Bright Extinction and a Vision of Hope: Southern Resident Killer Whales

The invisible loss of biodiversity before species has been identified and described in scientific literature has been termed, memorably, dark extinction. Dr. Williams coined the phrase “Bright Extinction” to describe its opposite: a decline in a well-studied population when the threats are well documented. The critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population is one of the most well-studied marine mammals on the planet. Why are they not recovering? Dr. Williams will present findings from a recent collaborative effort to understand why. The talk will end with a vision of what we can all do to rebuild the natural resilience of our iconic orcas to human-caused stressors, and to prevent the extinction of this iconic population.

Dr. Williams is Chief Scientist and co-founder of Oceans Initiative, a conservation research nonprofit. He works to find creative solutions to address some of the world’s most pressing marine conservation issues. Rob’s work on killer whales began in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia nearly 30 years ago and continues today to identify and advance innovative solutions to support Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery. A Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation, Rob is committed to advancing our understanding on a diverse set of marine conservation issues including biodiversity assessments, Marine Protected Areas, fisheries bycatch, ocean noise, ship strikes, and deep-sea mining.

All Summer Lecture Series events are free and open to the public!