Submitted by Lodie Budwill

The Center For Whale Research is taking action to increase public awareness of the Southern resident killer whales by taking the message onboard Washington State Ferries.

Ken Balcomb, founder and principal investigator of the Center For Whale Research launched a video ad campaign on Jan. 9. This 15-second video will play in daily rotation on video screens onboard all routes of the Washington State Ferries.

The video features incredible footage of the resident whales with a very clear, significant message to all viewers.

• The resident orcas need salmon to thrive

• Salmon need pristine and unobstructed waterways to reproduce

• Let’s help them both survive

Balcomb shared his intent behind creating this video campaign. “San Juan County is in the core region of the Southern resident orca population, and it has benefited from worldwide attention to these icons of the Pacific Northwest. It is our responsibility as a community to share what we know about these amazing animals for conservation efforts on their behalf. The ad campaign we have launched is intended to broaden the general public awareness of the needs of these whales and the salmon they require to survive. We are all locals with at least some knowledge of living in this whale/salmon ecosystem – learn more and pass the knowledge on. It may help save the world as we know it and goodness knows, we must try.”

The response to the video has been impressive on social media. It has been shared extensively on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The 60-second version of the video was viewed over 10,000 times in just the first two days.

The video can be viewed at www.whaleresearch.com. Look for the videos on the screens on local ferries.