The story of how SeaDoc Society went from a big idea to a proper organization with a scientist and a mission and a proper name, as told by a vital board member who was in those early conversations.
The story of how SeaDoc Society went from a big idea to a proper organization with a scientist and a mission and a proper name, as told by a vital board member who was in those early conversations.
North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) are semi-aquatic mammals that range over most major river drainages, large lakes, and coastal marshes of North America. On the west coast, from Northern California (Bouley et al., 2015) to Alaska (Bowyer et al., 2003), river otters forage in and rely on healthy subtidal and intertidal zones where they feed on a variety of marine fish and invertebrates. The subspecies L. c. pacifica is found throughout the Salish Sea’s rivers, estuaries, coastlines, and coastal islands and plays an important role in the nearshore marine ecosystem. They are often confused with sea otters (Enhydra lutra) by the public because they are otters swimming in the sea. River otters do use and rely on marine resources, but taxonomically, they are not considered marine mammals like sea otters.
We’re excited to share that Wild Orca, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the Southern Resident killer whales, announced today that it is joining forces with the SeaDoc Society to work towards a shared vision: a future where these killer whales thrive in a healthy ecosystem. By combining the passion and expertise of our teams, including esteemed scientists Dr. Deborah Giles and Dr. Joe Gaydos, we can maximize our resources for a more significant impact on these endangered killer whales.
The SeaDoc Board is instrumental to our mission here in the Salish Sea. Scott, Barb, and Jeff bring unique expertise, passion, and dedication to our team and we’re so excited to have them! View the whole board here and learn more about Scott, Barb and Jeff below.
Drones can be powerful tools in gathering important health data about wildlife, including marine species like the Salish Sea’s endangered killer whales. Scientists have already established the benefits of collecting breath samples to monitor orca health, but we wanted to scientifically understand if it is less invasive than previous sampling methods–namely the use of a long pole with a petri dish extended from a nearby boat toward the whale’s blowhole.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Marine Mammal Science, led by SeaDoc Society Research Assistant Catherine Lo, answered that question by analyzing more than 1,000 drone-collected killer whale breath samples.
