The Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca), whose home is in the Salish Sea, are facing extinction. There are currently only 73 whales left in this rare and vital species group. They are starving due to a shortage of salmon and they need all possible access to the salmon that are available. Quiet waters free of noise and disturbance will greatly help the SRKWs preserve their ability to search for, and find, critical food. Restoring Chinook salmon through dam removal and shoreline restoration is a crucial but long-term effort. The SRKWs need help now. Please sign this petition to the Pacific Whale Watching Association to ask them to stop viewing the Southern Residents until they are out of danger of extinction. Thank you!
Dear Pacific Whale Watching Association:
The Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) ("SRKW") are facing imminent extinction. These beloved and long-revered residents of the Salish Sea need disturbance-and-noise-free waters in order to access their diminishing food supply of Chinook salmon. Unlike the transient orcas, the SRKWs do not eat other mammals. More than 50 research papers have shown that the presence of motorized boats negatively impacts the sonar abilities of the SRKWs. It increases their stress and decreases their ability to access salmon, to navigate, and to communicate. The situation is critical. Restoring Chinook salmon will help the SRKWs food supply—but it will take time and they do not have time.
We are asking you to support a healthy future for the critically endangered SRKWs by taking them off your list of viewable marine mammals until they are in full recovery. You have already taken these steps in Canadian waters and research indicates that by doing so, your business increased. The public is more responsive when environmental sensitivity is part of their experience.
In these globally challenging times for the environment, we enthusiastically support every action that is taken on behalf of all life on earth. Saving the SRKWs is a major sign of this support. They are the most advanced marine mammal on earth.
Thank you for your consideration--and your action. Please participate actively in saving the SRKWs and allow them the peace and quiet they need to survive.
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