Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prepared by
University of Washington
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Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………... 2
2. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 3
3. Methods……………………………………………………………………………….. 3-4
4. Southern Resident Killer Whale Background Information……………………………... 4
4.1. Current Status…………………………………………………………………. 4-5
4.2. Ecological Inexchangeability……………………………………………………. 5
4.3. Distribution & Habitat………………………………………………………… 5-6
5. Oil Spill Effects & Prevention…………………………………………………………... 6
5.1. Harmful Factors of Oil Spills…………………………………………….……... 6
5.2. Tanker Spill Trends…………………………………………………………… 6-7
5.3. Federal Offshore Drilling Policies………………………………………………. 7
5.4. Offshore Drilling Policies in Washington………………………………………7-8
5.5. Offshore Drilling Policies in Other States………………………………...…... 8-9
5.6. Trans Mountain Pipeline………………………………………………...….... 9-10
5.7. Oil Spill Prevention Recommendations………………………………...…........ 10
6. Lower Snake River Dams………………………………………………………………. 11
6.1. Effects of Dams on Salmon & Southern Resident Killer Whales..…………….. 11
6.2. Effects of Dam Breaching…………………………………….....………….. 11-12
6.3. Lower Snake River Dams Recommendations………………………………….. 12
7. Climate Change & Chinook Salmon………………………………………………...…. 13
7.1. Effects of Climate Change on Chinook Salmon………………………...….. 13-14
7.2. Climate Change Recommendations……………………………………...…….. 14
8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...…... 14-15
9. Glossary………………………………………………………………………...….........16
10. Works Cited……………………………………………………………………....…. 17-21
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1. Executive Summary
The purpose of our research was to aid the Seattle Aquarium in taking a science-based
position on specific topics of interest concerning the Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW)
databases and journal subscriptions, we conducted a scientific literature review of oil spill
prevention related to potential future policies, the effects of breaching the lower Snake River dams,
and the impacts of climate change on Chinook salmon. The subsequent annotated bibliography,
recommendations, and memos produced provide the aquarium and associated entities within vetted
Our research related to oil spill prevention lead us to several legal protections initiated by
both California and Oregon which Washington would be wise to replicate in the name of SRKW
conservation. Our team also uncovered the Canadian Trans Mountain Pipeline project to be of
notable threat to the killer whale population regarding oil spills and advocate for the rejection of
such a pipeline. After reviewing peer-reviewed literature regarding the removal of the lower Snake
River dams and similar scenarios, evidence points to breaching as the best solution to replenishing
Chinook populations, with our primary recommendation calling for the breaching of all four dams.
Regardless of dam removal however, the salmon and consequently the Southern Residents, will
be at risk of warming temperatures in Puget Sound due to climate change. It is therefore essential
for the Seattle Aquarium to continue public education regarding climate change and financially
2. Introduction
The U.S. officially recognized Southern Resident killer whales native to the Puget Sound
as a federally listed endangered population in 2005. In an effort to bring awareness to the issue,
engage with stakeholders, and inform relevant policy decisions, our group delved into the
University of Washington’s extensive library to assist the Seattle Aquarium with research
regarding the conservation and threats of Southern Resident killer whales. In collaboration with
Nora Nickum, the aquarium’s Ocean Policy Manager, our focus narrowed to the risks and causes
of tanker oil spills, offshore oil drilling legislature, potential impacts of the removal of four lower
Snake River dams, and the effects that climate change might have on Chinook salmon.
3. Methods
Our team synthesized a three part annotated bibliography coupled with three sets of
recommendations regarding oil spill prevention, the breaching of the lower Snake River dams, and
the effects of climate change on Chinook salmon habitat. The annotated bibliography was created
to convey peer-reviewed, scientific information in the most organized way possible for the Seattle
Aquarium. By including brief summaries and describing how the aquarium could find the source
useful, our client can easily decide which sources to access for continued research (King, 2010).
Each source referenced in the bibliography has been downloaded as a PDF and stored in a digital
file accompanying this project so that further access may be possible for personal use.
This bibliography and digital folder pair is by far the fullest and most meaningful
component of this project. Access to the university library served as the primary reason our client
requested a literature review; without this resource, a similar bibliography would not have been
possible. We attempted to limit our search peer-reviewed articles to sources written within the last
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ten years wherever possible but several relevant sources had earlier dates, none prior to 2000,
legislative documents were included as well. These are available to the general public, and
therefore did not require the use of the University of Washington’s library databases or journal
subscriptions, but were essential to evaluating state protections and future policy
recommendations.
Recommendations for all three topics were also included for our client related to future
policy ideas and attitudes on current events regarding Southern Resident killer whales and Chinook
salmon.
For additional convenience, our research and recommendations on oil spill prevention and
dam breaches have been condensed into memos to emphasize main takeaways from the literature
review. They were written in an office friendly format with no scientific jargon and are ready to
dwindle, Southern Resident killer whales will no longer be able to respond to challenges in their
environment.
Although Southern Resident killer whales look similar to other populations of killer
whales, they are ecologically distinct due to their cultural behavior and feeding patterns. Killer
whales learn behavior from their parents and develop social behaviors that reflect their specific
group. Because of this specialized rearing, each population of killer whale are on unique
evolutionary tracks, making them significantly different from one another (Foote, 2016). Feeding
behaviors also differ between populations of killer whales; while some hunt seal, Southern
Residents primarily eat Chinook salmon. Thus, conservation of these salmon is integral to these
whales’ survival.
The lack of ecological exchangeability between Southern Residents and other whale
populations demonstrates the need for conservation plans specific to this geographical location.
protecting.
in Figure 2 is based on extensive sighting records and has no exclusions based on economic impact
The Southern Residents which inhabit these areas are broken up into three pods: J, K, and
L. The latter pod being the largest with calves being born as recently as 2019, while pods J and K
show little reproductive growth (Center for Whale Research). Although the three pods do migrate
to open waters following the salmon supply, they tend to focus near the San Juan Islands, Georgia
Strait, Southern Gulf Islands, and lower Puget Sound (Figure 2).
Humans and marine environments have a long history of interaction which has inevitably
led to pollution. Accidents involving barges and other vessels used in the transportation of crude
oil and other water pollutants have been named as primary sources of said pollution. According to
Burgher (2007), oil spills often happen in ecologically sensitive areas that fall along transportation
routes. These accidents can cause oil to float on the surface of the water or clog respiratory surfaces
of marine plants and animals, ultimately suffocating them. As a result, the marine animals tend to
migrate from the toxified water to more conducive areas, causing an ecological imbalance since
Chen et al. (2018) asserts that in addition to oil spills that happen at drilling sites, many
accidents occur during transportation. Tanker oil spills have significantly decreased since single-
hull tankers have been phased out and replaced with double-hulled tankers (Burgherr, 2007).
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Analysis of global data on oil spills shows that the most common causes of tanker oil spills are fire
or explosion during refueling and collisions during anchoring and sailing (Chen, 2018).
In addition to the federal government phasing out single-hull tankers, numerous laws have
been issued dealing with the legalities of offshore drilling and oil spill prevention. The Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) attributes offshore lands within three nautical miles of a
state’s coast as the individual state’s jurisdiction. All other submerged lands are controlled by the
Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) with few exceptions. The 1978 OCSLA
included in the Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Program. Section 18 of the OCSLA
requires that the DOI consider the economic, social, and environmental effects of oil drilling along
with its impact on affected ecosystems and incorporate this information into the aforementioned
Although some protections are in place, oil drilling has remained a priority over
environmental security during the Obama and Trump administrations. Both presidents increased
federal offshore drilling allowances in order to decrease foreign dependency on oil (Broder, 2010;
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management). The tradeoff between marine conservation and economic
benefit has been a debate in the United States for years and will continue to be a hot topic until we
dramatically decrease our demand for oil in favor of alternative energy sources.
Washington State currently has legislation in place to protect marine waters from offshore
drilling. The Ocean Resources Management Act of 1977 strictly prohibits the leasing of tidal
regions within three nautical miles of Washington’s coastline. Closely related to the Ocean
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Resource Management Act is the Shoreline Management Act of 1971 which specifies prohibitions
on surface drilling in designated Washington marine regions. Additionally, the Marine Waters
Planning and Management Act (2012) requires marine spatial planning to be included in all
at risk under the DOI’s 2019-2024 Five Year Leasing Plan draft, which would open up areas near
the Washington coastline to leasing. Washington governor Jay Inslee has been an advocate for
banning oil extraction throughout his term and has written letters to Secretary Ryan Zinke in
collaboration with Oregon and California governors Kate Brown and Jerry Brown (Inslee, 2018).
devastating Santa Barbara oil spill in 1994 (California Anti-Offshore Drillings Pass Committee,
2018). The state has banned offshore drilling within its jurisdiction which includes submerged
lands within three nautical miles of the coast (Senate Bill 834 & Assembly Bill 1775). Senate Bill
834, approved in September 2018, prohibits the State Lands Commission from entering any new
leases for oil-related infrastructure on tidal lands. It also prohibits lease renewals that would
increase the transport of oil in coastal waters, as does Assembly Bill 1775. These Senate and
Assembly bills make the offshore drilling of California’s coastlines essentially impossible
regardless of whether or not the regions become legally accessible to federal drilling under the
Oregon has initiated a similar counter to the 2019-2024 draft. Although the state has
enjoyed a moratorium on offshore drilling since the year 2000, the temporary ban expires every
ten years. Oregon was able to renew the moratorium in 2010 but it will be up for expiration again
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in 2020. Senate Bill 256 would effectively dissolve the temporary nature of the ban and
permanently prohibit all federal exploration, development, or production of oil, gar, or sulfur
within its state’s territory. Although not yet passed through the House, the bill has significant
support and is on route to be incorporated into domestic law (“Tracking Senate Bill 256”, 2019).
Houston-based Kinder Morgan, formerly Enron Liquid Pipelines LLP, intends to build a
new export pipeline for diluted bitumen -- a thick, sticky form of crude oil, sand, water and clay -
- that would be along the route of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. This new pipeline would extend
approximately 1100 km between Edmonton, Alberta, and the Westridge Marine Terminal in
Burnaby on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet in the Vancouver harbor. The proposed pipeline
would increase the amount of crude oil through British Columbia from 60 tankers a year to over
400. If the pipeline is implemented, the likelihood of a spill in the Burrard Inlet over fifty years is
79-87% for any size spill. Despite the associated environmental risks, the Canadian government
Senior scientist Christopher Clark used a population viability analysis (PVA) of the risks
associated with aspects of the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project on Southern Resident
killer whales. Although the probability of Southern Resident killer whales being exposed to an oil
spill is low, the impact of an event is potentially catastrophic. Overall mortality due to a large spill
in the critical habitat would be 50%, and overall mortality due to a smaller spill would be 12.5%.
The probability of the population dropping to a quasi-extinction (i.e. below 30 whales) due to an
oil spill is more substantial, with a possibility of complete extinction within 100 years due to the
potential of a small and unrecoverable number. The noise pollution from this project will also
affect Southern Resident killer whales in the area. Ship noises that are between 135-165 decibels
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will impede communication and feeding. With the increased shipping traffic associated with the
Trans Mountain Pipeline, Southern Residents could be exposed to boats up to 100% of the time,
Washington state governor Jay Inslee has shared concern about the Trans Mountain
pipeline project and will continue his attempts to influence Canadian policy makers (Kane, 2019).
Southern Resident killer whales will most likely suffer from the Trans Mountain pipeline project,
so it is in Washington’s best interest to increase marine spill response and reduce emissions from
marine vessels.
● Demand tanker crew education on the most common causes of oil spills, namely
fires or explosions during refueling and collision during anchoring to mitigate the
Washington state to prevent offshore drilling near its coasts regardless of whether
● Support governor Jay Inslee’s efforts to bring awareness to the issues associated
attempt to cut down noise from big ships. Also support the National Oceanic and
High infant mortality and low population momentum have been attributed to a lack of
available food for Southern Resident killer whales (Marine Mammal Commission). Therefore,
SRKW conservation must concern the species they depend on as well. The Southern Resident
killer population consumes an estimated 400,000 salmon per year (Ford, 2009), an amount that
has become increasingly difficult to obtain considering the significant impacts of the lower Snake
River dams on Chinook salmon. Dams have been observed to not only cut salmon off from their
spawning grounds, but directly kill those that swim through the turbines claiming as much as 10%
of the smolt population (Budy, 2002). Because of the direct impacts of traveling through a dam,
intense conservation efforts can include the capture and transportation of salmon on barges around
the entire hydrosystem so they can avoid death or extreme stress. Past research has observed
survival rates 25-50% lower in salmon that pass through dams instead of being transported around
them (Gregory, 2002). Dams in northwestern rivers also change water velocities essential to
migration rates, alter currents, and increase river temperatures as the sun more efficiently heats the
slower moving water (Gregory, 2002). This increase in temperature subjects the salmon to thermal
stress and allows diseases to spread more easily, which could be devastating for the salmon and
potentially lead to a coextinction event of Chinook salmon and Southern Resident killer whales
(Battin, 2007).
salmon. Although dams and hydropower operations in the Columbia River Basin have been shown
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to negatively affect rearing and spawning habitats, migration rates, and populations of Chinook
salmon (Hatten, 2015), dam breachings have the potential to restore river temperatures, current
patterns, and reconnect the river to spawning sites (Gregory, 2002). Breaching the four lower
Snake River dams is ultimately projected to be the most effective solution to Chinook salmon
recovery. It would reduce the mortality rates of smolt-to-adult stage salmon by decreasing the
stress associated with barrier passage and eliminating all deaths due to barge transportation
(Wilson, 2003).
Dam removal is a dramatic event, however, and can come with its own consequences. As
dams block sediment, the material accumulates in deep pockets in the ground. After the dam is
removed, flood waters can easily erode these pockets and create a landslide, destroying
surrounding habitats (Gregory, 2002). Careful planning is required to minimize any possibility of
this happening. Although breaching the four lower Snake River dams would likely decrease
Chinook salmon’s chance of extinction, additional action must be taken to promote this salmon
population including but not limited to sustainable fishing practices and habitat restoration of the
river systems they spawn in. Once measures are taken to properly conserve Chinook salmon,
Southern Resident killer whales will have a much greater, although still small, chance of survival.
● Support breaching of the lower Snake River dams to promote Chinook salmon
populations.
In the midst of the 21st century, global temperatures are expected to rise by 1.5°-3.2°C
inevitably increasing water temperatures (Battin, 2007). In Washington, this rise in temperature is
predicted to decrease the total snowfall in the upper basins and cause the snowpack to melt earlier
in the year (Battin, 2007). This will relay a host of consequences to local salmon populations.
Rainfall will alter the flow of streams more dramatically throughout the annual cycle as the
effects of climate change increase. Firstly, we can expect lower flows in the summer because there
will be no snowpack to fuel the river (Mantua, 2010). This could result in the salmon losing access
to many of their habitats until precipitation increases. Secondly, we can expect frequent flooding
in the winter because most of the precipitation will directly add to the rivers (Crozier, 2008).
Increased flows have the potential to damage salmon eggs and strip them off rocks, which reduces
In many places in Washington, stream temperatures already reach lethal limits for adult
salmon during the hottest part of the year. By 2080, it is projected that under current conditions,
the temperature of water in Washington will rise by 2° to 5° C (Mantua, 2010). Not only can this
heat directly kill salmon, but it can also create favorable conditions for pathogens as disease
spreads more easily in elevated temperatures, which could further damage salmon populations
(Budy, 2002).
The thermal cues necessary for spawning migration could also be altered due to increased
temperatures. Not only would migration cues be delayed, but the time elapsed to migrate would
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be increased as spawning salmon would need to rest in cooler pools. This would have the greatest
impact on salmon that spawn in the summertime, including Chinook salmon (Crozier, 2008).
● Continue public education about the effects of climate change on salmon and the
● Support legislation and actions that promote restoration of riparian areas, estuaries,
● Aid the funding of scientific research into climate change mitigation in the Pacific
Northwest.
8. Conclusion
This research has provided the Seattle Aquarium with peer-reviewed sources and
recommendations enabling them to take public, science-based stances on future decision making
regarding the impact of oil spill prevention, dam removal, and climate change on Chinook Salmon
and Southern Resident killer whales. Being that their mission is to influence the conservation of
marine species, we felt that the Seattle Aquarium would be a powerful stakeholder that could pass
this information to other influential figures and have significant sway on the public.
Our research on oil spill prevention lead us to recommend that Washington state pass a
protection similar to California’s SB 834. This can come about through the aggressive support of
governor Jay Inslee anti-offshore drilling stance. In addition, it is recommended that the Trans
Mountain Pipeline project be rejected to protect Southern Resident killer whales from potentially
catastrophic oil spills and increased transportation. If the Seattle Aquarium follows these
recommendations, the whale population will be better protected from future offshore drilling.
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Every peer-reviewed source found for this research suggested the breaching of dams
increases salmon populations. As is evident in past cases of dam removal and projected impacts
of the four lower Snake River dam breachings specifically, salmon populations are likely to
increase with the removal of these dams. Because of this apparent scientific consensus, it is our
recommendation that the Seattle Aquarium support the breaching of the lower Snake River dams
in order to increase the Chinook salmon populations needed to replenish the Southern Resident
killer whales. Furthermore, it is critical for the aquarium to support sustainable fishing practices
and the conservation of specific habitats needed for salmon spawning in the Puget Sound so that
Climate change is a threat much greater to ecosystems than oil spills and dam construction,
causing our research to result in broad recommendations. The most notable consequence of climate
change is the increase in global temperature which will consequently increase water temperatures.
This is a significant threat to Chinook salmon as they cannot thrive in warmer water, as is already
evident in some Pacific Northwest areas. The Seattle Aquarium should continue its public
education regarding the effects of climate change on marine life. It should support legislation that
to replace the lower Snake River dams so that the needs of both humans and the affected animals
can be met. Other research should also be done on the compounding effects of dams and climate
change on salmon and other marine ecosystems. Based on the research in this literature review,
the Seattle Aquarium will have sufficient information to promote actions that benefit the
9. Glossary
Barges: A flat-bottomed boat for carrying freight, typically on canals and rivers, either by its own
Catastrophes: Events assumed to occur infrequently and at random which affect survival or
Coextinction: Loss or decline of a host species resulting in the loss or endangerment of other
species that depend on it, potentially leading to cascading effects across trophic levels.
Demographic stochasticity: By chance alone population changes in growth rate and hence change
Environmental stochasticity: Random series of environmental changes that affect all members of
a population similarly.
Population Viability Analysis: A risk management tool which models the risk to a population over
time using demographic modeling to assess risks to wildlife populations and evaluate the
Quasi-extinction: Threshold is the minimum number below which extinction is very likely due to
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Broder, J (2010). Obama to Open Offshore Areas of Oil Drilling for First Time. The New York
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California Anti-Offshore Drilling Bills Pass Committee. (2018). Journal of Protective Coatings
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