Rare treat: endangered orcas return to home waters in search of scarce salmon After six weeks away from its usual summer splashing grounds, the southern resident killer whales’ J pod returned en masse to the west side of San Juan Island Tuesday morning. John Ryan
Pandemic cabin fever + boat sales = harassed orcas Off the west side of San Juan Island, Deborah Giles grabbed her boat’s bright yellow research flag and started waving it at a small boat chopping through the waves. John Ryan
Ping! Orcas threatened by sonar plan, Inslee and enviros tell Navy Battleships and orcas both use sound to hunt, which makes Navy sonar a problem for the sleek black-and-white predators. John Ryan
Seattle Now: Baby orca? The orca called Tahlequah brought new attention to the threats facing killer whales when she carried the body of her calf for more than two weeks. Now she's pregnant again, and the world is crossing its fingers for a new baby. Clare McGrane
Inslee puts Chehalis dam on hold, calls for non-dam fixes for river's woes Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has put a proposed dam on the Chehalis River on hold. John Ryan
Good news from Salish Sea: J pod is back in its summer haunt This endangered orca pod has spend the past week near San Juan Island and other inland waters. Paige Browning
The scramble to help Chinook salmon past landslide danger zone One of the most important food sources for the Northwest’s endangered orcas was devastated by a rockslide. John Ryan
Novel virus could spread rapidly among orcas Some Northwest residents don’t do social distancing well, which leaves them especially vulnerable to an outbreak of a highly contagious respiratory virus. These residents are orcas. John Ryan
Pandemic gives Pacific Northwest whales a respite from din of underwater noise American and Canadian marine scientists -- and one talented dog -- are seizing an unexpected opportunity presented by the coronavirus pandemic. They are... Tom Banse
