Whale Conservancy Expert Dr. Roger Payne to join Orca Relief Advisory Board

SEATTLE,WA--(Marketwired - February 15, 2017) - Orca Relief Citizens' Alliance is honored to have Dr. Roger Payne, Founder/President, Ocean Alliance, join its advisory board. Dr. Payne's extensive expertise in understanding both whale songs and how to safely study the health of an ailing whale population, will be an asset to the board as Orca Relief continues to seek support of their petition for the Whale Protection Zone Proposition.

Together with the Center for Biological Diversity and the Project Seawolf, Orca Relief is a co-sponsor of The Whale Protection Zone Proposition now before the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which just added the WPZ to the Federal Register, opening a 90-day period for public comment through the Administrative Procedure Act process.

"Having reviewed Orca Relief's regulatory petition, Ocean Alliance supports the request to establish a Whale Protection Zone as well as regulatory efforts designed to increase salmon populations and reduce contaminant loads. I am writing to request that you start the process of creating a Whale Protection Zone as soon as possible. I worry that without such intervention these whales may not have a survivable future," said Dr. Roger Payne in his letter to National Marine Fisheries Service's Seattle Branch Chief of Protected Resources Division, Lynne Barre.

"Roger Payne is widely agreed to be the most famous whale scientist and conservation biologist in the world. We are honored and delighted that he is not only supporting the Whale Protection Zone, but also joining Orca Relief, as we work to save this endangered population of local killer whales. His presence on our advisory board, together with that of Christopher Clark, should indicate to all who are concerned about these whales that the WPZ is based upon the best available science, in both conservation and acoustics," said Mark Anderson, Founder of Orca Relief; CEO and Chairman of Strategic News Service; and Founder and Chairman of Future in Review Conference.

Citizens and groups interested in voicing their support for the Whale Protection Zone should send a comment to NOAA (https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=NOAA-NMFS-2016-0152-0001) before April 13, 2017.

Orca Relief Citizens' Alliance is a volunteer-driven 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on recovering the population health of the endangered southern resident killer whales (SRKWs) of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. Orca Relief relies on the best available science to demonstrate what must be done to protect and recover J, K, and L pods, particularly from the noise and stress they experience from the commercial motorized whale watch boats and the many private boats they attract. We are dedicated to creating a Whale Protection Zone on the west side of San Juan Island, Washington state to provide a safe haven that will assist Puget Sound's endangered Orca in their recovery.

Website: www.orcarelief.org, www.stratnews.com, www.futureinreview.com