The Whale Museum Response Program

05/16/2026

Thanks to all who showed up last night!! We are looking forward to this season of working with our community.

Thank you to everyone who made it to The Whale Museum Response Program's volunteer training on San Juan Island last night! With over 400 miles of shoreline to cover within San Juan County, volunteers are what makes the scope of our work possible, we could not do this without you.

If you weren't able to attend, we have two more trainings coming up: one at the Orcas Island Public Library at 6:00pm on May 19th, and one at the Lopez Island Library at 5:30pm on June 4th. A special thank you to the WA Chapter of The Wildlife Society whose grant award is funding these trainings and tote bags, vests, and equipment we give to volunteers!

04/21/2026

We are excited to announce our new program name: The Whale Museum Response Program!

The Whale Museum has been responding to stranded and entangled marine mammals throughout San Juan County since the early 1980s. Each decade has brought changes in how animals and people use this region, but our mission has remained the same: advance the protection and understanding of marine mammals and the Salish Sea through research and education. Our team responds to reports of marine mammals in distress, conducts necropsies, and tracks emerging diseases. This work is crucial to the informed management of the Salish Sea ecosystem.

Our program previously operated by the name “San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network”. While this name conveyed our network’s area of response, the new name aligns more closely with the program’s mission. We believe this new name more clearly represents the full scope of the work in which The Whale Museum is engaged, and the emphasis on “response” embodies our commitment to responding to stranded and in-distress animals.

Nothing else has changed - our hotline number, program goals, amazing collaborators, and dedication to contributing to marine mammal conservation remain consistent. If you are interested in volunteering with us, check out our website and see our upcoming training opportunities. This work would not be possible without our partners and dedicated volunteer network!

03/09/2026

Many people don’t know there are sharks in the Salish Sea! There are many species of cartilage-skeletoned creatures swimming throughout this region, but this is not a photo of sharks…

These are sea lions! On sunny days you may see what looks like a brown shark fin floating at the surface - this is a sea lion regulating their body temperature with a behavior called “jugging” or “rafting”. A “jugging” sea lion is not in distress, just heating up or cooling off! Their flippers are not covered by hair or blubber, so by dilating the blood vessels in the flippers they can more easily absorb heat from or release heat to the environment. If you see a thermoregulating sea lion give them plenty of space and watch this neat behavior from afar.

Photo taken by The Whale Museum under NMFS permit #24359 during a sea lion haul out survey in September 2025.

02/12/2026

Excited for folks to see our new gift shop, open now!

12/19/2025

We're so happy to see this little one go back to the Salish Sea! Our volunteers rescued him from Orcas Island in July. He was transported to SR3 in Des Moines where they discovered he had a skull fracture. They brought him back to health, and he was released at San Juan County Park on Dec 13th! If you see this one-eyed seal with an orange flipper tag around the islands, please let us know by calling our hotline: 1 (800) 562-8832

12/19/2025

A special opportunity to learn about Antarctica, in-person! Join us on Dec 21 & 22 at The Whale Museum. Free admission and special exhibits!

10/16/2025

The Whale Museum will be part of Dash the Distance at Jackson Beach this Saturday, October 18th! We’ll have our Be Whale Wise booth set up and another table with fun, family-friendly salmon activities and games!

Participants of the run or the activities in our booths can earn a free family admission pass to get into The Whale Museum anytime on the 18th! We hope to see you there!

10/02/2025

Entangled Steller sea lion update!

14 days after our team removed a thick plastic packing strap from this Steller sea lion’s neck, she was seen approximately 10 miles south of where she was disentangled, resting on the Hein Bank marker with other Stellers.

We are optimistic that this sea lion will make a full recovery, but not all entangled animals are so lucky. Marine debris is present throughout the world’s oceans and only entangled animals who are reported and within the range of authorized responders may have a second chance. The prevalence of marine debris is multifaceted and prevention must occur at both the individual and regulatory level.

How can you help? NOAA suggests these activities as a starting point:
•Participate in local beach clean-ups - or organize your own (we love Plastic Free Salish Sea!)
•Reduce personal plastic consumption - bring your own food containers and utensils
•Participate in sharing economies - clothing swaps, thrifting, etc.
•Properly dispose of materials - prevent objects like packing straps, plastic bags, balloons, and fishing gear from making it into the waterways
•Advocate for your community to enhance waste management programs.

A big thank you to Naturalist Melisa Pinnow who took this photo and shared it with us and the crew involved in this response (The Whale Museum SeaDoc Society Vancouver Aquarium San Diego Zoo). Please continue to report all stranded, sick, entangled, and dead marine mammals in San Juan County, WA to our hotline: 360-472-1852.

09/29/2025

08/23/2025

For the second time in just over a month, responders with the Pacific Northwest Large Whale Entanglement Response Network successfully freed an entangled Humpback whale in the Salish Sea. The whale, CRC-22662, was disentangled on August 21st and July 16th from nearly identical situations.

On the afternoon of Wednesday August 20, crew on San Juan Excursions spotted and immediately reported CRC-22662, known locally as Starry Knight or Ser, towing two buoys near Colville Island. With help from the Pacific Whale Watch Association, shore-based spotters, and the Salish Sea School, the community was able to keep eyes on the whale as it traveled from Colville Island into Rosario Strait as The Whale Museum got on the water to respond. Just before sunset, our response team attached a satellite buoy to the gear—remarkably, only a few miles from where they had completed the same procedure on July 15th.

On Thursday morning August 21, responders from Cascadia Research Collective and The Whale Museum used data from the satellite buoy with VHF telemetry to guide them to the whale’s exact location. Using a technique called kegging - adding large buoys to slow the whale and keep it at the surface - the team was able to approach safely and document the entanglement. Starry Knight’s flukes were still healing from the last entanglement and the new entangling line had quickly become embedded in the old wounds and scar tissue. Despite these challenges, the team succeeded in freeing Starry Knight once more.

Hopefully Starry’s luck will change and this was the last entanglement this young whale will endure. If not, at least their home is the Salish Sea, where an entire community is watching, ready to respond, and committed to giving this young whale the best possible chance to thrive for decades to come.
Read the full press release at: https://whalemuseum.org/pages/humpback-freed-from-second-entanglement

Photos collected in partnership with TWM and Cascadia Research Collective. All response activities conducted by trained and authorized responders under NOAA Permit #24359. Note: white lines across the head and back as seen in the drone shot are scars from the previous entanglement.