Justin Cox
Knowing, Connecting, and Protecting the Salish ...

Our Science Director Joe Gaydos spoke Western Washington early this year as part of their Huxley Speaker Series. He discussed the importance of having a sense of place when it comes to protecting an ecosystem like the Salish Sea. How can you work to protect something if you don’t first connect with it? Watch the presentation below to hear more. Thanks to Huxley College for hosting us!

Knowing, Connecting, and Protecting the Salish Sea (Joe Gaydos at Huxley College of the Environment)
Justin Cox
Exciting New Faces at SeaDoc Society!

We’re excited to announce two exciting additions and (one transition) to the greater SeaDoc team!

Laura Donald is our newest member of the the Board of Directors and Marco Hatch and Marguerite Pappaioanou have joined our Science Advisory Committee. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have all three of them in these roles! Their insight and drive will be immensely valuable as we carve our way through 2019 and beyond with science as our foundation and new outreach and education opportunities on the horizon.

Exciting New Faces at SeaDoc Society!
Justin Cox
Capturing the Split-Second Beauty of a ...

We asked one of the winners of our Salish Sea in Focus photography competition to share his experience photographing a breaching transient killer whale in the Salish Sea. This video is narrated by Ken Rea of Friday Harbor.

Capturing the Split-Second Beauty of a Transient Orca Breach
Justin Cox
The Economic Impact of Killer Whales in the ...

The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) is a flagship species, a cultural icon, and an economic driver for Washington State. However, depleted Chinook salmon stocks, vessel-related noise and disturbance, and increasingly polluted waters put the orca population at risk of extinction. Efforts are underway to aid and support orca recovery, but these efforts are time consuming and expensive. 

The Economic Impact of Killer Whales in the Salish Sea
Justin Cox
Falling Stars: Once-Abundant Sea Stars ...

The combination of ocean warming and an infectious wasting disease has devastated populations of large sunflower sea stars once abundant along the West Coast of North America in just a few years, according to a study co-led by the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University published Jan. 30 in the journal Science Advances.

“In California, Washington and parts of British Columbia, sunflower sea stars keep urchins under control,” said Joseph Gaydos, senior author on the paper and director of UC Davis’ SeaDoc Society program. “Without sunflower stars, urchin populations expand and threaten kelp forests and biodiversity. This cascading effect has a really big impact.”

Falling Stars: Once-Abundant Sea Stars Imperiled by Disease Along West Coast

climate change

Falling Stars: Once-Abundant Sea Stars Imperiled by Disease Along West Coast

Falling Stars: Once-Abundant Sea Stars Imperiled by Disease Along West Coast

The combination of ocean warming and an infectious wasting disease has devastated populations of large sunflower sea stars once abundant along the West Coast of North America in just a few years, according to a study co-led by the University of California, Davis, and Cornell University published Jan. 30 in the journal Science Advances.

“In California, Washington and parts of British Columbia, sunflower sea stars keep urchins under control,” said Joseph Gaydos, senior author on the paper and director of UC Davis’ SeaDoc Society program. “Without sunflower stars, urchin populations expand and threaten kelp forests and biodiversity. This cascading effect has a really big impact.”