The small pods of Pacific Northwest orcas, dubbed the Southern residents, are in sore straits. Chemical pollution is high in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, while human-generated noise from ship traffic and military bases can cause disturbance.
But a major problem is salmon – the lack thereof. These fish-eating orcas mostly depend on Chinook salmon, but years of stream destruction and damming of salmon streams, closing off the clean gravel beds needed for spawning, is harming both salmon and orca populations.
The Southern resident population has been listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. There are about 75 individuals left, and if they are not to disappear, something must be done to improve the number of salmon.
The lower Snake River has four obsolete dams in place that could be removed. This, coupled with improvements in the river bed, such as flushing out silt that chokes gravel bars, can provide renewed hope to the Chinook salmon population, and in turn feed the orcas into the future. A restoration effort will also provide local jobs.
April 12-16 is a National Week of Action for the orcas. The International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP) of Earth Island Institute is working with the Endangered Species Coalition and many groups around the nation to help protect the orcas and other endangered species.
We hope you will stand in solidarity with the Northwest Tribal Salmon Alliance, Washington State Black Lives Matter, and conservation and fishing groups, in calling on Congress and the Biden Administration to help restore the salmon streams by removing dams and restoring the spawning gravels.
What You Can Do:
Send an email to important Washington state elected representatives to take action.
