I have had to call the poachers hotline about boats with fishermen and harvesting behavior that concern me. Like so many, this summer I grieved after the loss of the Orca Talequah’s (J35) baby. She carried it over 1,000 miles in 17 days. My entire view of grief was challenged and I ached along with her. I could see that deep grief takes time and effort. It was like she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She was crying out for her family and the future of her endangered species. She clung to her lifeless baby and wouldn’t let go until it disintegrated into the sea.
Then this past week I grieved again the loss of Scarlett (J50) a rambunctious 3 ½ year old who starved to death. I felt hopeless. Yet, after attending the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Association) Fisheries Public Meeting today at the University of Washington, my concern turns to the greater realities as I learned from others and I reflect upon the information presented.
There is an entire ecosystem at risk!
I watch with a careful eye on my favorite coastline for signs
that things are going to be okay, but a feeling lingers within me that things aren’t. Nature itself seems weak. The tides seem red. Too often the water seems filmy and murky. To be honest, I am concerned for the entire community of the grand Salish Sea and the sweet Puget Sound.
What can be done?
+Pollutants are a real problem. Stop polluting.
+The damming of rivers has to stop. Breech the Snake River Dam.
+Orcas need foraging areas for harvesting. Increase the distance that boats need to stay away from Orcas. Implement forage areas.
+We need increased regulations for Native American fishing, sport fishing, and commercial fishing. People don’t need chinook salmon to live but Orcas do. To speak for all of the Sound, there just isn’t enough food and resources for many of the fish and wildlife in the Sound. More Fishing Regulation.
At the meeting today, I was asked this question: “Are we rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?” My answer is yes. After reflection I feel that we need to take action. Let’s call out to NOAA, Pacific Fisheries Management/Pacific Fisheries Council, and the Inslee Administration to make change.
(Side Note: Locally, I ask, does the city of Seattle really need to release their treated sewage into the Sound? The Seattle West Point water plant sends it 240 feet under water.)
Let’s really see things for what they are. By restricting harvest, cutting pollutants, breeching dams, making good thought-out choices, and creating foraging areas the ecosystem will return. The Black Fish (Duwamish term for orca), cod, salmon, and the geoduck population will recover. What are we waiting for? Let’s start in a new direction and push ahead for sake for the Puget Sound of tomorrow. Rearranging deck chairs is not a good plan for the environment in this dire time.