O CEAN A LLIANCE www..org

Board of Trustees Lynne Barre Seattle Branch Chief Patrick Stewart Honorary Chairman Protected Resources Division National Marine Fisheries Service Roger Payne, Ph.D. Founder and President 7600 Sand Point Way NE

Iain Kerr, D.H.L. Seattle, WA 98115 15 December 2016 Chief Executive Officer

Jeffrey Kunz Chairman/Secretary Dear Ms. Barre,

Mr. & Mrs. A. DiSabatino As someone who has spent his career studying it seems Aspen, CO clear that the Southern Resident Killer Whale pods (SRKWs) face Thomas Horton serious threats that have the potential of leading to their extinction. Treasurer Research done by the National Marine Fisheries Service and others Linde McNamara shows that these orcas face food shortages as well as habitat Hanover, NH degradation from contaminants, noise and vessel disturbance. Andrew Morse New York, NY I am a member of the Orca Relief Citizens’ Alliance. Together with Project SeaWolf and the Center for Biological Diversity we

Advisory Board submitted a petition to NOAA NMFS that offers a framework for establishing a Whale Protection Zone in Hario Strait off San Juan Richard Delaney Center for Coastal Studies Island, WA. It would offer reduced noise and disturbance to the

Sylvia Earle, Ph.D. SRKWs and would give them a place to rest as well as offering Explorer in Residence, unimpeded access to the core of their critical habitat National Geographic Soc. Sarah Haney Having reviewed Orca Relief’s regulatory petition, Ontario, Canada supports the request to establish a Whale Protection Zone as well as regulatory efforts designed to increase salmon populations and SeaChange reduce contaminant loads. Thomas Lovejoy, Ph.D. The H. John Heinz III Ctr. I am writing to request that you start the process of creating a Mark Murray-Brown Whale Protection Zone as soon as possible. I worry that without NOAA such intervention these whales may not have a survivable future. Mr. & Mrs. W. McSweeny Washington, DC Sincerely, Cyrill Gutsch Parley for the Oceans NYC

Patrick Woods Boston MA. Roger Payne, PhD

Michael Mainelli Founder and President Z/Yen Limited Ocean Alliance London

Ocean Alliance 32 Horton Street Gloucester. Massachusetts. 01930. Tel: 978 281 2814. Fax: 987 281 2816