No Relief, No Food for Starving Orcas

 

Tahlequah, the Southern Resident mother whale who carried her dead calf two years ago for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles, is pregnant once again.

Without enough food, though, her new calf could die as the last one did.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just blocked the best option for getting these whales the food they need — and keeping them from going extinct.

We can't stand by as whales starve before our eyes.

 Your help is needed if we're going to keep these orcas from vanishing.

The only way to save Southern Resident killer whales is to grow and secure their main food supply: Chinook salmon. But four dams along the Snake River in the Columbia River system cut off more than half of spawning and rearing habitat for salmon.

And many wild salmon runs in the region survive at 2% or less of their historic numbers.

Without enough salmon orcas will waste away and die off, one by one.

In deciding not to remove Snake River dams, the Corps ignored science and the plight of both salmon and orcas. Our activists and organizers will keep up the battle to take down these dams.

We're fighting for these whales every way we can. We're pressing for stronger rules on commercial boaters to adhere to protective limits so they don't interfere with whales' search for food. We also took legal action challenging the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department's permitting of in-water steelhead net pens, which can also make it harder for whales to find food.

Hope for the species remains: In addition to Tahlequah, scientists have announced pregnancies in other Southern Resident orca pods.

The fight for protection of our salmon and orcas must go on.

These whales are among the most endangered mammals on the planet. Only 72 are left.

We can't let them disappear on our watch.

Please make a gift today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. Your help is needed if we're going to keep these orcas from vanishing. The only way to save Southern Resident killer whales is to grow and secure their main food supply: Chinook salmon. But four dams along the Snake River in the Columbia River system cut off more than half of spawning and rearing habitat for salmon. And many wild salmon runs in the region survive at 2% or less of their historic numbers. Without enough salmon orcas will waste away and die off, one by one. In deciding not to remove Snake River dams, the Corps ignored science and the plight of both salmon and orcas. Our activists and organizers will keep up the battle to take down these dams. We're fighting for these whales every way we can. We're pressing for stronger rules on commercial boaters to adhere to protective limits so they don't interfere with whales' search for food. We also took legal action challenging the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department's permitting of in-water steelhead net pens, which can also make it harder for whales to find food. Hope for the species remains: In addition to Tahlequah, scientists have announced pregnancies in other Southern Resident orca pods. The fight for protection of our salmon and orcas must go on. These whales are among the most endangered mammals on the planet. Only 72 are left. We can't let them disappear on our watch. Please give today to the Saving Life on Earth Fund. For the wild,

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States