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Stop the disastrous T2 terminal and give Southern Resident Killer Whales a fighting chance: Donate now!
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There are only 74 Southern Resident Killer Whales alive today. And a new study now confirms: These whales are at risk of being wiped out forever. Protect critically endangered orcas: Rush a $10 donation to Friends of the Earth.
The majestic Southern Resident Killer Whales were once a common sight in the waters of Washington and British Columbia. Now, they are struggling to survive. A just-released study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sheds new light on the plight of these iconic whales. It shows that shipping vessels coming within 1200 feet of whales leads to dramatically changed feeding habits. Some stop feeding entirely.
This study leads us to a stark conclusion: The proposed T2 shipping terminal simply cannot exist alongside the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. There is no way around it. The only way to save these whales from extinction is to stop this disastrous megaproject in its tracks.
Stop the shipping industry from wiping out Southern Resident Killer Whales: Donate $10 to Friends of the Earth.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
The T2 project is a massive proposed shipping facility that developers want to build at the mouth of British Columbia’s Fraser River. If built, it would increase pollution and exacerbate the disruption of our climate and our oceans. It would also likely wipe out Southern Resident Killer Whales completely -- and decimate the Chinook salmon they depend on.
Scientists agree that T2 will disrupt the migration patterns of Chinook salmon, the main food source for these endangered orcas. It will force young salmon into open ocean waters before they are strong enough -- creating a chronic lack of food for the 74 Southern Resident Whales that remain, including the two new calves birthed last fall.
Experts say that a lack of salmon -- and resulting hunger and stress -- has already kept these whales from reproducing successfully. A full two-thirds of this pod’s pregnancies end in failure. They are also threatened by pollution, which affects their health, and underwater noise from shipping, which disrupts the echolocation they use to hunt.
Now, with this new study, there’s even more evidence that the ships themselves force whales to alter their natural behavior -- even stopping them from feeding outright. These whales are at risk of starvation.
We must stop the disastrous T2 terminal and give these whales a fighting chance. Take action with a $10 donation to Friends of the Earth.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Every species is important, but orcas play a special and irreplaceable role in our ecological systems: Whales and other large sea animals are key to combating climate change and protecting our own future.
Whales serve as ecosystem engineers and provide crucial nutrients to phytoplankton -- tiny ocean plants that produce over 50% of our oxygen, sequester hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon per year, and make up the foundation of the marine food system upon which all ocean life depends. We are interdependent: We rely on these whales for our own future -- just as they are counting on us now.
Chinook salmon have also been listed as an endangered species. With their food supply dwindling, the whales are getting skinnier and skinnier. We still have a chance to save these incredible creatures, but time is running out.
Powered by members like you, Friends of the Earth has been fighting for the whales in the Pacific Northwest. But it’s an uphill battle -- and if we don’t stop this latest project, it may not be enough.
People power, and donations from members like you, can make the difference. The fate of these Southern Resident Killer Whales hangs in the balance.
Save whales and endangered species from being lost forever. Donate $10 or more now!
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Thank you,
Marcie Keever,
Oceans and vessels program director,
Friends of the Earth
