Justin Cox
Meet Our 3 New Board Members: Scott White, Barb ...

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.

Justin Cox
A Non-Invasive Tool For Collecting Killer Whale ...

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. 

A Non-Invasive Tool For Collecting Killer Whale Breath Samples
Justin Cox
Meet SeaDoc's Newest Science Advisors, Caitlin ...

This summer, our brilliant Scientific Advisory Committee gathered in Seattle to assess and ultimately determine funding for five new critical research projects here in the Salish Sea. You can read about those here.

Our Science Advisors are a vital part of our mission, and we’re excited to introduce two exciting new additions. They are Caitlin Magel of Puget Sound Institute and Phil Bloch of Confluence Environmental Company. We asked them a few questions so you can get to know them a bit better. 

Welcome Caitlin and Phil! 

Justin Cox
SeaDoc Announces More than $200,000 in New ...

We're excited to announce that SeaDoc Society will fund five new scientific research projects aimed at improving the longterm health of the Salish Sea. Each project was carefully reviewed and selected by our Scientific Advisory Committee and funded through your donations from people like you.

We look forward to sharing more about each of these as fieldwork ramps up, but here is a brief look at the newly funded projects:

SeaDoc Announces More than $200,000 in New Funded Research
Justin Cox
Joe Gaydos Elected to Washington State Academy ...

The Washington State Academy of Sciences has elected 36 new members in recognition of their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement. Among the select group in this year’s slate is SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos!

Joe Gaydos Elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

policy

Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest (Book Excerpt)

Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest (Book Excerpt)

Nora Nickum is Senior Ocean Policy Manager with the Seattle Aquarium and author of the new book, Superpod: Saving the Endangered Orcas of the Pacific Northwest. She’s an extremely valuable person to have in the larger effort to save this species, both in her policy work and in writing this book, which will no-doubt help shape the next generation of PNW conservationists. 

“Full of scientist and activist heroes, including Nickum herself, Superpod will captivate readers and inspire them to become change makers,” said SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos, whose field work is featured in an excerpt of the book below this short Q&A. 

Advising on Whale Watch Guidelines & Bridging the Gap Between Science & Policy

Advising on Whale Watch Guidelines & Bridging the Gap Between Science & Policy

Last week, our Science Director, Joe Gaydos, presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission about an upcoming decision they face concerning new whale watching guidelines.

Like most of SeaDoc's science-based work, our efforts are integrated and layered to be more effective at driving conservation. Here’s how how something like this presentation (which you can read in full here) comes about and how it can help drive change: