Entering into our third week of Orca Month, today we will be focusing on the impacts of toxic contaminants on the Southern Resident orca community. To help highlight and bring attention to this important topic, Orca Month's Designer Rosemary Connelli collaborated with Fred DeNisco of The Orca Man to share a brief background on toxic contaminants and the negative impacts they have posed on orcas. Watch the video below to learn more:
Toxic contaminants have been shown to affect orcas, and even us, throughout our lifetimes. In order to help alleviate these dangerous contaminants in our environments, there are actions we can take today to help mitigate how much they affect us both:
Add a rain garden in your yard to reduce stormwater drainage
Wash your car at a car wash, or on a lawn instead of the street
Make sure you maintain your car (no leaks)
Go pesticide-free
Volunteer for cleanups on the water and along the shoreline
Reduce tire chemicals on the road by taking public transit
Write to your representatives to ban harmful chemicals
Dispose of old boats
Report abandoned boats
Head to our Take Action page to take action, and to our Events page to find a list of events near you to help clean our waters for healthier futures! Be sure to also follow The Orca Man to learn more about orcas and where to watch orcas from land in the Pacific Northwest!
Sources:
James, C. A., Sofield, R., Faber, M., Wark, D., Simmons, A., Harding, L., O'Neill, S. (2014). The screening and prioritization of contaminants of emerging concern in the marine environment based on multiple biological response measures. Environmental Pollution, 193, 254-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.06.019
Wasser, S. K., Lundin, J. I., Ayres, K., Seely, E., Giles, D., Balcomb, K., Hempelmann, J., Parsons, K., Booth, R. (2017). Population growth is limited by nutritional impacts on pregnancy success in endangered Southern Resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). PLOS ONE, 12(6), e0179824. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179824
Raverty, S., St. Leger, J., Noren, D. P., Huntington, K. B., Rotstein, D. S., Gulland, F. M. D., Ford, J. K. B., Hanson, M. B. (2020). Pathology findings and correlation with body condition index in stranded killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northeastern Pacific and Hawaii from 2004 to 2013. PLOS ONE, 15(11), e0242505. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242505
Wildlife Defenders Article: https://defenders.org/blog/2024/04/clean-water-healthy-futures-why-saving-orcas-means-saving-us