ORCA NETWORK

Whale sighting network and orcasound listening project: the whale sighting network provided researchers, government agencies, and the public with detailed whale sighting reports gathered by staff, volunteers, and the general public. Through our continued involvement with the orcasound listening project we provide researchers, government agencies, and the public with the ability to monitor whales and ship traffic noise through hydrophones using the orcasound hydrophone system (including our own bush point hydrophone site) and collecting and sharing whale reports via an online app, social media, emails, phone/text, and website. Our sightings outreach increased to include 16,200 on our sightings network email list, over 275,900 on our two orca network wsn facebook social media pages,and 1372 on our whale sighting text alert list - 3,543 alerts sent out to share whalesightings to researchers, volunteers and community scientists in washington state in 2024. Data from whale sightings collected by those watching from shore, assisted by the alerts they receive from orca network, provides trends in habitat use, population status, and the health of endangered orcas in the pacific nw. Orca network collected and shared over 17,663 whale reports in 2024, collected by staff and 2811 citizen scientists and volunteers. We have continued with a four-person sighting network staff, with one staff change, and now have one staff member with her masters degree and another just completing her doctorate. We continue participating in quiet sound's efforts to slow shipping traffic in puget sound to protect southern resident orcas, as well as with noaa fisheries, us navy nw region, and other agencies to assist with, track, and protect orcas and other whales in the salish sea.