A-Pod Cast For Killer Whales

Dawn Noren: "What's Killing Killer Whales?"

Dawn Noren is a federal research biologist with NOAA. She studies the physiology of the Southern Resident killer whales, specifically focused on blubber and body conditio

Snohomish River Fish Team: "Saving Salmon, Saving Orcas"

Snohomish County and the Tulalip Tribes survey fish four times a month around the Snohomish River estuary by setting a net and counting the fish it catches. They measure

Linda Rhodes: "Parasites In Sewage"

Linda Rhodes is a microbiologist with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Science Center who studies how parasites in human sewage and animal waste may be hurting the Southe

Tim Ragen: "Recovering Endangered Mammals"

Tim Ragen spent 15 years as a research biologist for NOAA, coordinated stellar sea lion recovery efforts, and then worked for 13 years with the U.S. Marine Mammal Commiss

Kurt Russo: "Feeding Our Orca Ancestors"

For thousands of years, the Lummi Nation has been performing ceremonial feedings for killer whales, and continue that tradition today with the Southern Resident killer wh

Lanni Johnson: "17 Days Without Food"

Lanni Johnson is a 71-year old grandmother from Snohomish, Washington who starved herself for 17 days to raise awareness of the plight of the 75 Southern Resident killer

Brad Hanson: "Deadly Diseases""

Brad Hanson is a wildlife biologist with NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center and one of the scientists most intimately acquainted with the decline of the Southern R

Josh McInnes: "A Calf Named Lucky"

Josh McInnes is Research Coordinator for Marine Life Studies and an expert on transient killer whales. He recently had a surprise encounter with L124 or "Lucky", the newe

Greg Ruggerone: "The Pink Problem"

Greg Ruggerone and his team recently published research they believe shows a connection between pink salmon and the decline of Southern Resident killer whales. The endang

Josh McInnes: "Killer Whale Comeback"

Josh McInnes studies transient killer whales, a group of orcas that has rebounded from dwindling numbers. They differ from the fish-eating Southern Resident killer whales

Jeff Hogan: "Teaching Kids To Care"

Jeff Hogan is the Founder of Killer Whale Tales, a program that visits schools to teach kids about the plight of killer whales and what we can do to help them. Hogan hope

David Bain: "Boat Noise & Killer Whales"

David Bain is Chief Scientist with the Orca Conservancy and a leading expert on how vessel noise affects the behavior of the Southern Resident killer whales. He is a crit

Jim Waddell: "Breach The Dams"

Jim Waddell is a former engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has become an outspoken advocate for breaching the 4 lower Snake River dams in order to restore

Mike Ford: "Killer Whale Genomes"

Mike Ford is the Director of Conservation Biology at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. He and his team about about to start sequencing the genomes of the Southern R

Holly Fearnbach: "Using Drones To Save Whales"

Dr. Holly Fearnbach with SR3 (Sealife Response, Rehabilitation & Research) uses aerial photogrammetry to document the health trends of the Southern Resident killer whales

Sam Wasser: "Poop & Poaching"

Sam Wasser is the Director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of Washington. He is a poop expert. His studies of Southern Resident killer whale scat

Dr. Joe Gaydos: "Orca Health Database"

Dr. Joe Gaydos is a veterinarian and scientist with SeaDoc Society. He worked closely on an intervention to save J50, the sickly and starving young Southern Resident kill

Sen. Kevin Ranker: "Extinction Is Not An Option"

Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island) sits on the task force created by Governor Inslee to save the Southern Resident killer whales from extinction. He says the whales have

Ken Balcomb: "Witnessing Extinction"

Ken Balcomb has been identifying and studying the Southern Resident killer whales for decades with the Center for Whale Research. After J50's death, he says it's past tim

Bob McLaughlin: "Rescuing Springer & Scarlet"

The last orca calf to be live captured in Puget Sound in a rescue effort to save her life was Springer, an orphan who liked to swim near boats. She was captured and retur