Lummi Nation launches new campaign to save dwindling orca population



SEATTLE -- Members of the Lummi Tribe, along with activists and scientists, launched the Salish Sea Campaign this weekend to save the southern resident orcas and restore their home.

The campaign calls for an impact study on stressors to the Salish Sea caused by humans. It also calls for an end to new stressors like Navy underwater weapons tests until the Salish Sea is healthier.

The tribe says it will measure the sea's health by the number of salmon using 1985 levels as a baseline.

“Looking at the condition of the Salish Sea today, we’re afraid,” Lummi Nation elder Raynell Morris explained. “Our relatives under the sea are telling us they need help.

The Lummi Nation's plan to bring back Lolita the orca was also showcased. The killer whale was captured off Puget Sound in 1970 and taken into captivity.

Members of the tribe have been traveling across the country rallying for the return of  Lolita from the Miami Seauarium back to the Salish Sea.