The 2000s: Preventing Extinction
Data Exploration
If we keep consistent data, then it can be used to reveal all kinds of information about marine mammals that we may not have expected when we first collected it. Use the report below to see what you can learn about the orcas from the data.
The Whale Museum: Data Caretakers
One way to protect the Southern Residents was to have them listed under the Endangered Species Act, which was achieved in 2005. An ESA listing brings a species protection by the federal government. Petitions to list a species, like that filed on behalf of the Southern Residents, must present “substantial scientific or commercial information” that supports the petition’s claim that a species needs protection. The listing agency, in this case the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, then also uses information in its own files to evaluate the petition. Research was essential in proving that the Southern Residents needed to be listed as well as drafting a recovery plan for them going forward.
Data that The Whale Museum has collected, compiled, and archived was used by federal agencies throughout the endangered listing process. The museum has maintained the Whale Hotline since 1978, a public sighting network which records the dates and locations of whales and other marine mammals in the area and enables evaluation of frequency of sightings and animal movements over time. You can contribute to the network by calling in your sightings of marine mammals to:
800-562-8832.