Operation Tahlequah
Reduce Demand. Restore Balance.
Only 73 Southern Resident Killer Whales remain, and they are starving. We are working to keep more Chinook salmon in the ocean, where these endangered whales critically need it. Together, we can restore balance to the Pacific Northwest.
Tahlequah's Story
A mother's grief,
seen by the world.
In 2018, the world watched in heartbreak as Tahlequah, a Southern Resident orca known as J35, became the symbol of a population in crisis.
Tahlequah carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles through the Salish Sea. Her grief became a symbol of a population that cannot survive without enough to eat.
In 2024, she gave birth again, and once again the calf did not survive. Once more, Tahlequah carried her baby for weeks. Without immediate action, stories like hers will continue.
One of the greatest threats these whales face is the decline of Chinook salmon, their primary food source. Without it, they cannot raise healthy calves.
That is why the Captain Paul Watson Foundation is launching Operation Tahlequah. Our goal is simple: reduce demand for Chinook salmon and give the Southern Resident orcas a fighting chance.
Why This Matters
A species on the brink.
The Southern Resident Killer Whales have been endangered since 2005. Every loss pushes them closer to a point of no return, they are running out of time.
73
Whales remain
The entire Southern Resident population
2005
Endangered since
Two decades on the brink
66
Lost since listing
Deaths far outpacing births
7
Births in five years
Too few to recover
of their diet is Chinook.
These whales rely on Chinook salmon for roughly 80% of their diet and cannot adapt to other food sources. As salmon disappear, the whales starve. Saving them starts with saving their food.
No single cause. Compounding pressures.
Why are the Southern Residents Endangered?
Southern Resident decline cannot be reduced to one problem. These whales face a combination of pressures — and reversing any one of them helps.
- Insufficient Chinook salmon prey
- Vessel noise and disturbance
- Pollution and contaminants
- Small population size
- Inbreeding and genetic concerns
- Low calf survival and reproductive failure
- Salmon habitat loss
- Climate change and warming rivers
- Wider ecosystem imbalance
The Science
Why does Chinook salmon matter?
This is one of the most important science-based facts behind this campaign — and the reason it targets Chinook specifically.
- Southern Residents rely heavily on Chinook salmon
- Chinook are large, energy-rich prey
- Chinook are not simply replaceable with other fish
- Prey availability affects survival, body condition, pregnancy, calf survival, and population recovery
- Southern Residents need reliable access to sufficient prey throughout the year
Southern Residents do not need occasional salmon. They need reliable access to enough large, energy-rich Chinook salmon to survive and raise calves.
SHARE OF DIET • FALL
Share of diet · Mid-winter / early spring
Share of diet · Spring
Southern Residents can eat other fish, but Chinook are the prey they depend on most. That is why Operation Tahlequah focuses on asking restaurants and customers to leave Chinook/King salmon off the plate.
Chinook Salmon
Also Known As
THE ROOT OF THE CRISIS
WHY CHINOOK
ARE COLLAPSING.
Chinook salmon populations are collapsing under the weight of five compounding pressures, each one human-made, each one reversible.
01
OVERFISHING
Commercial and recreational harvest takes salmon the whales depend on.
02
Dams & habitat loss
03
Water mismanagement
Diversions and low flows leave rivers inhospitable to salmon.
04
Development
Coastal and riverside growth degrades critical spawning grounds.
05
Warming rivers
Climate-driven temperature rise makes rivers lethal to salmon.
The Columbia Connection
More than half of the Chinook consumed by the Southern Residents originate in the Columbia River, yet critical solutions, like removing the Lower Snake River dams, remain unimplemented.
A Keystone Species
This isn't only
about whales.
Chinook are a keystone species. Their collapse ripples across the entire Pacific Northwest ecosystem, threatening:
OVERFISHING
SEALS
BIRDS OF PREY
MARINE LIFE REGION-WIDE
The Chinook Life Cycle
From river to ocean and back again.
Catching salmon at sea can affect both reproduction in rivers and prey availability for whales — the two are the same fish, at different points in one journey.
Hover or tap a stage to follow one fish through its journey.
01
Chinook salmon hatch in freshwater rivers and streams
02
Juveniles migrate downstream to estuaries and the ocean
03
They grow and feed at sea
04
05
If they are caught before returning, they cannot reproduce
06
If they are removed from the ocean, they are also not available to Southern Residents
A Chinook salmon is part of a river-to-ocean life cycle. If it is caught before returning home, it cannot spawn, and it cannot feed whales.
Caught Far Away
Not all "Alaskan" salmon is Alaskan.
- Chinook salmon migrate widely in the ocean
- Fish from different river systems can mix at sea
- A salmon caught in Alaska or British Columbia may have originated from a river system much farther south
- Mixed-stock fisheries can catch salmon from multiple origins together
- Where a salmon is caught is not always where that salmon belongs ecologically
- Genetic testing and stock identification can help identify fish origin
Where a salmon is caught is not always where that salmon belongs ecologically.
An Obvious Question
If Chinook are endangered, why are they still sold?
In 2018, the world watched in heartbreak as Tahlequah, a Southern Resident orca known as J35, became the symbol of a population in crisis.
01
Not One Uniform Group
“Chinook salmon” is not managed as one single uniform group. Different Chinook populations, or Evolutionarily Significant Units, have different conservation statuses. Some are listed as endangered or threatened, while others are not.
02
Complex Management
Legal does not always mean simple. Some Chinook populations are more depleted than others, and mixed-stock fisheries can catch fish from different river origins before they return home.
Recurring Giving
Return to Sea. End Icelandic Whaling for good.
We must send a ship to Iceland immediately. Our goal is clear. As Captain Paul Watson has proven for decades, intervention works.
01
Engage Stores & Restaurants
We partner directly with grocery managers, seafood buyers, restaurant owners and chefs to remove Chinook salmon from menus and refrigerated cases, leaving this critical food supply for the whales.
Participants earn a Captain Paul Watson Foundation designation for their commitment to protecting SRKW.
02
Expose the Supply Chain
Most “Alaskan” Chinook sold in markets is not local. Through genetic testing, we aim to prove that many fish originate from endangered river systems in California and the Pacific Northwest.
03
Public Awareness & Advocacy
Key efforts centered in Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia.
Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia · Join the Movement
The "No Chinook Salmon" Pledge.
We’re asking restaurants and markets across Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia to voluntarily remove Chinook salmon from their menus and shelves. Every business that joins is one more ally for the Southern Resident orcas.
PLEDGE
Remove Chinook
RECEIVE
A window decal + customer cards
SIGNAL
A window decal
To make this work, we need to produce thousands of decals. If you own a printing company and can donate services, or contribute toward the cost, please reach out.
THE WINDOW DECAL
Displayed in the window, the decal lets customers know this business has chosen to stand with the Southern Resident orcas.
How You Can Help
Be a voice on the ground.
Calling for volunteers
Calling Oregon, Washington, California & British Columbia. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, we need volunteers to research restaurants and markets serving Chinook, send letters and emails to business owners, and speak with them in person.
01
Identify
Find restaurants and markets that currently serve Chinook salmon.
02
Invite
Contact owners and managers and ask them to join the campaign.
03
Speak up
Diversions and low flows leave rivers inhospitable to salmon.
04
Water mismanagement
Diversions and low flows leave rivers inhospitable to salmon.
What We Need
Fuel the campaign.
Placards, decals & educational materials
Customer awareness cards
Social media campaigns & outreach
Placards, decals & educational materials
Genetic testing of Chinook samples
Who We're Reaching
Across the supply chain.
Grocery stores — chains & independent
Seafood buyers & distributors
Social media campaigns & outreach
Placards, decals & educational materials
Colleges, universities & students
The Bottom Line
This is not just about whales. It's about all of us.
If we reduce demand, we give Chinook salmon a chance to recover, and give the Southern Resident orcas a chance to survive.