When: Apr 03, 2008 from 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm :: Where: REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N., Seattle
Contact name: KrisTina Hertz :: Contact email: khertz@pugetsound.org
An "Exploring Puget Sound" presentation by Peter Ross, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Research Scientist.

The Southern resident killer whales that ply the transboundary waters of Puget Sound and Georgia Basin are highly contaminated with toxic pollutants banned over 30 years ago in the US and Canada. Dr. Ross, a marine mammal toxicologist, will discuss his findings on contaminants in marine foods webs, the implications for the health of killer whales, and explore the failure of our regulatory paradigm to protect this iconic species from our industrial activities.

Peter S. Ross is a Research Scientist (marine mammal toxicologist) at the Institute of Ocean Sciences (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. He holds Adjunct Professorships at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria. He obtained his PhD from the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands (1995), his MSc from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia (1990), and his BSc (Honours) from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario (1985). He has published over 90 scientific articles and chapters. He is carrying out research into the levels and patterns of environmental contaminants in marine mammals and the effects of these on their health.

His work on captive and wild harbour seals has provided a foundation for understanding the link between environmental contaminants, endocrine disruption, the immune system and increased susceptibility to disease in marine mammals. He published an article entitled "High PCB levels in free-ranging Pacific killer whales", which established the southern resident killer whales of British Columbia and Washington State as among the most contaminated marine mammals in the world, and concludes that PCBs present a tangible health risk to these symbols of the Pacific Ocean. He continues to carry out multidisciplinary research into the effects of contaminants on the health of wildlife, and uses marine mammals as sentinels that help to elucidate contaminant pathways in the environment and alert humans on issues of marine environmental contamination.

Admission for this event:
Single program:
$6 People For Puget Sound members
$8 Non-members

Advance Purchase and Reservations Recommended