As humans have built skyscrapers, factories and highways around the Puget Sound, our environment has become much noisier, and not just terrestrially. Underwater, humans (and our large cargo ships) have a large sonic impact, too. New research suggests that cacophony is hurting the survival of some of the original inhabitants of the Salish Sea: Southern Resident orca whales. Orcas use a series of clicks and vocalizations to hunt down their favorite meal: Chinook Salmon. It’s sort of like a bat using echolocation. A new study published in Global Change Biology by scientists at the University of Washington and NOAA shows how orcas’ hunting is affected by all that sound we create. Guests: Jennifer Tennessen, senior research scientist in the University of Washington’s Department of Biology Relevant Links: KUOW: Shhh! The orcas can’t hear their dinner  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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