As humans have built skyscrapers, factories and highways around the Puget Sound, our environment has become much noisier, and not just terrestrially.

Underwater, humans (and our large cargo ships) have a large sonic impact, too.

New research suggests that cacophony is hurting the survival of some of the original inhabitants of the Salish Sea: Southern Resident orca whales.

Orcas use a series of clicks and vocalizations to hunt down their favorite meal: Chinook Salmon. It’s sort of like a bat using echolocation.

A new study published in Global Change Biology by scientists at the University of Washington and NOAA shows how orcas’ hunting is affected by all that sound we create.

Guests:

Jennifer Tennessen, senior research scientist in the University of Washington’s Department of Biology

Relevant Links:

KUOW: Shhh! The orcas can’t hear their dinner