How long does it take for a dorsal fin to straighten?
When a killer whale calf is born, it's dorsal fin is bent over. When we first saw J49, in August 2012, it's fin was bent. We wondered how...
Finding Acceptance
The second in a series of video excerpts from our Celebrating Science workshop held on July 21, 2017, on San Juan Island. Dr. Astrid van...
How do Orcas cope with loss?
The first in a series of video excerpts from our Celebrating Science workshop held on July 21, 2017, on San Juan Island. Dr. Astrid van...
My Visit to the Snake
The story below was written by the Center for Whale Research’s founder and senior scientist Ken Balcomb, who has been studying the...
The Case For Salmon Restoration
J39 Chasing a Salmon during an encounter in March, 2017-Photo by Dave Ellifrit The federal government has stated, “Perhaps the greatest...
Mournful Movements
One of our first photos of J52, taken on April 7, 2015. He was first seen on March 30th of that year. The first known calf of J36....
The important role public sightings play in conservation.
When it comes to Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW), no single organization has more data than the Center for Whale Research (CWR)....
J28 through my eyes
J28 with calf J54, December 2015. Photo by Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research. I first met J28 in 2003, but I didn’t know her name...
Missing whales ...
J14 with her oldest daughter J37, 2015. Photo by Deborah Giles. Someone asked me once if I take it personally when a whale dies. Do I...
