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

submersible

Our Heartfelt Condolences

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of those who were aboard the Titan submersible that was lost in the North Atlantic last week. 

In 2018, The SeaDoc Society funded three deep sea scientific research projects in the San Juan Islands that would not have been possible without OceanGate’s submersible technology and their professional team. OceanGate’s Cyclops 1 submersible enabled scientists to safely visualize the deep ecosystems of the Salish Sea and better study red urchins, sand lance, and the impact of scientific trawling on the seafloor. 

“In their hearts, they were scientists,” SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos told The Washington Post last week. “Stockton wanted to make a difference … He wanted to do things that actually made the ocean better.” …

Going Deep to Study the Small But Vital Sand Lance

Going Deep to Study the Small But Vital Sand Lance

How do you conduct research on tiny, elusive fish that live hundreds of feet below the surface, burrow under the sandy seafloor, and are only half the size of a dollar bill? Like any challenge in marine biology, when there’s a will, there’s a wave.

In 2018, SeaDoc and Ocean Gate worked together to bring a submersible to the San Juan Islands for researchers needing such a platform for their work. A team of scientists from the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, University of Washington, Moss Landing Laboratories, and Tombolo Mapping Laboratory was awarded sub time to study a very important forage fish.

We Brought a Sub to the Salish Sea (PHOTOS)

We Brought a Sub to the Salish Sea (PHOTOS)

It’s amazing what you can get done if you have the right tools.

About a year ago, we made the decision to bring a manned submersible to the San Juan Islands for a week of seafloor research. We put out a call for proposals and ultimately decided on three great projects studying deep-dwelling red urchins, sand lance habitat and the effects of seafloor trawling.

In most cases, scientific results arrive slowly after data is processed and analyzed, but when a tool is offered up that grants a new perspective for observation, exciting discoveries can arrive quickly. We saw that during our week with the OceanGate submersible, with team after team brimming with excitement after popping out of the sub after several hours of deep sea immersion.