Matriarch Gala travelled north, from Spain to the Wadden Sea coast, with son Titan. Starved and poisoned by PCBs, she stranded and died on the beach at Cadzand
Photo: AK Wildlife Cruises
John Coe & Aquarius
Last of the West Coast Community
From the Hebrides, 60-year-old brothers John Coe and Aquarius still travel south to the Scilly Isles - but alone. Their pod's breeding females have vanished, lost to PCB contamination
Photo: VRT NWS
The Voice of the Orca - "Our Ocean Needs You"
Orcas are Ocean sentinels - their well-being reflects the health of the seas we all share
Contamination, habitat loss and declining food sources continue to threaten
orcas, whales, dolphins and countless other marine species
🎧 Hear the Voice of the Orca
Soon you'll be able to hear a short greeting from a wild orca here.
Meanwhile, you can experience OrcaLab's live cameras and hydrophones.
World Ocean Day and other international environmental Days are valuable moments of awareness..but Ocean recovery depends on something even more important:
persistent action throughout the year, day after day, Drop by Drop
Our Planet Orca is pleased to contribute to that global persistent action through the
Blue Orca Initiative,
by Awakening Awareness - encouraging practical participation by citizens, mariners, researchers, organisations and businesses that share a commitment to Ocean recovery
Would you like to know more?
👉 Continue below to "How You Can Take Part"
Many Drops. One Ocean
"The Voice from within the Ocean"
The Blue Orca Initiative
"Our Ocean Needs You"
The Blue Orca Initiative is the flagship participation programme of
Our Planet Orca. Whether we work with the Ocean, live beside it, or far inland, every one of us can help it recover. The Blue Orca Initiative recognises, connects and promotes organisations working for Ocean recovery. We exist to help your work be seen.
The Ocean belongs to no one..
Responsibility for its future belongs to us all
The Initiative brings together science, citizen action and responsible organisations to help restore Ocean health through practical, measurable projects
..supporting the aims of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water – contributing to the UN Ocean Decade by encouraging practical participation in Ocean recovery
Every individual, vessel, school, business and community can contribute their
Drop in the Ocean - together, those Drops become practical action
Our Priority is tackling one of the Ocean's most persistent pollutants:
PCB contamination Endangering orca populations.
As apex predators, orcas accumulate these legacy toxins at exceptionally high concentrations - their rate of accumulation is one of the clearest indicators of the Ocean's health
Our objective is simple: to develop practical solutions that deliver measurable environmental improvements in reduction of PCB contamination and can be replicated in coastal regions around the world
Actions include:
supporting research and practical remediation
promoting responsible Ocean stewardship
encouraging citizen participation
building partnerships across science, industry and communities
"The Voice from within the Ocean tells us that recovery begins by working together"
Blue Orca Nominations
The Blue Orca Initiative is nominating and promoting organisations making practical contributions to Ocean recovery. Are you already working for Ocean recovery?
Every Blue Orca Nomination introduces your work to people looking
for practical ways to support Ocean recovery. Recognition is only the beginning.. Blue Orca helps your work reach further through greater awareness, partnerships and public support
Ready to begin?
👉 Continue below to "How You Can Take Part"
and discover how your organisation can become part of the Blue Orca network for Ocean recovery
CETOX
Advancing understanding of contaminants affecting marine mammals and wider Ocean ecosystems
OrcaLab
Long-term field acoustics research helping deepen understanding of wild orca populations
Project Seagrass
Restoring and protecting one of the Ocean's most important blue-carbon habitats
Ecolocaliza
We work to protect the cetaceans of Algeciras Bay and the Strait of Gibraltar
To contribute your Drop, Nominate an individual, organisation or project making a practical contribution to Ocean recovery:
Get in Touch
Every Nomination carries
a message of Ocean recovery
We'ld be pleased to hear from you..
If you have a question, an idea, would like to learn more about the Blue Orca Initiative, or wish to make a Nomination, 👉 Continue below to "How You Can Take Part" or simply send us a message to
nominations@ourplanetorca.net
As a thank you for helping us discover new Ocean initiatives,
accepted Nominations are entered into the monthly Blue Orca Draw,
with opportunities to receive a free Blue Orca OONY T-shirt and campaign poster
Discover more about Nominations and to share your Voice
Whether you're an individual, family, school, researcher, mariner, organisation or business, every practical action and thought helps the Ocean recover
Whether you'ld like to nominate an Ocean project, support Ocean recovery, work together, or simply begin a conversation, we'ld be delighted to welcome you aboard!
One small action becomes the first part of a much bigger voyage
For organisations, businesses and institutions
The next section introduces Clean Ocean Partnership 101 (COP101) -
a consortium working alongside the Blue Orca Initiative that helps organisations, researchers and responsible
commercial partners work together to deliver practical, measurable Ocean recovery
Clean Ocean Partnership 101 (COP101)
To help protect orcas and their marine habitat, the Ocean, the Blue Orca Initiative
is being developed alongside Clean Ocean Partnership 101 (COP101).
COP101 brings together researchers, mariners, environmental organisations,
responsible businesses and corporate partners who share a commitment to practical
Ocean stewardship
By combining scientific understanding, innovation and collaborative partnerships,
COP101 aims to develop practical solutions that move beyond awareness and towards
measurable environmental improvement
A Practical Response
COP 101 is supporting development of practical, nature-based approaches that aim to reduce the long-term impact of legacy marine pollutants while supporting healthier coastal ecosystems
fungi and microbial degradation
biochar stabilisation systems
marine plant remediation
seabed restoration techniques
maritime pollution reduction initiatives
promotion of safer marine practices
Together, practical action becomes lasting change
Helping Ocean initiatives help each other
Building partnerships
Sharing ideas
Growing practical action for Ocean recovery
