Gray Whales of the Salish Sea with John Calambokidis

Join us at the Estuarium on Sunday, January 21st at 11am for an exciting talk about the latest information on Salish Sea Gray Whales with John Calambokidis from Cascadia Research Collective. John Calambokidis is a Senior Research Biologist and one of the founders of Cascadia Research Collective, a non-profit research organization formed in 1979 based in Olympia, Washington. His primary interests are the biology of marine mammals and the impacts of humans. Some of his recent research has included attaching tags to whales with suction cups to examine their feeding behavior and vocalizations. His work has been covered on shows by National Geographic, Discovery Channel, BBC, and others.

Gray whales continue to surprise scientists. Once thought to be primitive but highly specialized arctic benthic feeders, their story has turned out to be much more complex in terms of their natural history, versatility, and surprising complexity. Washington State, was once thought to be just part of their migratory corridor, has provided a key insight in the variety of roles our waters play for gray whales and their recovery. This has included helping to unravel the mystery of why 100s of gray whales started washing ashore in 2019 in record numbers. John will also discuss some of the new research and insights into the return of humpback whales in our local Salish Sea waters.

Standard admission costs apply: $8/family, $5/individuals, $3/youth (18 and under), Free with EBT.