Your Signature Is Needed: Alki the orca desperately clings to her newborn calf as she grieves untimely death

 

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Grieving orcas like Alki and Tahlequah are losing their newborn calves while corporate overfishing is pushing them closer to starvation! Take action now! >> Just last month → A mother orca breaks the surface slowly with her dorsal fin… just beneath her, she carries the limp body of her newborn calf: motionless, lifeless, umbilical cord still trailing in the water. For at least THREE days, Alki refused to let go of her dead baby, visibly mourning as she helplessly nudged the body repeatedly as if trying to wake her. Alki is no stranger to grief either: this is her third calf in five years – none have survived. We’ve witnessed this kind of sorrow before. In 2018, another Southern Resident mother, Tahlequah, captured hearts around the world when she carried her dead calf for 17 days across hundreds of miles. But these tragic stories aren’t just about grief and loss – endangered Southern Resident orcas are facing a SURVIVAL CRISIS. Their only dependable food source, Chinook salmon, is disappearing: driven by corporate fishing giants who are stripping our oceans of their natural resources and leaving hungry orcas starving. When salmon vanish, orca pregnancies fail. It’s a statistical fact: MOST orca pregnancies end in miscarriage. And even when a calf is born, nearly HALF don’t survive their first year. Now, with just 73 of these beloved sea mammals remaining in the wild, replenishing Chinook salmon is vital to keeping orcas and their babies nourished and pushing their dwindling population on the path to recovery – before that number falls to ZERO. If greedy fishing corporations are not reined in with stricter industrial regulations by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), our precious orcas will be too weak, too underfed, and too vulnerable to survive. But NMFS won’t act without overwhelming public pressure from activists like YOU speaking up for voiceless orcas. Will you join us in the fight to help SAVE endangered orcas from EXTINCTION today? ADD YOUR NAME: Tell NMFS to step up and STOP corporate overfishing immediately! >>

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The fight for the orcas is a fight for our planet. Thanks for being in this with us. Friends of the Earth

Contact Us Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us   Learn More www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org

Your Signature Is Needed: This World Orca Day, endangered orcas are losing the fight for Chinook salmon

 

WORLD ORCA DAY ACTION NEEDED: Endangered orcas are counting on YOU to fight for them today by calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to STOP corporate overfishing of Chinook salmon, or these vulnerable whales could soon be wiped out by starvation. Please add your name now to help save these majestic creatures from EXTINCTION before it’s too late! >> Orcas are among the most iconic marine animals: I’m sure you can just close your eyes and imagine one right now, with its sleek black and white body gliding gracefully through gentle waves. Although orcas are beloved and treasured simply for the natural wonder that they are, these whales also play an important role in our planet’s overall health — their unique role in the food chain contributes to the maintenance of biodiversity in our marine ecosystems, promoting overall ecological balance. But sadly, these endangered sea creatures are hanging on by a thread and clinging to survival right now — so they’re in desperate need of help from environmental activists like you today. Southern Resident orcas are currently being threatened by the corporate overfishing industry that’s HARMING essential Chinook salmon populations, which orcas cannot live without. In fact, Chinook salmon can make up to 90% of an orca's diet! The truth is: unless we restore Chinook salmon populations soon, the last few remaining orcas stand little to no chance of survival and could go EXTINCT before the next generation ever gets to live on an Earth where these magical creatures still exist. In honor of World Orca Day, we’re calling on you to take urgent action now to help stop an industry that is not only harming vulnerable orcas, a beloved keystone species — but also threatening people and the planet — with its reckless corporate greed. Can we count on you to speak up today on behalf of these defenseless whales when they need your activism the most? Add your name now to urge NMFS to rein in corporate overfishing of Chinook salmon immediately! >> SIGN THE PETITION Although the Pacific Northwest was once flowing abundantly with Chinook salmon, nearly HALF of these historic salmon runs have vanished: leaving weak orcas starving, emaciated, and struggling to survive. While climate change, ocean acidification, toxic pollution and other causes also share the blame for orca habitat degradation and food scarcity, there’s simply no denying the direct link between rampant corporate overfishing and a drastic decline in critical Chinook salmon populations. With so much Chinook salmon lost, malnutrition and starvation have been identified as a major leading cause of orca deaths. You can do the math. Most orca pregnancies currently end in miscarriage, often due to lack of nutrients as a result of lack of Chinook salmon. Newborn calves face a mortality rate of up to 50% within their very first year of life. And now, Southern Resident orca populations are at their lowest since the 1960’s with only 75 of these precious whales remaining in the wild. If orcas were to go extinct forever, it would be devastating to all of us who treasure these beloved marine mammals as well as for our planet’s health and fragile ecosystems. But did you know that these majestic animals hold a particularly special cultural and spiritual significance for many indigenous peoples native to the Pacific Northwest region? These tribes often have a deep connection to the whales and view them as an integral part of their heritage. Corporate overfishing not only threatens to tarnish these sacred cultures by pushing cherished orcas closer to extinction — but industrial overfishing also jeopardizes the well-being and socioeconomic stability of local individuals and families who rely on Chinook salmon for their livelihoods. don’t you think that our planet has suffered enough ecological consequences from irresponsible and reckless environmental destruction driven by capitalism and corporate greed? Fortunately, we still have the chance to STOP the corporate overfishing industry from further harming our planet and its living beings — but if we’re truly going to have a meaningful impact, then we urgently need all hands on deck to make a strong public impression building up to World Orca Day in just 2 days. This moment is a key environmental advocacy opportunity for us to amplify awareness and garner enthusiasm around the conservation of this precious marine species: that’s why we’re relying on dedicated environmentalists like you to step up today and help Friends of the Earth hit our ambitious goal of acquiring 9,007 more activist signatures by 11:59 P.M. TONIGHT. So please, will you take urgent action now in service of our orcas, our oceans, and our planet? Sign the petition now >> SIGN THE PETITION Thanks for doing your part in protecting these magnificent creatures and securing a sustainable future for their population.  Marcie Keever   Oceans & Vessels Program Director  Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect:

Today is World Oceans Day and it’s never been a better time to act

I’m reaching out with a time-sensitive message: today is World Oceans Day. But as I’m writing this email, Big Oil is putting our oceans and endangered Southern Resident orcas in danger.  Disastrous Big Oil projects are polluting our waters – threatening to wipe out the last 74 of these unique whales. These orcas are already mourning a recent loss to their family – a baby orca that disappeared shortly after being born near Christmas. And just one major oil spill could mean their extinction.   That’s why I need your help today: we’ve set an urgent $55,000 fundraising goal in honor of World Oceans Day today. Every contribution will go towards stopping Big Polluters in their tracks, working towards a healthier future for endangered Southern Resident orcas, and protecting our only Earth. Every cent counts – so please, will you donate anything you can today to set the pace for World Oceans Day and get us one step closer to meeting our must-hit goal? RUSH A WORLD OCEANS DAY GIFT The Southern Resident orcas are grieving, starving, and on the brink of extinction. Miscarriages are all too common, and young emaciated orca bodies have been found lifeless and separated from their families.   You may be familiar with the story of Tahlequah – an orca mother whose precious baby died just thirty minutes after she was born. Devastated, she carried her body over 1,000 miles before finally letting go.  Tahlequah’s story is a testament to how deeply connected orcas are to one another, and how intensely they feel emotion. They can become so distressed that they are driven even further into starvation – making them more vulnerable to human-driven threats like oil spills.  That’s why Big Shipping and Big Oil’s projects are serious threats. The proposed Roberts Bank T2 Terminal would bring more loud shipping traffic, making it harder for orcas to hunt with their sonar. The ever-increasing ship noise would also drive away the Chinook salmon that orcas eat. As if that isn’t bad enough, a massive oil pipeline expansion was recently completed, meaning a seven-fold increase in oil shipping through orca habitat. With the transport of oil, a disastrous spill is not a matter of “if”, but rather “when.” These projects could be enough to drive precious orcas to extinction – and we can’t let that happen.  The harm extends to local coastal communities, too. Those who once watched orcas thrive could instead be seeing oil-covered sea life washing up on their shores. People that make their living fishing could see their livelihoods devastated by the polluted waters and damaged fisheries. And the noise and air pollution generated by the massive ships from these projects will significantly impact the lives of countless people living nearby and endangered orcas alike! This isn’t the future we want to see.  If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $15 immediately Donate $25 immediately Donate $50 immediately Donate another amount We need your help to protect Southern Resident orcas before we lose them forever and protect people and the planet from mega-polluting industries like Big Oil. At Friends of the Earth, we’re fighting tooth and nail to keep Big Polluters accountable and preserve our ocean habitats for the sake of threatened and endangered marine wildlife, people, and our entire planet. But we rely on support from generous activists like you – who know how high the stakes are and will fight day after day for our planet.  Every dollar you give today will go towards our $55,000 World Oceans Day goal and continue our critical work to preserve our oceans and the planet.   Rush a membership donation now and help protect Southern Resident orcas, our oceans, and our planet!  If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $15 immediately Donate $25 immediately Donate $50 immediately Donate another amount Standing with you,    Marcie Keever    Oceans & vessels program director,  Friends of the Earth  Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA PO Box 7010 Merrifield, VA 22116-7010 1-877-843-8687 Contact us Learn more: www.foeaction.org Connect: