Check out this news article about harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea featuring PacMam's work! We love when harbor porpoises get more good press! weekly-volcano.com/wait-we-have...

Wait, We Have Dolphins in Puget Sound? Well, Kinda … -

BY MATT KITE for WEEKLY VOLCANO | 10/23/2026 Small but mighty, harbor porpoises are making a comeback in Puget Sound. If you’re an avid whale watcher in South Puget Sound, you probably know something ...

weekly-volcano.com

The time is now!!! We have 10 days to get at least 100 supporters to be able to create our very own Pointer harbor porpoise plushy! Please act now, pledge $2, check out the link, pledge, and share widely! (photos for reference, plush will have Pointer's marks) www.gimmeswag.com/.../pointer-...

Check out this article in the Smithsonian - PacMam is proud to be featured in this article and be part of this work, with colleagues from around the world! www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Marine Biologists Solved a Wildlife Mystery From the Walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge: How the Harbor Porpoise Mates

The dolphin-like marine mammals returned to San Francisco Bay in 2008 after a decades-long absence from the area. Scientists took the rare opportunity to closely observe their behavior, and what they ...

smithsonianmag.com

Check out this art installation and gray whale skeleton - it moves! www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...

A whale washed ashore on Vashon. Now it’s a work of art and something more

As Washington grapples with gray whale mortalities, Vashon Island turns one whale’s death into a story of celebration, conservation and awe.

seattletimes.com

This is a short but important read about the importance of biodiversity: www.seadocsociety.org/blog/nature-... "In this moment of fiscal strain, biodiversity funding is not discretionary spending. It is a down payment on our collective health, prosperity and future."

Nature is Not a Luxury — SeaDoc Society

SeaDoc is a science-based marine conservation program. We understand that science informs policy, including priority setting and budgeting. Washington State faces difficult budget choices. With multi...

seadocsociety.org

Did you know the Salish Sea is home to over 11,200 harbor porpoises? These chubby beacons of hope are a true conservation success story! PacMam has just released a new storymap. Dive in and discover how we use photo identification to track individuals, and more! www.pacmam.org/storymap

Happy Valentines Day! Did you know that harbor porpoises often make a splash when they mate? Males sometimes leap in their attempt, and always on the left-hand side of the female. Learn more in this open access publication: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1... or visit www.pacmam.org/publications

📸 Science in Action! Ever wonder what our researchers are doing on the shore? They’re conducting vital photo-ID surveys that allow us to identify and track individual porpoises over time without disturbing them. It goes to show how much we can learn by watching closely from the shoreline. 🌊🐬

When you get caught housing a meal... No shame in scarfing down a delicious snack in our book—definitely no judgement from this hungry harbor seal. 🦭🐟 As an opportunistic feeders they can be spotted munching on a mangled marine animal at any hour of the day!

🔔 It is not too late to register for the annual Ways of Whales Workshop tomorrow, January 24 from 10:00-5:00 PM! 🐋 This year, the PacMam team will be sharing a special presentation on our harbor porpoise research...check the schedule and tune in online! RSVP today: www.pacmam.org/event-detail...

🌊 New Year, New Impact! 🌊 Want to make a difference in 2026? Join our mission to protect the incredible marine life of the Salish Sea! We're looking for volunteers to help with harbor porpoise and harbor seal research. No biology background needed—we provide all the training!

As winter blankets Washington's peaks in snow, our marine ecosystem thrives below... The mountain watershed nourishes Puget Sound, creating perfect habitats for harbor seals, orcas and other marine mammals. Nature's cycles connect mountains to sea. How are you savoring this winter season? ❄️🗻🌊🐋

Meet Paintbrush - we have seen this harbor porpoise for the past 6 years, since 2020! This is the power of photo-ID, getting to know the individuals in the population and more about their daily lives. Do you see the marks and pigmentation patterns that are the same?

Marine mammal research is more than just statistics, it is about human observation. Our research can be described in many ways, for PacMam friend Tegan Keyes, poetry is the method she has found to illustrate their world. Find more ways we communicate science ➡️ www.pacmam.org/science-summ... 🦭🌊

Act cool they’re watching 😳😎 These two sea lions are clearly not in the mood to share their sunbathing spot with this newbie. We can’t blame them, but what a graceful exit this little guy pulled off. 🦭

Want to hear a fun conversation about harbor porpoises? Check out this recent podcast with Research Director Dr. Cindy Elliser! 🐬 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

Harbor Porpoises of the Salish Sea

Podcast Episode · Nature Now · 10/15/2025 · 27m

podcasts.apple.com

Did you know Harbor seals are opportunistic predators? This means when octopus are locally abundant they become a food source for hungry seals. While the realities of nature aren’t always pretty, the interconnected relationships species maintain are essential for healthy self sustaining ecosystems.

A series of predictable events... Unfortunately for this gull, a hard earned hefty catch like this one isn’t going to be given up so easily. New strategy? The #LongGame, with the hopes that over time this seal might warm up to idea or drop a few scrapes in the process. 🥊🦭

Ever wondered how you can get involved in community science programs in the Salish Sea? 🥼🌊🐬 Curious to learn more? Find out how you can join on our next sighting adventure, we are collecting research year round so it is never too late! ➡️ www.pacmam.org/volunteering

We are always looking for different ways to share our science - check out poems, like this one, and plain text summaries about our work here: www.pacmam.org/science-summ.... Art and science can work so well together! 🐬🐳🎨

Can you spot the difference between porpoises and dolphins?🐬👀 A couple differences: Porpoises have round, blunt mouths unlike dolphins' elongated snouts. Dolphins have curved dorsal fins while porpoises have smaller, triangular ones. 📷: Harbor porpoise: Cindy Elliser, Pacific Mammal Research

🔔 Discovery alert: A local resident population of harbor porpoises has been frequenting Burrow’s Pass for 11 years!🐬🐳 Why do you think they have an affinity for Burrow’s Pass? Learn more about our most recent study: www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/... 📷: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver, and Ciera Edison

It “takes a village” is quite the understatement. When putting the picture together, to discover how our neighbors below the surface live, every piece of the puzzle counts! 🧩🌊🐬 Curious to learn more about our community scientist opportunities? ➡️ www.pacmam.org/community-sc...

We recently published a study showing long-term site fidelity for harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea…but what the does that mean? 🔬🐬 Long-term site fidelity roughly means an animal is returning to and remaining in the same geographic location year over year. 🔎https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/1/9

Excited to have our colleague Bill Keener from the Marine Mammal Center in CA out to the field site today! We have collaborated with him and other colleagues on many papers on foraging and mating behaviors of harbor porpoises. Together we are learning more about this amazing species! #collaborations

Join us for another great trip collecting eDNA! Don't miss this chance to collect data that will help us better understand the genetic population structure of harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea! More info here: www.thesalishseaschool.org/adult-sessions

Always a great time at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival! Thanks to the staff, volunteers, interns, and everyone who stopped by!

Check out this great article about PacMam in the Salish Current! salish-current.org/2025/04/28/h...

Harbor porpoise subpopulation may be forming in Burrows Pass

Harbor porpoises are finding food and low risk in Burrows Pass, off northwest Fidalgo Island.

salish-current.org

We are interested in sharing science in a variety of ways. We have a very talented poet, Tegan Keyes, that helped us translate one of our papers into a poem - check it out! #sciencecommunication #marinemammals #baldeagle #porpoise #foodstealing 🐬

Come to our webinar at noon, Apr 30: Successes, Challenges and Maintaining Hope for #SalishSea Restoration and Protection: A Report from the Front Lines foundation.wwu.edu/event/succes...