Puget Sound is the largest estuary, by water volume, in the contiguous United States. The waters of the Salish Sea are some of the most biologically significant and productive marine areas in the world, home to both abundant and threatened species of marine life, including six endangered whale species, threatened Stellar sea lions, threatened and endangered salmon, steelhead, and rockfish species, and endangered leatherback sea turtles. The rivers of the Olympic Peninsula are important habitat where salmon reproduce. Aircraft noise and sonic booms have been implicated as a cause of lowered reproduction in a variety of animals.

The pod of Southern resident orcas that inhabits the Salish Sea is on the decline; only 74 remain. Both high and low frequency noise have negative impacts on whales’ ability to navigate and identify food. The carbon dioxide in jet exhaust acidifies the water, damaging the web of marine life that sustain salmon, the orca’s primary food source. Additionally, chemical compounds from the Navy’s fire retardant, already in Whidbey’s aquifer, enter Puget Sound as surface run-off. These effects, taken together, will further stress the pod and may make the difference between survival and extinction.

RECENT NEWS: In November, 2024, the Southern Resident orcas L Pod returned to Penn Cove for the first time in 50 years! Read more about their return, why they left half a decade ago, and how the jets may have impacted their visit: