One-page summary about our program (pdf) or read our brochure

Scope of our Program
The SeaDoc Society focuses on the North American Pacific Ocean. Presently, emphasis is given to issues facing the Inland Waters of Washington state and British Columbia, Canada (the Puget Sound/Northwest Straits/Georgia Basin region); new regional initiatives focus on marine ecosystem health in California and Baja California. Click here to see detailed map.

The SeaDoc Society was founded in 1999 with a private gift to the Wildlife Health Center from concerned citizens who recognized the Inland Waters of the Pacific Northwest are experiencing an unprecedented health crisis. This unique marine ecosystem is surrounded by nearly 6 million people. Consequently, marshes and mudflats have been paved, rocky shorelines replaced by bulkheads, flowing rivers interrupted by dams, and native fish harvested to the brink of extinction. Once the Inland Waters seemed resilient enough to absorb such impacts. This is no longer true. Click here for larger, printable view.

In the last two decades native populations of northern abalone and Olympia oysters have experienced unprecedented declines, and populations of salmon, herring, cod, and rockfish have completely disappeared from some areas. Flocks of common murres and tufted puffins, which once numbered in the thousands now number in the hundreds or less, and harbor porpoises are rarely seen. The resident population of orca in the Puget Sound/Northwest Straits region has just been classified as one of the most contaminated cetaceans in the World.

Habitat degradation and loss, over-harvesting of fish, diversion of freshwater coming into the estuary, toxic contamination from industrial plants and urban run-off, and increased contact between humans and disturbance-sensitive species have all taken a toll. Human activity in, on and around the Inland Waters has resulted in an ecological imbalance among predators and prey, lack of adequate and clean nursery grounds for larval organisms, alterations in water flow through the region, and accumulation of man-made chemicals and human pathogens in the sediments and the food chain.

The SeaDoc Society provides solutions to problems facing marine wildlife and ecosystems
    To help restore health to the Inland Waters of Washington and British Columbia, the SeaDoc Society is pursuing sound scientific solutions to the complex issues affecting the region. Key aspects of our program include:

	Funding scientists through an annual Competitive Grants program to conduct important and innovative research on topics essential to the health of the region and its wildlife, such as marine protected areas, invasive species, and the presence and effect of contaminants on marine organisms
	Providing expertise and assistance in the areas of marine conservation and animal health through an on-site staff scientist and veterinarian
	Conducting scientific research on key indicators of ecosystem health and ways to ameliorate ecosystem health problems
	Sharing information to ensure that pertinent scientific data is available to managers, policymakers and concerned citizens
	Facilitating collaboration and networking among academic scientists, natural resource trustee agencies, private organizations, and policymakers

The SeaDoc Society is Unique in the Region
    We have the mission and the means to focus on supporting the scientific restoration of health to the Inland Waters. We are positioned to serve as both a resource and a facilitator for the numerous environmental agencies and citizen groups doing tremendous work in the region. Some of the institutions and organizations with which the SeaDoc Society works closely include:

	Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans
	Friends of the San Juans
	Moss Landing Marine Laboratory
	National Park Service
	Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
	Northwest Straits Commission
	People for Puget Sound
	Surfrider Foundation
	Sustainable Ecosystems Institute
	The Whale Museum
	Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
	Washington Sea Grant
	University of Washington

Find the Website links of these organizations and more in our Resource Directory.

    A large part of the success of the SeaDoc Society lies in the dedicated involvement of a stakeholder Advisory Board and a Scientific Advisory Committee.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS—LINK BETWEEN PROGRAM AND STAKEHOLDERS
   The advisory board provides counsel to the program coordinator, ensuring that the SeaDoc Society remains responsive and relevant to the scientific needs of the region. Members are appointed in recognition of the prominence they have achieved in their careers, and/or for their efforts on behalf of ecosystem health in the Inland Waters region.

	Deborah Brosnan Marine ecologist and conservation biologist President, Sustainable Ecosystems Institute Portland, OR		Tom Hughes Local citizen Seattle, WA
	Tom Cowan Local citizen Lopez Island, WA		Richard Keck Local citizen Orcas Island, WA
	Gary Davis Senior Scientist/Marine Biologist Channel Islands National Park, CA		Grant Kirby Marine biologist Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Mt. Vernon, WA
	Leslie Dierauf Director, National Wildlife Health Center (USGS) Madison, WI		Read Langenbach Local citizen Seattle , WA
	Alan Fritzberg Local citizen Bellingham, WA		Ron McDowell Local citizen Orcas Island, WA
	Wally Gudgell Local citizen Orcas Island, WA		JoAnn Marshall Local citizen Seattle, WA
	Bill Hoglund Local citizen Seattle, WA		Lisa Newland Local citizen Everett, WA
			Kevin Ranker Commissioner, San Juan County San Juan Island, WA
Past Board Members:
Sam Buck, San Juan Island, WA Scott Halquist, Orcas Island, WA Kathy McDowell, Orcas Island, WA Win Rhodes, Orcas Island, WA

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS—SCIENTIFIC COUNSEL TO THE SEADOC SOCIETY

Its primary role is to provide critical review of pre-proposals and full proposals submitted to the SeaDoc Society Competitive Grants program. The SAC also provides counsel on research priorities and scientific issues relating to the health of marine wildlife and the marine ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest and North American Pacific Ocean. Members are appointed in recognition of the prominence they have achieved in their careers, and for their efforts on behalf of ecosystem health in the Puget Sound/Northwest Straits/ Georgia Basin region.

PAST SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS