why our work matters

Healthy ecosystems support economic prosperity. The Salish Sea provides abundant natural capital that contributes substantially to the financial prosperity of the region. Unhealthy ecosystems cost money because we lose the opportunity to benefit from them. The Salish Sea's deteriorating health threatens our economic well being and quality of life. SeaDoc uses science to find solutions to the problems facing the fish, wildlife and people of the Salish Sea.

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