SR3 Winter Salish Sea and Antarctic Research Update!

By Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Marine Mammal Research Director

The SR3 team has been busy collecting valuable winter data on the health of killer whales in the Salish Sea. A remotely controlled multi-copter drone has been used to non-invasively collect aerial images of all 33 members of L pod from the endangered Southern Resident killer whales and an estimated 20 Bigg’s transient killer whales. SR3 has been extremely successful in collecting year-round data on both populations in recent years and these aerial images will be analyzed to assess seasonal changes and reproductive status in both populations, as well as estimate length and monitor growth. The team will continue collecting comparative data on killer whale condition throughout the year, to help guide conservation measures to maintain adequate year-round prey availability. SR3’s Holly Fearnbach and Sadie Youngstrom, joined by Jessica Farrer from The Whale Museum, are currently in Antarctica onboard the M/V National Geographic Explorer where they will continue SR3’s long-term research on the health of whales in the rapidly changing ecosystem of the Antarctic Peninsula. This research is supported by the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund. More updates to come!

Top left: Photo of drone flight ops on SR3’s R/V Helen with Holly Fearnbach and Tess Chapman (SR3) and Jessica Farrer (The Whale Museum) during an encounter with Bigg’s transient killer whales in January 2025. Top right: Aerial image of members of L pod from the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales in November 2024. Bottom left: Photo of Holly Fearnbach and Sadie Youngstrom (SR3) and Jessica Farrer (The Whale Museum) on a zodiac launched from the M/V National Geographic Explorer in the Antarctic Peninsula in February 2025. Bottom right: Jessica Farrer flying the drone out of the hands of Holly Fearnbach during an encounter with humpback whales in the Antarctic Peninsula in February 2025. Aerial images were collected non-invasively from > 100ft above the whales using a remotely-controlled hexacopter drone. Research conducted under NMFS Permit # 22306, DFO Research License XMMS 7 2023 and Antarctic Conservation Act Permit ACA 2017-029.

2025's First Patient

By Kate Hruby, Communication and Education Coordinator

The Response Team guides the sea lion from the water line into a carrier.

Our first patient of the year was an adult California sea lion who stranded on a beach just north of the Rescue Center. Unfortunately, he did not survive, and a necropsy later confirmed that cancer had spread throughout his body.

The sea lion shortly after he arrived at the Rescue Center.

Urogenital cancer is a rising concern for California sea lions, and SR3 has observed it in previous patients as well. In California, The Marine Mammal Center found that around 20% of the adult California sea lions they necropsied in past decades had urogenital cancer.

The community truly came together to get this animal to the hospital, and we are grateful to everyone who called him in to local responders, lent hands to lift his carrier into our transport vehicle, and saved the marine mammal response number to their phones. The knowledge learned from this individual will continue to inform our understanding of California sea lions, as well as our practices to respond to and care for any in need.

A Seal Pup’s Journey Through Rehabilitation

By Gina Parker, Education and Outreach Intern

Mermaid at the beginning of her care at SR3.

Since the Rescue Center opened in 2021, SR3 has cared for over 150 harbor seals. Many of these animals were pups abandoned by their mothers before they could survive on their own, often due to human disturbance. Last summer, with the help of our local Stranding Network partner MaST Center Aquarium, SR3 rescued one such pup from the crowded Redondo Beach just hours after she was born. She was named Mermaid.

SR3 rescued Mermaid from busy Redondo Beach, where she was found just hours after birth without her mother.

When pups like Mermaid arrive at SR3, their time in rehabilitation can be described in three stages: tube feeding, fish school, and free feeding. In the first stage, SR3 mimics the milk they would receive from their mothers, creating a formula that consists of powdered milk substitute, water, and fish oil. Animal care staff want to ensure the seal pups stay as wild as possible and don’t get too accustomed to human interaction, so rather than bottle-feeding them, their formula is quickly fed to them through a tube passed through their mouth right into their stomach. They continue being fed like this four to five times a day until they are ready to move on to the next stage of development. In the wild, harbor seals nurse for 4-6 weeks before their mothers send them off to hunt for themselves.

Stage two is called fish school, where the curriculum is learning to eat whole fish. To understand more about this stage, we talked to one of SR3’s animal care staff, KC Scofield. KC explained that “fish school helps introduce our seals to what fish are.” The process is very personalized to each seal, which often starts with putting a fish in one of their daily swims to see how they react, and proceeding from there. Some seals figure it out very quickly, while others may need to be introduced to fish more slowly. “We try to meet our seals where they’re at and let them show us where they are in fish school initially,” said KC. “We will continue to transition one of their meals each day from formula to fish until they are fully feeding on fish.”

KC feeding Mermaid, first tube feeding her formula (upper photo) and then offering her a fish in shallow water several weeks later (lower photo).

This full-fish diet, which is the third and final stage, is called free feeding. In this stage, seal patients eat in a pool together to make sure they will be successful and ready to compete for fish in the wild when they are released. This is often where the seals will really start exercising the tools that help them hunt, such as controlling their buoyancy and using their eyes and whiskers to track. “Pinnipeds have whiskers called vibrissae,” explained KC, “and their vibrissae have an increased number of nerve endings in them. It’s essentially a sense of touch, so they can track the fish even at depths when there is no light.”

Mermaid hunting herring in her pool at SR3, with other seal patients in the background.

After these stages, when the patients have the skills and abilities they need to survive, animal care staff give them their release exam - a final medical exam that confirms they are healthy and can return to the ocean. SR3 rarely satellite tracks the seals, but their back flippers are tagged with a number so folks will be able to recognize them if they are spotted again in the wild.

If you spend time on the shores of the Pacific Northwest, and notice a malnourished, sick or injured seal, the best thing you can do is stay far away and call responders right away. Kindly remind others in the area to avoid the animal, and keep your pets on a leash. Mermaid got a second chance, learning to be an independent harbor seal at SR3, but it is always better to prevent their need for care in the first place, and keep moms and pups together in the wild.

Mermaid exploring the beach where she was released as she returned to the ocean, her permanent orange tag visible on her back flipper.

What to do if you find a porpoise on the beach

Did you know SR3 provides care for small cetaceans like harbor porpoises? If you find one stranded on the beach:

❌ Never push them back into the ocean

❌ Never approach the animal or let pets interact with them

❌ Never pour water on the animal or place anything on them

✅ Call trained responders right away to alert them to the situation

✅ Keep people and pets far away to minimize the animal’s stress and prevent injuries 

✅ Take photos and videos from a distance 

While they do breathe air, beached whales, dolphins and porpoises are likely suffering from illnesses or injuries that led to their stranding and they need immediate medical care. The best thing you can do to help is to call experts that can assess the situation and respond rapidly. 

SR3’s response line is 206-947-4253 and you can find your local responders in this map.

SR3 staff caring for a harbor porpoise that stranded in the Puget Sound in 2023. Read about that patient’s story here.

New Treatment Allows Seal Pups to Return to the Wild

By Kate Hruby, Communication and Education Coordinator

Every summer, the calls of harbor seal pups emanate from the SR3 Rescue Center. From May to September, harbor seal mothers are giving birth out in the wild and nursing for 4-6 weeks. During that time, human disturbance can cause the mother to abandon her pup before the pup is ready to survive on their own. In cases like this, SR3 can help.

Griffin was our first patient of the 2024 pupping season, arriving at the Rescue Center on May 12th due to malnutrition, a sign of maternal abandonment. The beginning of his care was standard: electrolytes and harbor seal formula, an intake exam, medication on the site of his umbilical cord, and short swims.

Griffin at the beginning of his time at the Rescue Center, nestled into a pillow in his personal enclosure.

After a week of regular meals, animal care staff began to notice that something was wrong. Griffin was bloated, gassy, and hunching his abdomen - a sign of discomfort - and he had trouble swimming due to the extra gas in his body.

On June 3rd, he was given another examination, this time with x-rays as one of the added procedures, and the images that came back were not promising. Griffin had a condition called megaesophagus.

An x-ray of Griffin from June, with the red arrow pointing to his enlarged esophagus visible through his ribs and spine.

Megaesophagus is a disorder in which the esophagus (the tube between the mouth and the stomach) dilates and loses its ability to move food. This condition is not well-studied in seals, and its cause in these animals remains unclear. Symptoms include regurgitation, bloating, and sometimes secondary aspiration pneumonia. For domesticated dogs, there is a specialized chair to sit in after a feed that keeps the esophagus vertical, which helps gravity push the food down past the enlarged esophagus and into the stomach. This mechanism is something we have used with seal patients, but it is not a long-term solution. Historically, seals with megaesophagus would not be able to survive in the wild, nor be a candidate for relocation to a zoo or aquarium, and SR3 humanely euthanized them due to a lack of treatment options.

At the time of Griffin’s diagnosis, SR3’s veterinarian Dr. Michelle Rivard was at the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine conference in Ireland, listening to a presentation by our colleagues at Vancouver Marine Mammal Rescue Society about the successful treatment of two harbor seals with megaesophagus. Seeing the potential to contribute to this new study and rehabilitate a patient, SR3 began Griffin’s treatment: Viagra twice a day to loosen the muscles at the base of his esophagus so food could pass more easily into his stomach.

An x-ray of Griffin from October, with the red arrow pointing to his resolved esophagus.

For three months, along with the Viagra, Griffin was on a course of medication to help his bloating. "We saw improvement in Griffin's regurgitation and overall condition within a few weeks of starting medications, though he remained significantly bloated for about a month,” said SR3 veterinarian Dr. Michelle Rivard. By the end of July, he finally began to gain weight and was able to dive down to the bottom of his pool - though the gas in his system still prevented him from staying at the bottom for longer periods of time. 

“Fortunately, with continued supportive care, Griffin's bloating resolved and he was able to swim and forage like a normal seal," said Michelle. At the beginning of October, when he reached his release weight of 50 pounds, he was imaged a second time, and it was confirmed that Griffin’s esophagus had returned to a normal size.

After 152 days at the Rescue Center, Griffin had recovered from malnutrition, maternal separation, and a condition that once would have made it impossible for him to recover at SR3 and return to the ocean. Overcoming every challenge, he now swims wild and free.

Griffin’s first moments back in the ocean after his time at the Rescue Center.

A map of Griffin’s locations from his release on October 11th to when the data was last downloaded on November 5th. Since the 5th, we have continued to get updates on his location.

Griffin was outfitted with a satellite tag to track his movements after release, and we’ve been getting updates on his location along the Washington outer coast for the past month.

Griffin is one of three patients with megaesophagus that we have treated this year. Elf, a harbor seal pup who came to the Rescue Center in June, also had this condition. With medication, Elf’s megaesophagus resolved, and he was outfitted with a satellite tag and released to the wild on October 9th in Bellingham Bay. We are continuously getting updates on his location around his release site and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Naga, a pup who arrived in August, is still receiving treatment at the Rescue Center.

Studies like this ensure we’re continuing to improve care for the patients that come to SR3, along with patients at other organizations across the country, the continent, and the world. Not only is this story a success for Griffin, who got a second chance in the wild, but it is a success for the marine mammal rehabilitation community and for all the future patients we will be able to help.

Seasonal health monitoring of SRKWs

By Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Marine Mammal Research Director

The SR3 team successfully collected aerial photogrammetry images of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) from J, K and L pods in September and October to extend their health monitoring into the 17th year! Analysis of these images is currently underway and the team will continue collecting body condition data from SRKWs into the winter months to better understand how SRKW condition changes seasonally. SRKW body condition has been found to vary by pod and September SRKW body condition has been correlated with tributary and area-specific indices of Chinook salmon abundance. Specifically, the strongest relationship was found between J pod and Fraser River Chinook salmon, followed by L pod and Puget Sound Chinook salmon (read more here). However, the diet of SRKWs has been found to shift in autumn and winter months, with a higher proportion of coho and chum salmon found in their diet during this period (read more here). SR3’s SRKW health monitoring will continue to provide quantitative measures of SRKW body condition throughout the year to help identify links between body condition and seasonal foraging patterns. These updated SRKW health metrics will be provided to management agencies in both the U.S. and Canada to help inform management actions aimed at ensuring that SRKWs have an adequate supply of prey year-round.

Aerial images of Southern Resident killer whales showing J35 and J57 during a chase (left) and capture (right) of a coho salmon in October 2024. Images collected non-invasively using a remotely operated drone flown at an altitude of > 100 ft under NMFS permit # 22306. 

Behavioral Responses of Dolphins to Navy Sonar

By Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Marine Mammal Research Director

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach collaborated with researchers from Southall Environmental Associates, Cascadia Research Collective, University of California Santa Cruz and Kelp Marine Research on a paper Behavioural responses of common dolphins to naval sonar recently published in the scientific journal Royal Society Open Science. This project used a novel integration of research methods including photogrammetry of aerial drone imagery, acoustic monitoring using underwater listening recorders, and tracking using shore-based theodolite to assess the impact of Navy sonar on dolphin populations off of Santa Catalina Island, California. The team found clear evidence of responses by the dolphins to sonar, including acoustic responses and behavioral changes such as changes in direction, speed and group configuration. The results show that the dolphins responded to sonar at much lower sound levels than previously considered in regulatory decisions warranting important management considerations. Read more here.

Images collected during a study on the behavioral response of common dolphins to Navy sonar off Catalina Island, California: Left (top and bottom): Dr. John Durban flying the drone into the hands of Dr. Holly Fearnbach following a flight over common dolphins. Top right: Photo of a long-beaked common dolphin surfacing; Bottom right: Aerial image of a group of short-beaked common dolphins. Aerial image collected during a high-altitude (>200 ft) drone flight. Research authorized by NMFS research permit # 19091.

Hot off the camera: aerial images of all three pods and the first health measurements of the newest Southern Resident killer whale calf

By Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Marine Mammal Research Director

SR3's Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Dr. John Durban and Sadie Youngstrom have had a successful start to their annual health monitoring of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs), extending our dataset to 17 years in this consistent month of September! The team has been flying a custom drone carrying a high-resolution camera and precise altimeter 150 ft high over the whales to non-invasively collect aerial images that enable quantitative measurements of length and body condition - a photogrammetry technique Dr. Fearnbach and Dr. Durban have pioneered over the last decade. So far this month, the team has collected aerial images of members from all three pods (J, K and L) and updated health metrics from these images will be reported to fisheries management agencies in both the US and Canada, with the aim of ensuring that SRKWs have an adequate supply of prey, specifically Chinook salmon. 

Notably, the team has imaged and measured the newest member of the Southern Resident killer whale population, L128, and its mother L90. These are the first quantitative data on the health of the pair since L90 gave birth, collected on the first day that the new calf was seen. Measurements show that the mother is in a defined body condition state of “normal” for an adult female at this time of year, an improvement from when she was last measured to be in “poor” body condition state in November 2022. The calf is very small and vulnerable, measuring only 7 ft (compared to its 19 ft long mother), making it the smallest calf in SR3’s measurement dataset and placing its likely age at just a few days at most. SR3 will continue to monitor the growth of the calf, and the body condition of both the calf and its mother, in the coming weeks as part of our annual photogrammetry assessment of the population's health, and in the coming years to hopefully document successful rearing of the calf. In a population this small, every calf matters. Thanks to Dave Ellifrit, Jessica Farrer and their teams from the Center for Whale Research and the Whale Museum, respectively, for their collaboration on the water.

Aerial images of Southern Resident killer whales taken during health research in September 2024: L90 and her new calf L128 surfacing (left) and J16 breaching (right). Images obtained using an octocopter drone flown non-invasively >100ft above the whales under NMFS research permit # 22306.

Health monitoring of Southern Resident killer whales to inform management actions

By Dr. Holly Fearnbach, Marine Mammal Research Director

SR3’s Dr. Holly Fearnbach and Dr. John Durban have continued to collect valuable data on the health of Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) as part of their year-round monitoring of the endangered population. The team (joined by SR3’s Sadie Youngstrom in late June and early July) has been using an octocopter drone to non-invasively collect aerial images of SRKWs throughout the year to document seasonal changes in body condition (6/7 months so far this year), adding to data collected in 7/12 months in each of the past two years. These data are collected to help inform management actions aimed at recovering the struggling population. 

Using measurements from aerial images collected between June 2023 and May 2024, Holly and John identified one individual SRKW to be in late-stage pregnancy, 14 individuals to be in poor body condition (BC1), and one individual that declined three body condition states from robust condition (BC5) to sub-normal condition (BC2) when they were last imaged. BC1 individuals have been found to have an elevated (2 x 3) likelihood of subsequent mortality. As such, these 15 whales were designated as vulnerable by an emergency rule issued by Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, requiring commercial whale-watching vessels to stay at least one-half nautical mile away from the vulnerable Southern Resident killer whales this summer, and encouraging all boaters to Be Whale Wise and do the same. This management action is intended to limit disturbance from vessel noise to maximize the whales’ chances of finding and catching their primary prey, Chinook salmon. Starting in January 2025, almost all boaters will be required to stay 1,000 yards from any SRKW in Washington waters

This marks the highest number of whales that have been identified to be in poor condition during the 17 years of the SRKW health monitoring project. There are additional whales that also had shape profiles consistent with earlier stages of pregnancy when last imaged, but measurements indicated that they had not yet advanced to late stage (defined as the last six months of a 17-18 month pregnancy). The team will continue to monitor the success of these pregnancies and will hopefully document improvements in the body condition of the vulnerable whales.

Aerial images of J pod Southern Resident killer whales July (left) and April (right) 2024. Image obtained using an octocopter drone that was flown non-invasively >100ft above the whales under NMFS research permit 22306 and DFO Research License MML-50.

SR3 Provides Veterinary Support to Pinniped Field Research Project

By Dr. Michelle Rivard, Veterinarian

Aerial view of the West Spit, Sable Island

This past winter, SR3’s veterinarian, Dr. Michelle Rivard, spent two months on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, contributing to gray seal research. Dr. Rivard has now made this trip two years in a row to collaborate on multiple projects studying seals in the wild, conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Texas Tech University, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Dr. Rivard on a rainy day on Sable Island, with a weaned gray seal pup and wild horses in the background.

Not easily accessible to people, Sable Island is located in the Atlantic Ocean, 180 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is protected and managed by Parks Canada. The island is a narrow, crescent-shaped sandbar, approximately 26 miles long and only 0.75 miles across at its widest point. The island is home to hundreds of wild horses, as well as the largest gray seal colony in the world.

Gray seals live for 30-40 years and gather in large groups during the breeding season each winter. Every December to February, 400,000 gray seals aggregate on Sable Island to have their babies and mate, and about 80,000 pups are born each year on the sandy shores. Moms nurse their pups for approximately three weeks, during which time pups triple their birth weight! Pups typically wean at around 50 kg (110 lbs), at which time the mothers return to the ocean and the pup’s fat reserves help to sustain them throughout a post-nursing fast that can last for several weeks as they learn how to swim and hunt on their own. Gray seal pups are born with long, white fur that sheds around the time of weaning.

Gray seal mom and pup pair in the sand.

Sable Island provides a unique environment that gives researchers access to study gray seals in a location that is uninhabited by humans. Because Sable Island is home to such a large portion of the population, scientists are able to collect important life history data over the duration of an individual gray seal’s life. By permanently marking a subset of the animals, scientists can identify the same seal year after year and record important reproductive information about her and her pups.

Graduate students from Wood's Hole and Texas Tech University taking ultrasound measurements from sedated gray seal pup.

In addition to the population ecology work, there are multiple other research projects that are conducted to learn more about gray seal diet, movement, behavior, physiology and overall health. Dr. Rivard provided veterinary support to these projects to ensure safe and effective handling and sedation of the animals. Aside from gathering important data, these projects have provided the opportunity to refine pinniped field immobilization techniques to maximize human and animal safety while prioritizing animal welfare.

The invaluable information gathered throughout this field research allows scientists to model and predict changes to the population, develop techniques that can be used for future research projects, and has the potential to be applied to other pinniped populations throughout the world. Dr. Rivard was not only able to contribute her unique expertise to this project, but also learn from collaborators, transferring a knowledge base to the Pacific Northwest that we can apply to our local seals and sea lions.

Actions and photos permitted under Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Parks Canada.