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September 20, 2005
Prince of Whales
It's been a gloomy few weeks, but here's a bright spot: As noted by NEW's Eric de Place and People for Puget Sound's Kathy Fletcher in a Seattle P-I op-ed today, Puget Sound's resident orca population has been slowly rebounding over the past couple of decades, with 90 southern resident orcas visiting the Sound this summer. This trend is good news for orcas, of course, but offers a larger message:
"As the top predators of a diverse food web, the orcas embody the fate of the entire Sound. Their growing numbers are a promising sign that we can successfully improve ecological conditions, not only for the orcas but for us too. Cleansing the Sound of toxics and bringing back its abundance of salmon will take work--but there is plenty of evidence that we can do it."
Posted by Elisa Murray | Permalink
Comments
Huh? But what does this news mean for the scare/scary stories that "the Sound is dying?" That's been my impression of the situation (from the stories one sees in the local press.) Now we read that a key indicator species is on the rebound. The story is written in a way which seeks to have it both ways: things are getting better but the Sound is also in danger of collapse. I am confused.
It may well be that it is not only Karl Rove & Co who see the world in terms of framing things to "activate the base."
Posted by: David Sucher | Sep 21, 2005 8:20:12 AM
David may be correct in his last paragraph.
Which raises a larger question: how do you educate and awaken a somnambulant public, in order to spur action?
And how do you do this such that it doesn't look like a special interest group, thus open to a volley from the opposition?
Posted by: Dan Staley | Sep 22, 2005 4:55:34 PM
I mainly appreciate that the authors are trying to give us some hope that all is not lost and we have some time to revitalize Puget Sound. It's true the orcas have been on the rebound for the past 4 years, but that could end abruptly. It mainly depends on the abundance of salmon runs, which fluctuate wildly and are very hard to predict.
But we do know that the orcas depend on upper Columbia and Snake River salmon, mainly chinook and coho, for survival during the summer months. It's just a no-brainer. The whales aren't around Puget Sound much from October to June, and there have historically been massive winter and spring runs up the Columbia at that time. But now, with 8 major dams blocking their way, those salmon runs have been decimated, literally. They're down to less than 10% of pre-dam levels. That's the primary cause of the loss of food for the orcas, and that offers us the best possible way to ensure their survival for many generations into the future: Bypass the four upper Snake River dams and bring back the salmon.
Posted by: Howard Garrett | Sep 25, 2005 5:53:27 PM