Southern Resident killer whales are beloved icons of the Pacific Northwest. They are also endangered, with only 73 individuals remaining in their population. While other killer whales in the region flourish, Southern Residents are failing to thrive. We'll learn more about who the Southern Residents are, what challenges they face, and what's being done to try to save this unique population of killer whales.
Erin Gless is the Executive Director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. She holds a BS in Biology with Marine Emphasis from Western Washington University as well as a BS in Public Relations and a BA in Spanish from the University of Miami. She has been a passionate member of the whale-watching community since 2008, working as a whale-watching naturalist in both Southern California and the Salish Sea. She is particularly interested in the region’s baleen whale species - minke whales, gray whales, and humpback whales.