orcas | The Filson Journal

Oceans Initiative: on a mission to protect marine life

Conservation scientist Erin Ashe, PhD, says we all have a “cetacean story”: the moment in our lives when we realize that whales and dolphins—the spellbinding mammals she studies—exist. Ashe was four years old when hers happened. A family of orcas swam below her aunt’s cliffside home on San Juan Island in the state of Washington, announcing their presence with the unmistakable whoosh of air being exhaled through blowholes. Ashe was awestruck, and insatiably curious about the 12,000-pound creatures—a feeling that would direct the course of her studies and, eventually, her life’s work.

Forged from the Salish Sea: Artist Zack Leck

The stunning natural world of the Salish Sea continually influences and inspires Leck’s body of work. He looks for any excuse to venture out on the water, or under the water working as a commercial diver. One of his passions is foraging for the many ocean delicacies present in the sea, such as Dungeness crab, spot prawns, seaweed, oysters, and mussels.

The Puyallup: one of North America’s most endangered rivers

The Puyallup River flows roughly 65 miles through Mt. Rainier National Park, with its origins in glacial snowmelt. Home to the only spring Chinook salmon population in the South Puget Sound region, it is vital to the survival of endangered orcas and the local fishing industry. The Electron Hydropower Project threatens this population, killing an estimated 40% of Chinook juveniles on their way to Puget Sound.