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San Juan Islands

STEP Project

For my STEP signature project, I traveled to the San Juan Islands, WA in order to educate myself deeper on the orcas and their declining populations. Through two kayak trips, a boat tour, and a tour at the whale museum, I was able to gather a deeper understanding as to what the root cause is for the declining numbers of the southern resident killer whales. In addition, I learned of several steps that can be taken to improve the whales chances of survival.

Transformation

Coming into my step project, I was aware of the challenges the orcas were facing and had a small idea as to why their populations were on the decline. However, it was during my trip where I fully understood how bad the issue is. Humans are at the root cause of the killer whale’s fate and it really opened my eyes that actions need to be taken now, otherwise these animals do not have a bright future. This trip has opened my eyes to the small, daily changes I can make and influence others to make that can help the future of the killer whales. Not only can this apply to killer whales, but to the earth and other species as well.

Activities and Interactions

While traveling around the islands of San Juan, I learned so much more about the orcas, all the way from their origin to the causes of their current state of life. One of the most valuable experiences was my trip to the whale museum. I took a guided tour with an employee at the museum.

The Salish Sea received its name in honor of the Coast Salish indigenous people that first inhabited Northwest Washington and British Columbia. The sea serves as an important watershed for a multitude of nutrients created from the estuary, that help the plants and animals flourish. The Coast Salish people valued orcas and believed that humans and orcas had parallel worlds and shared destinies. However, when comparing their belief to the beliefs of those today, orcas are currently viewed for their entertainment value, or as a focus for scientific study. Because of the desire to use killer whales in entertainment, the population has declined rapidly since the capture of the first killer whales in the 60’s and 70’s. In the 1990’s their population was reduced by 20%. In 2005, the Southern Resident killer whales were listed as an endangered species and later in 2008, seven more members of the family were lost.

Three major issues are on the rise that are impacting the killer whale population and are further inhibiting the population to grow and expand. First, there has been a noticeable food shortage, with the main source of food being the Chinook salmon. Many of these salmon are being threatened by damns, habitat loss, pollution, and farming and fishing. Second, the waters of the Salish Sea are becoming polluted. PBCs, DDT and flame-retardants build up in the food chain resulting in serious health issues, and with the orcas being at the top of the food chain, they contain high levels of these contaminants. Third, the Salish Sea has become noisy due to vessel traffic crossing the sea. Hundreds of boats past through the Salish every day and the engines make a lot of noise, interfering with the communication of several marine mammals.

Through my trip, I have learned not only of the importance of the animals that I value so deeply, but how important it is for us as people to step up and make the small changes to our daily lives that can improve the outcome for killer whales. We can help by reducing energy and water usage, recycle and reuse what we can, use biodegradable products, support sustainable fisheries and salmon recoveries, as well as getting politically involved. We have the option to speak to our representatives to help provoke change. These changes can help the planet and the life that inhabits it immensely and it is so important to help preserve the animals and resources that we have left.

Significance

This trip has brought great meaning to my life and I feel very lucky that I have gotten the opportunity to see these beautiful creatures before it is too late. Traveling to the islands, seeing the orcas in the sea, and talking to the people who live there year-round, has sparked an even greater interest and passion in me for these animals and the Salish Sea. I learned of several programs while on my trip that allow people to volunteer and help monitor boat speeds through the waters, contaminants, as well as oil spills and other dangerous factors to the salmon and orca populations. I would love to spend a summer of mine in the future to go volunteer with others working towards this common goal of ours to help the killer whales and save the Salish Sea.

 

These are a few of the orcas we saw from the T137 pod that swam by us

 

This is Lime Kiln Point State Park lighthouse that is known as the best on-land location to see orcas.