🐋 Why are whales dying here?

Warming Oceans Means Less Whales and More Sea Lions

We have some good news and some bad news about Puget Sound. The good news is we got some sea lions hanging around in Ballard. The (very) bad news is that we could set a record for whale deaths in the region. The reason in both cases? You guessed it: ocean warming.

• Thirteenth dead whale found: Last year, WA state set a record for 18 dead whales found along our coast or within Puget Sound, and we’ve already discovered 13 this season, which usually peaks in June. The whales have been returning from their winter mating season in Mexico, and are dying from starvation, which means they didn’t get enough food in Alaska and the Arctic Circle, which is being warmed by climate change. [KING 5]
• Why are there so many sea lions? While the whales are heading home from their mating season, a large group of sea lions has parked themselves in Ballard to feed and bulk up before heading down to Mexico and California for mating season. As the water warms, more sea lions are heading north and hanging out here. That could attract more orcas to the region, as well as tourists, all good for the local economy. [FOX 13]
• What to do: If you see a dead whale, don’t touch it. Contact the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 1-866-767-6114 to report any dead, injured, or stranded animals. Read more here.

🏫 DOJ to investigate UW: The Justice Department has opened an investigation into UW’s ‘handling of antisemitism.’ In a tweet/X post in which she announced the investigation, Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon connected it to an off-campus event put on by a group the university is no longer affiliated with: Super UW. The university has already established a campus-wide civil rights training after being accused of allowing antisemitism on campus. [KUOW]

⚕️Families sue WA State: Families of children with developmental disabilities have brought a class action suit against Washington State for not giving their children adequate nursing and care services. Washington compensates parents only if their children are over 18, not under. The state attorney general’s office and Health Care Authority have not commented. [Washington State Standard]

🪱 Will Bait Shop leave? The nautical-themed Bait Shop has to move because the building is being demolished for a mixed-use residential apartment building and retail space. Hopefully, it can stay on Capitol Hill, as the owner is “trying to kind of serve the community; the kind where we can all just do our little weird things in a little weird space.” [The Stranger]