Valeria Vergara
@marine-valeria.bsky.social
Marine mammal research scientist, co-Director of the Cetacean Conservation Research Program @raincoast.org, corvid lover, photographer. Nature is my temple. Ecological grief is very real. Opinions my own.
“More recent research deepened the mystery, suggesting a complex sort of sociality that defied simple categorization” writes @jaclynaubin.bsky.social - Curious? Read on!
Raincoast Conservation Foundation@raincoast.org · 6mo agoNew scientific review highlights the complex and culturally rich social lives of beluga whales: #belugas live in multilevel, dynamic societies shaped by kinship, sex, and culture. www.raincoast.org/2026/02/soci...
Trump's DOE fake "climate advisory" group were being organized, and their work being edited, by Travis Fisher, the lead lobbyist against climate policy and clean energy development at the Cato Institute — who, with chefs-kiss perfection, now works, I see, at The Abundance Institute. 😂
Dr. Jonathan Foley@globalecoguy.bsky.social · 7mo agoUgh. Is the Administration illegally undermining climate work in America…? www.edf.org/media/newly-...
This is one of the most rewarding reviews I’ve ever had the pleasure of participating in! So pleased to see it published. First author @jaclynaubin.bsky.social summarizes it beautifully.
Jaclyn Aubin@jaclynaubin.bsky.social · 7mo agoOur new review of beluga sociality and culture just dropped at Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology! Some of our key conclusions summarized 🧵 doi.org/10.1007/s002... @marine-valeria.bsky.social @dmennill.bsky.social @raincoast.org
I am so excited about this project! I can’t wait for the 2026 field season!
Raincoast Conservation Foundation@raincoast.org · 7mo agoWith @earthspecies.bsky.social, we're pairing video footage with concurrent audio recordings to understand how killer whales use sound across different social contexts. Reunions between mother-calf pairs are just one example of the functions we aim to explore further. youtube.com/shorts/hsbHa...
Looking back at an incredible moment from the field in 2025 👉 youtube.com/shorts/MXpKu... We’re working with @earthspecies.bsky.social to understand killer whale communication more deeply than ever before. But we need your support. Learn more at raincoast.org/listen. #conservationscience #yvr
🎉30 years of Raincoast's reach! In 1996, Raincoast Conservation Foundation was established as a charitable organization in British Columbia. Since then, our researchers and scientists have contributed to groundbreaking work across the globe. 🔗Learn more 👉 www.raincoast.org/2025/12/30-y...
30 years of Raincoast’s reach | Raincoast
Our influence stretches internationally, with our researchers and scientists contributing to groundbreaking work across the globe.
raincoast.org
Our partnership with @raincoast.org to study killer whale communication has been a highlight of 2025. 👉 Listen to the voices of these incredible animals and learn more about how you can support the project: www.raincoast.org/listen/
Listening to protect | Raincoast
To protect killer whales, we first need to understand what they are communicating.
raincoast.org
Raincoast Conservation Foundation@raincoast.org · 8mo agoTo protect #KillerWhales, we need to understand their communication. In 2025, Raincoast and @earthspecies.bsky.social unified field biologists, acoustic specialists, and experts in modern analytical methods to study killer whale communication like never before. You can help. raincoast.org/listen/
Jane Goodall’s passing feels so personal to me. This piece poured out of me last night as I reflected on all I learned from her. #JaneGoodall
Raincoast Conservation Foundation@raincoast.org · 10mo ago#JaneGoodall showed the world that empathy and science are not opposites, but allies. Her influence is everywhere. For Raincoast's @marine-valeria.bsky.social , what continues to inspire her are not only Jane’s discoveries, but her approach. www.raincoast.org/2025/10/a-le...
Listen to the latest episode of Raincoast Radio wherever you get your podcasts! This week, Auston Chhor chats with Rodney Hsu, founder and host of the popular YouTube channel "Fishing With Rod", whose videos have amassed over 23 million views. www.raincoast.org/2025/09/salm...
Episode 9: Bridging the gap between salmon scientists and anglers with Fishing with Rod | Raincoast
A salmon habitat biologist and a recreational angler sit down to record a podcast…
raincoast.org
Excellent interview with salmon program Director Misty MacDuffee @raincoast.org podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/m...
Misty MacDuffee on the Southern Resident Orcas and Bright Extinction
Podcast Episode · Skaana with Mark Leiren-Young | Oceans, Eco-Ethics & The Environment · 2025-09-29 · 58m
podcasts.apple.com
Heartbreaking news, when every calf matters for this endangered population! #SRKW #Endangered www.raincoast.org/2025/09/j36-...
Another devastating loss for the Southern Residents | Raincoast
On Friday, September 12th, researchers from the Center for Whale Research witnessed J36, Alki, pushing her deceased calf through the water. The tiny female calf still had her umbilical cord attached…
raincoast.org
We’re back with a brand new season of Raincoast Radio! What makes salmon more than a fish? 💦 Let’s dive in. Listen to the brand new trailer now: www.raincoast.org/2025/09/rain...
Raincoast Radio is back | Raincoast
So, what makes salmon more than a fish? Let’s dive in — Raincoast Radio, new episodes coming soon.
raincoast.org
Eavesdropping on Northern Residents 🔊 On Aug 31 we filmed A72 with her offspring A108 & A131 and sibling A123. Watch the bubble streams revealing the caller! 🎬 From our @raincoast.org pilot on KW communication with @earthspecies.bsky.social ⚠️ Drone footage collected legally under SARA permit.
"I think we really need to hear the rest of life to be healthy" reflects Amy Martin, creator of the podcast "Threshold". In this episode, she invites a few of us to discuss impacts of both underwater noise, and noise in cities. Close your eyes..and listen! www.thresholdpodcast.org/hark-episode...
Hark Episode 14: Disquieting
Humans have filled the world with so much noise that the only sounds many of us often hear on a daily basis are our own. But all this sound isn’t great for our planet mates, and it isn’t great for us ...
thresholdpodcast.org
The current situation for wolves in BC: #Wolves are highly sentient and socially complex carnivores. Yet the social stability of wolf packs and wellbeing of individual animals are not considered in provincial regulations. #InternationalWolfDay www.raincoast.org/2024/10/the-...
The current situation for wolves in British Columbia | Raincoast
The level of human-caused wolf mortality can only be described as staggering.
raincoast.org
⚠️You can help build a culture of marine-mammal safe boating on the BC coast - right now - thanks to this FREE course🐋 Learn more: www.raincoast.org/2025/08/whal...
Building a culture of marine-mammal safe boating on the coast | Raincoast
This free course can help keep you and wildlife safe while on the water.
raincoast.org
Counting beluga surface behaviours on the Churchill River to understand the impacts of noise! Does underwater noise affect how often belugas show their tails when diving, a behaviour that may be linked to feeding? Excited to find out! @raincoast.org @uwindsor.bsky.social Photo: Marie-Ana Mikus
The Raincoast Ocean Science Awards celebrate outstanding achievements by individuals and groups striving to protect marine habitats through science, Indigenous Knowledge systems, and public engagement. Nominations are open until August 15th! www.raincoast.org/ocean-awards/
Ocean awards | Raincoast
The Raincoast Ocean Science Awards celebrate outstanding achievements by individuals and groups striving to protect marine habitats through science, Indigenous Knowledge systems, education…
raincoast.org
Raincoast's Kristen Walters, Biologist and Director of Salmon Habitat, Climate, and Policy, spoke with Stephen Quinn this morning regarding the concern of low water levels and warm temperatures for sockeye salmon returning to Fraser River: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.
cbc.ca
Out on the @explore.org @polarbearsinternational.org beluga boat with Captain Tera yesterday! Really challenging conditions but crystal-clear waters allowed for some amazing observations. Thanks to Frontiers North Adventures, @raincoast.org and Oceans North! #BelugaResearch #adayinthefield
So excited to see this project started! Can’t wait to hear what @jaclynaubin.bsky.social and Marie-Ana @raincoast.org will find out this first season!
Jaclyn Aubin@jaclynaubin.bsky.social · last yr.So thrilled to be back in Churchill, learning about beluga vocal and social behaviour. Marie-Ana and I are here for the first field season of my postdoc project in collaboration with @raincoast.org, Frontiers North Adventures, Oceans North, @uwindsor.bsky.social, and @dmennill.bsky.social
Turning the tide for southern resident killer whales #yvr #yyj #SalishSea vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...
Opinion: Turning the tide for southern resident killer whales
Their decline since being listed as endangered two decades ago is unfolding in plain sight, despite mounting science on how to reverse it.
vancouversun.com
"Urgent and bold action" is needed to save the endangered southern resident killer whales from extinction “before it’s too late,” says a new report from a group of scientists. www.vicnews.com/local-news/s...
Scientists call for urgent action to save B.C.'s endangered killer whales
The population has declined to 73 individuals, 'with no sign of recovery'
vicnews.com
NEW REPORT: What will it take for Southern Resident killer whales to actually have a shot at recovery? 31 leading scientists created a roadmap to get there: raincoast.org/reports/reco...
Strengthening recovery actions for Southern Resident killer whales | Raincoast
The recommendations in this workshop were developed by a panel of killer whale, salmon, and conservation scientists.
raincoast.org
Southern Resident killer whales are perilously closed to extinction, with only 73 individuals left. Earlier this year, 31 scientists, across disciplines and borders, met in Vancouver to ask a hard question: What will it take to save this population? Find out more: www.raincoast.org/reports/reco...
So excited about our new collaborative study with @earthspecies.bsky.social and our team at @raincoast.org ! Make sure to watch the video embedded in this story. #orcas #bioacoustics
Raincoast Conservation Foundation@raincoast.org · last yr.Decoding killer whale communication from above and below: A Q&A with Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s Cetacean Senior Scientists @marine-valeria.bsky.social and Lance Barrett-Lennard #orcas #science www.raincoast.org/2025/06/whal...
“As Canada takes action to fast-track sustainable development, there is a parallel need to fast-track actions to not sell off the health of our lands, waters, and futures to extractive industries.”@vancouversun.bsky.social vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...
Opinion: It's time to fast-track actions to defend B.C.'s lands, waters, fish and wildlife
B.C. recently passed Bills 14 and 15. As a scientist who studies the health of western Canada’s ecosystems, my alarm bells are going off
vancouversun.com
Is it time the critical habitat of #endangered killer whales be expanded to include their prey base - Chinook #salmon rivers? Protecting these rivers is directly linked to the recovery of Southern Resident killer whales. #OrcaActionMonth www.raincoast.org/2023/08/crit...
Is it time the critical habitat of endangered killer whales be expanded to include their prey base - Chinook rivers? | Raincoast
We have mapped the watersheds that feed into critical habitat for Southern Resident killer whales. Protecting these rivers is directly linked to the recovery of critically endangered whales.
raincoast.org
Wild salmon are in crisis. On June 1, join thousands of people calling for bold action to restore wild salmon: ✅ Raise the flag on your social media ✅ Spread the word in your community ✅ Sign the declaration #WildSalmonDay #RaiseTheFlag wildsalmonday.com
