SSAMN Stream

Media plays a very important role in raising awareness amongst the public about environmental issues and endangered species. While media can take many forms, as naturalists, how can we better communicate through media and spread our message to the general public about our beloved endangered Southern Resident killer whales & the issues they face? In a world full of limited attention and distrac...

Did you know it's possible to see the world's heaviest bony fish off of Washington State and along the Northwest Coast? Molas, or ocean sunfish, are gentle giants that can get up to around 5,000 pounds and 10 feet in length! Dr. Marianne Nyegaard, a Research Associate at the Auckland Museum,  has been collaborating on a citizen science project for several years now to document sightings...

We may not give much thought to the gulls we see commonly along our coastlines and inland areas here in the Salish Sea. But, what is being learned about them may surprise you. Did you know, for instance, gulls have been found to study human behavior when scavenging food? It’s true! Gulls can also be important ecological indicators of pollution and other stressors. Dr. Mark Hipfner, a research scie...

Microplastics, tiny particles of plastics, unfortunately abound in our oceans and waterways, and seem to be everywhere. In the marine environment, these microplastics accumulate and work their way up the food chain to top consumers, including humans. Dr. Lyda Harris, a Sustainability and Conservation Scientist at Boeing, will discuss this issue here in the Salish Sea, how big of a problem it reall...

Even though Southern Resident killer whales do not eat marine mammals, they have been observed harassing and killing porpoises for decades in the Pacific Northwest. If they aren’t doing this behavior to get food, this leads to the big question of Why ? Dr. Deborah Giles, Science & Research Director at Wild Orca, and Sarah Teman,  Graduate Student at the University of Washington, joins us on th...

In recent years, there has been record number of humpback whales being seen in the Salish Sea. What's going on? What might this mean for our local ecosystem? Tasli Shaw, Co-founder and Project Lead of Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, starts the new year off with us on this episode as we talk humpback whales and learn about their ongoing humpback whale photo identification work.

The Whale Hotline public sighting network was initiated by TWM in the spring of 1976 as a means for members of the public to report Orca sightings in Washington State to the Orca Survey. Later, the focus was expanded to include reports of all species of cetaceans and marine mammal strandings in Washington State. On this episode, my co-worker, Alexis Morrigan, TWM’s Sightings Network Coordinator, s...

Kelp forests are not only very important ecologically, but also culturally important to indigenous peoples here in the Salish Sea. Staff at the Samish Indian Nation have been conducting kelp forest monitoring since 2017. Come join us on this episode, as Toby McLeod, a member of the Samish Indian Nation as well as a technician with their Department of Natural Resources, tells us all about the aweso...

You may know that the endangered Southern Resident killer whales rely on Chinook salmon for food, especially from the Fraser River. Did you know, however, a recent study has found there is significant variation amongst Fraser River Chinook in how fat (high quality) these fish are? This, in turn,  affects the energetic value of these fish to SRKWs. Jacob Lerner, a PhD Candidate from the University...

In the Salish Sea, Southern Resident killer whales and Northern Resident killer whales both eat salmon, primarily Chinook. Although similar populations, they surprisingly have strikingly different foraging strategies. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Tennessen, a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels at the University of Washington, explains these different strategies and th...

Water quality and properties can be impacted by a wide array of sources, including climate change. Having a practical and accurate modeling tool for assessing such impacts is vital to making good ecosystem management decisions and future planning. On this episode, Dr. Tarang Khangaonkar, a coastal ocean modeler with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will tell us about the development of a...

If someone asked you where can you find corals, you would say tropics, right? However, you can find corals here in the Pacific Northwest too! It’s true – believe it or not! These native corals can take thousands of years to form, and as such, can serve as an important key to understanding changes in the physical and chemical properties of Salish Sea waters and the impact of these changes to local...

Whale watching and visitors are huge economic booms for the San Juan Islands and other Salish Sea communities. However, how do we navigate the desire for tourism and recreation in our local waters and lands while mitigating the harmful impacts such activities can have on our beloved wildlife, especially whales, and our surrounding environment? Conservationists world-wide have struggled with this v...

Genetics, including paternity,  is challenging to figure out in killer whales. These relationships, however, are very important to determine in order to better understand mating dynamics and genetic diversity within their populations.  As our endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population continues to decline, there is concern of increased inbreeding within the population and the nega...

Seabird bycatch (that is the unintentional catching of seabirds) in commercial fisheries is a big problem globally. Many of these birds wind up dying. Here in the Pacific Northwest, albatross are particularly at risk. Bycatch can result in huge population losses of seabird species. For threatened or endangered species, even the death of a small number of birds can have devastating effects. Seabird...

Since 2019, a high number of gray whales have been stranding along the west coast of North America from Mexico to Alaska. This has prompted NOAA to declare an Unusual Mortality Event (UME)  for the Eastern Pacific stock of gray whales which is still being actively investigated. Joining us on this episode is Dr. Aimée R. Lang, a researcher with NOAA, to tell us about this UME, latest findings on th...

If you like seahorses (who doesn’t?) than this episode is for you! While there are no seahorses in the Salish Sea, we do have pipefish, which are very closely related to seahorses. On this episode, Tiffany Boothe, Assistant Manager at the Seaside Aquarium in Oregon, tells us about these unique and eloquent fish! We’ll explore their biology, where you can find them, their cool peculiarities, and so...

How well do you think you know our local squid species? You are about to find out! These cephalopods have strange and secret lives. Your imagination may conjure up the imposing Humboldt squid, a very large, silent predator with a sharp beak and tentacles containing hooks and suction cups with razor sharp teeth.  Perhaps you picture, instead, the cute, small, googly-eyed stubby squid or the beautif...

Empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. With the holidays upon us, our thoughts turn to good will towards others, which includes kindness and compassion to nature. If you are listening to this podcast, it reflects you caring about our oceans and the life within them. What sparked this in you? It starts with empathy. If we are to save our waters and the life within th...

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples have called the Salish Sea home. An important part of living here was sustainably managing and using the resources the waters provided. On this episode, we are honored to have Dr. Anne Salomon, a professor at Simon Fraser University, with us to talk about these ancient management practices in regards to traditionally important resources, like sea otters,...

On this riveting episode, Dr. Lori Marino, President of The Whale Sanctuary Project and a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior, joins us to discuss the intelligence of orcas. Just how smart are they? Are they smarter than humans? How did they get such big brains and why? Are dolphins and whales capable of complex emotions? These are just some of the many questions we will explore.

As their primary food, Chinook salmon are vital to our beloved, endangered Southern Resident killer whales. By restoring salmon populations, we can help to save these orcas. On this episode, Tara Galuska, Orca Recovery Coordinator at WA State Recreation and Conservation Office, gives an update on what efforts the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office have undertaken to help increase local salmon popul...

Wolf eels are a marine species we have here in the Salish Sea. With their large heads and menacing teeth, they look scary but are they really? Are they even eels at all? You’ll find out all about this misunderstood species on this episode as Robert Pacunski, Research Scientist with WDFW, joins us to talk about them and shares with us interesting and surprising details about their lives. This is an...

Nudibranchs are truly amazing and beautiful marine invertebrates! These sea slugs of the Salish Sea come in a variety of sizes, colors, patterns, and body forms. While you can commonly discover them tide-pooling along rocky beaches, you can also find them underneath floating docks and when diving. On this episode, Luan Roberts, a citizen scientist and naturalist, shares with us the fascinating wor...

Here in the Salish Sea, eelgrass beds are an essential part of the ecosystem. On this episode, we have two special guests: Tina Whitman, Senior Staff Scientist at Friends of the San Juans, in San Juan County, WA, and Fiona Beaty, Regional Coordinator at Seachange Marine Conservation Society, in BC, Canada, who will share details about the importance of eelgrass beds and the eelgrass bed restoratio...