Georgia Strait Alliance

Donate before midnight on December 3rd - Giving Tuesday - to receive your limited-edition “Protect the Salish Sea” sticker! None of what we have achieved in the past 34 years would have been possible without our passionate members, who’ve lent their voice and their dollars to support our work protecting the Salish Sea. From removing harmful fish farms and upgrading sewage treatment to securing stronger protections for orcas, we've made real progress thanks to the support of our community. If you can, please consider donating today to become a member of the Georgia Strait Alliance, so you can stand with us in the fight for a healthier, thriving Salish Sea. Give today and get your limited-edition sticker – claim yours now: https://lnkd.in/e-fYPzpX

Theo and his classmates held a bake sale, and since we've shared this, they have now raised $680 towards his goal of $1,000! Learn more and if the efforts of the Orca Club students inspire you, consider donating to support their goal! Thank you!

HUGE news! “We need to give the herring time to recover so that it can be fished ­sustainably again, as my great-grandfather did.” -  said Tsartlip Nation Hereditary Chief Paul Sam Sr. (Telaxten). "...the W̱SÁNEĆ hereditary chiefs signed a declaration...saying the continued fishery threatens to cause the extinction of Pacific herring, a keystone species essential for their way of life and the wider health of the Salish Sea, including salmon, halibut, killer whales and other species they call “relatives.” With a food and bait herring opening set to begin around Qualicum on Nov. 24, the chiefs said continued openings by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada have decimated herring stocks over the decades and a moratorium is needed to allow herring time to recover."

Our Clean Marine BC program is facilitating its annual Spill Response Training in Lund - Kla ah men, BC this year with Access Point Marine - Canadian EMS - Waterways Environmental Instructor Rick Grindrod, who has 30 years of experience. The training will help participants prepare for successfully handling small spills in a marina environment, including planning, preparedness, response, and post-spill actions. Join us Wednesday, November 27 · 8am - 4pm PST. #CleanBoating #GreenBoating

The heartwarming story of the L-pod’s return to Penn Cove on Nov 3 has really moved all of us at GSA! Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) have steered away from this US part of the Salish Sea since the brutal captures of orcas there in 1970. Among the returning members is Ocean Sun (L-25) who is now close to 100 years old! She is the sole surviving member of her matriline, and serves as a bridge between the past and present – preserving ancient wisdom, lost language and disappearing culture. Ocean Sun’s daughter (widely believed to be) was captured at the tender age of four in 1970. Today, we remember her as Lolita/Tokitae (or Toki, dearly), the last surviving SRKW in captivity. Despite spending over 50 years in captivity, Toki would recognize recorded greetings from her family - a woeful reminder of intense suffering the SRKWs have been subjected to across generations. Toki sadly passed away in the Miami Seaquarium in 2023 shortly after the decision to release her into the wild was made. Stories like this serve as a strong reinforcement of our mission. We will continually be dedicated towards enhancing the protection of the endangered SRKWs in the Salish Sea & strive for families like Ocean Sun’s to thrive in peace. For now, we pause and admire the beauty of the L-pod and the resilience they demonstrate as a species. Thanks to the ORCA CONSERVANCY for sharing this incredible story. If you are inspired to help orcas in get off the path to extinction in Canada, spend 2 minute here to take action: https://lnkd.in/gnKmfnsJ #OrcasCantWait #SRKW #SouthernResidents

Did you catch our webinar? If not you can replay it here, and also check out our Ocean Noise Toolkit, a great resource to help guide feedback for the public consultation period of Canada’s ocean noise strategy. Big thank you to our panelists and everyone who attended!

👀 Check out our Impact Report to see what we’ve been up to! It highlights many of GSA’s accomplishments over the past fiscal year, including our role in permanently ending the 15 open-net pen fish farms in Discovery Islands; initiating legal action against the federal government due to the adverse impacts on orcas from the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project; and solidifying our commitment to cross-movement climate justice. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g8j2PpBh

Join us to deepen your understanding of underwater noise pollution and its effects on marine ecosystems. Learn about current research and regulations happening in and around the Salish Sea! An exciting panel of speakers including Dr Kieran Cox, Fred DeNisco aka The Orca Man and Katherine Fedoroff will help us:  * Discover the sources and impacts of noise pollution: learn about various projects and activities happening in the Salish Sea region that contribute to underwater noise pollution and its impacts on marine life. * Learn about Canada’s Ocean Noise Strategy: the good, the bad, and the ugly! Highlight ongoing research and conservation efforts: guest speakers will discuss a range of topics including how to improve government’s ability to support a more data-driven noise strategy, talk about latest findings from ongoing research, understanding the regulations in place, and how you can contribute to the solution. *Answer questions: at the end of the webinar, you will have the chance to ask the panel or GSA any questions and/or provide any insights or feedback you might have.  Date/Time: October 16th, 2024 at 6-7:30pm PDT Cost: Free! 🙂 Please help us spread the word! See you there! https://lnkd.in/gM4bNTkM

The Salish Sea is an estuarine system with twelve major rivers depositing freshwater reserves into sea. Similar to the vital process of veins transporting deoxygenated blood to the heart, for the heart to then filter and continue fundamental biological processes, rivers channel freshwater into the sea. This interplay of freshwater and saltwater helps a rich diversity of marine species and human communities to thrive. Did you know 3,400 species and 9 million people consider the Salish Sea their home? 🐋 37 are marine mammals,  🦢172 are marine birds,  🐟 253 are fish (including all 7 species of Pacific Salmon)  🦑 3000+ are marine invertebrate These rivers bring along with them the gift of life. The influx of the nutrients brought in by the freshwater stimulates growth of tiny phytoplankton plants which form the base of the entire food web. Many species of migratory birds and salmon use these oxygen-rich brackish estuarine waters to complete various stages of their life cycles. Salmon spawn in freshwater rivers and spend their early life stages in estuaries before transitioning into saltwater. At the end of their life cycle, they make their way back to the freshwater river to spawn. This momentous journey is supported by the rich habitat conditions provided by the estuarine characteristics of the Salish Sea With every ripple and reverberation from this water, the delicate balance of the marine food web is restored with the transfer of minerals and nutrients, oxygen and organic matter that helps in nutrient cycling. This region is also culturally significant for Indigenous peoples as it has provided food, medicine and a mode for transfer since time immemorial. This World Rivers’ Day, express our gratitude to the Salish Sea, recognizing its role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems and providing immense support to the communities that depend on it. But we also remind ourselves of the work we must engage in to protect the lifelines of the earth. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gc3DTKcX

"Working with volunteers was another highlight. Their passion and dedication are inspiring. Whether they were students like myself, marina workers, retirees, or residents who loved the water, each volunteer brought their unique perspective and energy to the team. Coordinating their efforts, ensuring they had the resources they needed, and seeing them engage with the public was incredibly rewarding. It reinforced the idea that community involvement is crucial in environmental conservation." Read more from our Dock Walker Megan in her blog: https://lnkd.in/gBXu3h34