Southern Resident Orcas are culturally, spiritually, and economically important to the people of Washington State and the world. However, despite legal protections for nearly two decades, the population continues to decline with fewer than 75 individuals left. 

We stand at a critical juncture and still have an opportunity to restore the population to health.

Legal Rights for the Salish Sea and the Northwest Animal Rights Network are leading a campaign calling for State recognition of the Southern Resident Orcas’ inherent rights, including the right to:

*life, 
*autonomy, 
*culture, 
*free and safe passage, 
*adequate food supply from naturally occurring sources, 
*and freedom from conditions causing physical, emotional and/or mental harm, including a habitat degraded by noise, pollution and contamination. 

Legally speaking, recognizing the Southern Residents’ rights means that we must consider their wellbeing and needs in addition to human interests in decision making, and that they will have a voice in a variety of forums, including courts. Through their human guardians acting on their behalf and in their best interests, the Orcas will be able to express what they need to exist, thrive, and evolve. 

The rights of the Southern Resident Orcas are inherently connected to the health of the ecosystem, and as such, the sovereignty of Indigenous Nations is integral to their protection.

State recognition supports honoring the rights of Indigenous People who view the Southern Resident Orcas as family members, and recognizes spiritual sovereignty as a conservation strategy for the Southern Resident Orcas.

Why Rights?

Earth-centered laws such as those based on the “Rights of Nature” are emerging worldwide to transform our relationship with Nature, of which we are an inseparable part. Central to a “Rights of Nature” framework is the recognition that Nature is a living being and rights-bearing entity.  

We have the opportunity to join the growing movement of communities across the United States and Internationally who are speaking up for rights of all sentient beings. 

Both San Francisco and Malibu passed resolutions protecting the rights of whales and dolphins in their coastal waters; the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians passed a resolution recognizing the sacred obligation to the Southern Resident Orcas “our relatives under the waves”; the ʔEsdilagh First Nation in Canada enacted the ʔElhdaqox Dechen Ts’edilhtan (ʔEsdilagh Sturgeon River Law–also known as the Fraser River) that states the people, animals, fish, plants, the nen (“lands”), and the tu (“waters”) have rights; New Zealand’s Government legally recognizes animals as 'sentient' beings; the Uttarakhand High Court of India ruled that the entire animal kingdom are legal entities with rights; and the United Kingdom now recognizes lobsters, crabs, and octopus as sentient beings; AND MANY MORE!

We have a responsibility to conserve, protect and defend the Southern Residents and the ecosystems upon which they depend. We must demand immediate actions to protect and restore the Orcas’ rights by addressing their main threats to survival. At a more fundamental level, recognizing the Southern Residents’ inherent rights shows that we as a society value them as living beings. It shows that when we say we want to prevent their extinction, we mean it. 

*This declaration was created collaboratively with:

Legal Rights for the Salish Sea, Gig Harbor, WA

NARN Northwest Animal Rights Network

Elizabeth Dunne, Esq., Dam Sense, Port Angeles, WA

Toledoans for Safe Water

RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs)

Boulder Rights of Nature

Orca Protection and Rescue

Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, USA

Friends of Brooks Point, Pender Island, BC, Canada

Pender Ocean Defenders, Pender Island, BC, Canada

Peter Holcomb, Democracy Awakening, Bellingham, WA

Rethink Captivity, Seattle, WA

Save Our Whales, Pender Island, BC, Canada

Endangered Species Coalition

Kitsap Environmental Coalition

Green Vegans / The New Human Ecology

Climate Pierce County

Martha L. Schmidt, WA. National Lawyers Guild

Peggy Oki, Origami Whales Project 

Climate Reality Project, San Fernando Valley, CA Chapter

NWRAP Northwest Resource Accountability Project

DamTruth.org

Rosemary Connelli 

Talking Rivers