Selected news stories which Orca Behavior Institute contributed to or within which OBI work is referenced
2024
January 12, 2024 ~ Bremer Bay orcas ‘healthiest on the globe’ as numbers boom off Western Australia (ABC Great Southern)
February 3, 2024 ~ 2023 smashes record for Bigg’s killer whale sightings in B.C. (CHEK News)
February 6, 2024 ~ Why are these killer whales increasingly showing up in the Sailsh Sea? (KUOW)
2023
December 6, 2023 – New orca calf off B.C. bolsters record-breaking year for sightings (CTV News Vancouver)
November 8, 2023 – Record number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings reported in Salish Sea this year (KOMO News)
August 18, 2023 – More than 130 orcas spotted Thursday in the Salish Sea, but population concerns remain (Chek News)
July 18, 2023 – Experts call for more nuance in how people view orcas (Nightline ABC)
June 23, 2023 ~ Greetings, People of Earth (This American Life – Act Three of the episode, “Yacht Rocked”)
June 15, 2023 ~ Orcas vs. boats: it’s complicated (Seattle Now – podcast)
June 14, 2023 ~ Group of orcas attack and sink vessels off Iberian Peninsula (PBS News Hour)
June 13, 2023 ~ Revenge of the killer whales? Recent boat attacks might be driven by trauma (NPR)
June 6, 2023 ~ How Humans Are Learning to Speak Whale (Atmos)
June 1, 2023 ~ The killer orcas aren’t winning. They could be self-sabotaging (Salon)
2022
September 29, 2022 ~ New study demonstrates that commercial whale-watching reduces vessel incidents in the vicinity of killer whales in Washington State (Journal of the San Juan Islands)
August 17, 2022 ~ Endangered orcas’ close call with fuel spill of Victoria a ‘wake-up call’: researcher (Victoria News)
August 14, 2022 ~ Scientists concerned about orcas after diesel, oil spill near San Juan Island (Q13)
July 10, 2022 ~ Orca calf spotted off San Juan Islands, first in K-Pod since 2011 (King5)
May 27, 2022 ~ J-Pod back in Salish Sea, with healthy female calf (Times Colonist)
April 2, 2022 ~ Single-Day Record of Bigg’s Killer Whales Spotted in Salish Sea (The Chronicle)
March 2, 2022 ~ New calf J59 born to endangered Southern Resident orcas (Q13)
January 12, 2022 ~ Why 2021 was a whale of a year for orca sightings (KUOW)
January 11, 2022 ~ Record number of orca, humpback whales spotted in the Salish Sea (CBC)
2021
October 29, 2021 ~ Record number of Bigg’s killer whale sightings and humpback calves in Salish Sea (KUOW)
October 28, 2021 ~ Salmon study sparks controversy (Puget Sound Institute)
September 17, 2021 ~ Good, bad news for endangered orcas (Skagit Valley Herald)
September 14, 2021 ~ Three pregnant orcas could boost endangered whales’ numbers (KUOW)
September 8, 2021 ~ Transient orcas set sightings record as population thrives on BC coast (CTV News)
September 8, 2021 ~ New sightings record set after nearly 30 orca whales seen over Labor Day weekend (KIRO7)
July 30, 2021 ~ Orcas’ return to Salish Sea dampened with bad news of one found emaciated (KATU)
July 28, 2021 ~ Resident orcas spotted near San Juan Island after weeks-long absence (KING5)
July 21, 2021 ~ ‘Unprecedented’ absence of southern resident killer whales from Salish Sea concerns researchers (CTV Vancouver Island)
July 20, 2021 ~ 100 days without Js: J-Pod Absent from Core Summer Habitat for 100 Days and Counting (OBI)
July 1, 2021 ~ Heat wave hits NW salmon (KUOW)
January 29, 2021 ~ A group of orca outcasts is now dominating an entire sea (The Atlantic)
2020
December 4, 2020 ~ Whale watching isn’t killing orcas – a lack of salmon is (Crosscut)
September 1, 2020 ~ Rare treat: endangered orcas return to Salish Sea in search of scarce salmon (KUOW)
July 30, 2020 ~ Ping! Orcas threatened by sonar plan, Inslee and enviros tell Navy (KUOW)
July 2, 2020 ~ Chinook salmon decimated, Southern Resident orcas are resident no more (Q13)
2019
October 14, 2019 ~ Rare white killer whale spotted in Washington during mass orca sighting (Newsweek)
July 22, 2019 ~ Researchers Studying Endangered Pacific Northwest Orcas Feel Their Absence (REI)
July 16, 2019 ~ Salish Sea Orcas are going elsewhere for fish (KUOW)
July 7, 2019 ~ Southern resident orcas spotted after unusual absence: length of time away was unprecedented (Peninsula Daily News)
July 6, 2019 ~ Southern Resident killer whales absent from Salish Sea for first June on record (The Islands’ Sounder)
July 5, 2019 ~ Endangered resident killer whales, not seen for a month, spotted off Vancouver Island (CBC News)
July 5, 2019 ~ Researchers encouraged by return of killer whales to Salish Sea, but say food source must be replenished (Globe and Mail)
July 3, 2019 ~ Where are the Southern Resident orcas? Researchers see longest absence ever from summer waters (Seattle Times)
March 1, 2019 ~ Endangered orca pod seen this week near Anacortes (Anacortes American)
February 26, 2019 ~ Orca groups call for immediate action to save Southern Residents (King5)
June 13, 2018 ~ Southern Resident orcas make late return to the Salish Sea (Anacortes American)
2018
May 29, 2018 ~ Inslee calls Canada pipeline ‘profoundly damaging’, fears for orcas in surprise deal (Seattle Times)
May 18, 2018 ~ OBI announces publication of first peer-reviewed paper (OBI)
April 8, 2018 ~ First Sperm Whale Documented in Inland Washington Waters – Seen and Recorded by OBI (OBI)
2017
December 11, 2017 ~ After rough years for orcas, these recent whale sightings are encouraging (KIRO7)
August 16, 2017 ~ 2017 Letter to Supporters (OBI)
2016
December 1, 2016 ~ Announcement on Michael’s Departure (OBI)
June 22, 2016 ~ Orcas, Under Pressure, Adopt Killer Survival Strategy (Reed Magazine)
2015
September 9, 2015 ~ Baby boom: A fifth orca calf for endangered southern resident pod (Victoria Times-Colonist)
September 7, 2015 ~ PRESS RELEASE: New Orca Calf Underscores Importance of Salmon Recovery (OBI)