Commitment to Conservation

Pacific Whale Watch Association members are committed to ensuring that the Salish Sea remains a diverse and vibrant ecosystem for future generations to experience. It’s our responsibility to be good environmental stewards, giving back in a variety of ways and encouraging the hundreds of thousands of guests who join us each year to do the same.

Environmental Advocacy

Whales can’t attend policy hearings or submit comment letters, so the PWWA represents their interests, and the interests of other Salish Sea wildlife, whenever possible.

Whether it’s helping to establish safer shipping lanes, identifying potential impacts of proposed construction projects, pushing for stronger law enforcement presence around whales, or lobbying for increased habitat conservation and restoration efforts, the PWWA works hard to ensure that this ecosystem and its inhabitants are protected not just now, but for many generations to come.

Research Partnerships

The PWWA is proud to provide data and images to numerous research organizations in an effort to better understand and protect local wildlife. Wildlife biologists often have limited resources and can’t spend much time in the field. Our experienced crew members, many with backgrounds in marine biology or environmental science, have a year-round presence on the water. We document births, injuries, entanglements, or interesting behaviors and share our observations with local research partners.

Thanks to contributions from the PWWA, scientists are better able to monitor whale behavior and health over time, and PWWA data have been used in several peer-reviewed scientific publications. In addition to whales, the PWWA has also contributed toward studies on pinnipeds, porpoises, otters, and seabirds.

Collaborators

There are numerous groups working hard to protect the wildlife of the Pacific Northwest through research, restoration, and outreach. Many of them are small, non-profit organizations that rely on the generous donations of others. Since our inception, PWWA member companies have donated millions of dollars toward Salish Sea research and conservation, and we make a point to give back each and every year.

Below are just a few of the many organizations that PWWA members have collaborated with over the years. Their work includes studying endangered Southern Resident killer whales, restoring salmon spawning habitat, reducing the threat of ship strike, rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals, and more: