DANGEROUS WATERS FOR ALL MARINE LIFE
A seagull balances precariously on one leg, the other amputated by fishing line. A skinny fur seal sports a necktie of gill net around his neck. An exhausted gray whale is weighed down by heavy crab gear, cutting deep into her flukes. In a city harbor, a seal pup battles a virus from contaminated waters.
Marine mammals and other marine life face ever-increasing dangers along the Pacific Coast and the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia.
Marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and sea birds become entangled in marine debris - derelict fishing nets, crab pots, packing bands - and suffer injury and death. Gear causes entrapment, starvation and drowning.
Marine mammals and other marine life face ever-increasing dangers along the Pacific Coast and the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia.
Marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and sea birds become entangled in marine debris - derelict fishing nets, crab pots, packing bands - and suffer injury and death. Gear causes entrapment, starvation and drowning.
NOAA responders in Hawaii successfully freed the humpback whale above from hundreds of feet of heavy line. Watch incredible video of another entangled 40-ton Hawaiian whale, and the stranding network team's precarious effort to remove 100 feet of line.
Toxic chemicals poison the food chain, causing deformity and disease. Pacific Northwest seals and resident orcas are among the most contaminated mammals on the planet, absorb pollutants in the blubber.
In shipping lanes along the coast, numbers of migrating and foraging large whales are being increasingly killed by ship strikes. Researchers are working to develop ways to lessen risks for these migrating whales.
Explore Dangerous Waters to find out in-depth the many risks that face marine life, how researchers are seeking to lessen those threats - and ways you can make a difference.
Why are Puget Sound seals and resident orca pods contaminated with toxins? Industrial chemicals, storm runoff and plastics pollution have devastating consequences for all marine life. Learn more.
Declared by the EPA as one of the most contaminated sites in the nation, many strides have been made to make the Duwamish basin safer for both Seattle residents and wildlife. Learn more.
Countless numbers (some say millions) of sea creatures suffer injuries or die each year from marine debris and fishing gear entanglements. Did you know 80% of marine trash originates from land? Learn more.
Large whales are especially vulnerable to injury and death from ship strikes as they migrate along the US coastline. Learn more.