Resources

 

Photo taken under NOAA permit

Listen to Orcas Live!

Orcas rely on sound to navigate and communicate in the dark world underwater. Light travels just a few feet in our murky waters, which makes sight useful only in close encounters. Sound can travel for miles, making it possible for orcas to communicate with each other, navigate and locate prey over long distances. Hydrophones are underwater microphones that allow us to listen in on the sounds that orcas make underwater and get some clues about what they might be doing.

Then we can start asking questions—When did they make the sounds? Which calls were they using? Which whales were seen on the surface and what were they doing? We can start to see patterns and use these patterns to learn more about life in an orca pod. Using hydrophones we can listen for orcas as they travel throughout the Salish Sea. By learning to identify their calls, you can help researchers learn more about how our local orca pods use this critical habitat.

Click below to get started!

Listen Live Orcasound

Photo taken under NOAA permit

Great Calls, including a whale repeating an S36 call right over the hydrophone. Also, listen for a breach!

Photo taken under NOAA permit

Shorter clip with lots of echolocation

Photo taken under NOAA permit

A seven minute clip of phenomenal calls. All three pods and not a bit of background noise.

Where to See SRKWs 

Fort Flagler

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Saltwater

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Dash Point

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Fort Casey

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Deception Pass

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between May-September

Fort Worden

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Lime Kiln Point

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between May-September

Burrows Island

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between May-September

Turn Island

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between May-September

South Whidbey

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Blake Island

Orcas visible throughout the year, often between September-February

Research Papers

Read more about the studies on our Southern Resident killer whales and their environment.

Linking Killer Whale Survivial and Prey Abundance

Food limitation in the oceans’ apex predator?

Species and Stock Identification of Prey

consumed by endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales in their summer range- 2010 Hanson et al.

Prey selection and food sharing by fish-eating ‘resident’ killer whales

(Orcinus orca) in British-Columbia-2005 Ford and Ellis

TOXINS: Persistent organic pollutants in chinook salmon

(Oncorhynchus tshawytschea): implications for resident killer whales of British Columbia and adjacent waters- 2009 Cullen et al.

Vessel Traffic Disrupts the foraging behavior

of Southern Resident Killer Whales- 2009 Lusseau/Bain

Effects of vessels on whale behavior

on individual Southern Resident Killer Whales- 2006 Lusseau/Bain

Sound Exposure and SKRW

Sound Exposure and Southern Resident Killer Whales- 2008 Holt

Recovery Plans

These comprehensive documents outline the respective recovery programs and the issues involving the Southern Resident killer whales

Endangered Species Recovery Plan

Endangered Species Recovery Plan- United States

Species At Risk

Species at Risk Recovery Program- Canada

Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Overview

SRKW endangered species bulletin Summer 2009

Questions about our Program?

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