Justin Cox
Velcro Star Eating a Spotted Ratfish in the ...

Check out this velcro star with a spotted ratfish locked in a full nelson! SeaDoc Society scientists Joe Gaydos and Cat Lo came across this scene during a research dive in Howe Sound in British Columbia.

Justin Cox
Training The Trainers at Camp Orkila

Thousands of fifth-graders will cycle through Camp Orkila on Orcas Island this summer to engage with our marine ecosystem. As we round the corner into Spring, the counselors who will guide those kids (5,800 total!) are deep in preparation and training. 

Last week, our team was honored to lead a low-tide beach walk at Camp Orkila to train this year’s Orkila staff. All of the counselors received a signed copy of our best-selling (and award-winning!) book for fifth graders, Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids. 

Training The Trainers at Camp Orkila
Justin Cox
Rochelle Severson and Kevin Campion Cycle off ...

After a decade of service on the SeaDoc Society’s Board of Directors, Rochelle Severson and Kevin Campion will cycle off, with Board Member Ardi Kveven taking over as Board Chair.

Justin Cox
Farewell Southern Resident IPA & Thank You ...

As I write this, sitting in The Woods taproom where Southern Resident is brewed, Two Beers has donated more than $15,000 in support of the SeaDoc Society’s collaborative work to save Southern Residents. 

Not to mention the story they’ve helped tell on thousands of boxes and cans sold throughout the Pacific Northwest over the last five years. In that initial creative design phase, their team was insistent that the whales’ story and SeaDoc’s mission be clear and prominent on the packaging. 

Farewell Southern Resident IPA & Thank You Two Beers Brewing
Justin Cox
Why are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing ...

For decades, fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest have been observed harassing and even killing porpoises without consuming them—a perplexing behavior that has long intrigued scientists.

A study published today in Marine Mammal Science, co-led by Deborah Giles of Wild Orca and Sarah Teman of the SeaDoc Society, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, looked at more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident killer whales and porpoises in the Salish Sea to better understand why they exhibit this behavior.

Why are Killer Whales Harassing and Killing Porpoises Without Eating Them?

harbor seal

Studying Seal Sizes to Benefit Their Survival

Studying Seal Sizes to Benefit Their Survival

Science helps us adapt and improve. For decades, marine mammal stranding response and rehabilitation organizations in the United States have been treating and rehabilitating harbor seal pups, and releasing them back into the wild. It’s critical that during rehabilitation seals gain sufficient blubber and mass so their fat reserves can enable them to survive after they are released. Prior studies have suggested that seals with greater body mass have better odds of survival. Unfortunately, until now, there has been no nationwide assessment of the sizes at which seals are released.

Heavy Metals in Harbor Seals of the San Juan Islands

Heavy Metals in Harbor Seals of the San Juan Islands

Toxins of concern in the Salish Sea include persistent organic pollutants (like PCBs), hydrocarbons (from fuel), pharmaceutical compounds, and trace elements (including heavy metals).

Some elements (like copper, selenium, and calcium) are necessary for life at lower concentrations but can be toxic at higher levels. Other elements considered non-essential (like lead and mercury) also can be toxic to aquatic organisms at elevated concentrations. Monitoring trace element exposure in marine organisms is essential to assess potential risks to wildlife and humans.