Center for Whale Research (CWR) Mission Statement:
• The mission of the Center for Whale Research is to develop, promote, and conduct benign studies of free-swimming Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises) for the purpose of conserving their populations and informing governments and the public of their ecosystem needs. The Center is a non-profit [IRS 501(c)(3)] corporation registered with the Attorney General in Washington State. CWR funding derives from government contracts, other non-profit organizations, and charitable public contributions. Contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
• CWR scientists pioneered the technique of individual cetacean photo-identification and have improved it over four decades to the point that ID studies are now considered a standard method for research on free-swimming cetaceans worldwide. Our premiere study in this website is ORCA SURVEY, a long term photo-identification study of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW in government jargon), a population of Orcinus orca frequenting the inland marine waters of Washington State and southern British Columbia, Canada. This population is currently listed as "Endangered" in both the U.S. and Canada.
• Other benign techniques of study developed or employed by CWR scientists include: molecular genetic studies using biopsy and sloughed skin samples; statistical methods of population estimation using mark-recapture (photo-id) data; acoustic monitoring and satellite telemetry tracking of free-swimming cetaceans; and, behavioral, physiological, anatomical and forensic studies of both free-swimming and stranded cetaceans for contribution of human knowledge about the amazing capabilities of this remarkable Order of Mammals.
• CWR scientists have applied these basic techniques of study to a great variety of Cetaceans including: humpback whales, blue whales, bottlenosed dolphins, sperm whales, beaked whales and several ecotypes of killer whales, to name a few. We hope that you enjoy our website, which has been recently overhauled by our webmaster, Kelley Balcomb-Bartok.
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