The birth of a new orca calf is sparking celebration. But also some concern among whale watchers tonight.
Now a scientist based in Bothell is working hard to keep mom, baby, and the rest of the endangered killer whales well fed.
Bothell is some 65 miles from the San Juan Islands where the pair was first seen. But that’s where the founder of “Whale Scout” is doing restoration work, hoping to boost the population of salmon, the whales’ favorite food.
It’s not often we think “salmon” and “Bothell” in the same sentence. But it turns out, we probably should.
After all, the Sammamish River is part of the eco-system that delivers salmon to the Salish Sea. So, what happens here could determine whether calf L-128 survives.
Whitney Neugebauer is talking about her favorite subject. The work Whale Scout, a land-based whale watching organization she started 11 years ago, is doing to restore salmon habitats along the Sammamish River here at Wayne Park.
“So, it affects whales because salmon are in the Sammamish River,” Neugebauer said. “We actually have coho and chinook salmon. They’re migrating through right now.”