W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians

W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council’s (W̱LC’s) Sea Garden Restoration Project continued to make an impact through the end of 2025, sparking a revitalization of traditional knowledge, garnering the attention of international media, and moving the needle towards greater food security for W̱SÁNEĆ and neighbouring communities. For thousands of years, W̱SÁNEĆ have built, tended to, and relied upon clam garden sites throughout W̱SÁNEĆ’s traditional territory. Long before the advent of modern tools, W̱SÁNEĆ of all ages came together to maintain this critical food source by hand. While women prepared food and the home, men worked together to build a sea wall of [...]

The QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians celebrate the release of new Audible Audiobook: KELL̵OLEMEĆEN: “The Introduction.” Published on January 20, 2026, KELL̵OLEMEĆEN: “The Introduction” is a three-minute audiobook full of facts about the KELL̵OLEMEĆEN (Killer Whales) living in the waters of W̱SÁNEĆ’s traditional territory. The text is also available in e-book format for those who prefer reading to listening. The e-book – which was published on December 13th, 2025 – is 15 pages long. While initially created with the students and teachers of ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School in mind, KELL̵OLEMEĆEN: “The Introduction” is suitable for readers of any [...]

QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians’ Southern Resident Killer Whale Marine Biologist, Shelly Kemp, is now acting as the program’s Interim Manager. QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians is an initiative of the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (W̱LC) that combines traditional knowledge with modern technology to protect the endangered population of KELŁOLEMEĆEN (Killer Whales) and monitor the Salish Sea, as W̱SÁNEĆ’s ancestors have done since time immemorial. The program has four prongs – habitat monitoring, compliance monitoring, baseline monitoring, and a cultural component – through which the Guardians track KELŁOLEMEĆEN, assess the availability of major food sources, and monitor adverse [...]

QENTOL, YEN/ W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians Publish KELŁOLEMEĆEN Storybook The new limited-edition storybook aims to restore the connection between KELL̵OLEMEĆEN and W̱SÁNEĆ people. Open the new storybook by the QENTOL, YEN/ W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians Program (the Marine Guardians) and you’ll be delighted by the vibrant, pop-art style illustrations of each of the Marine Guardians and graphics of KELL̵OLEMEĆEN, also known as killer whales. The story draws in readers of all ages with fun facts about three types of KELL̵OLEMEĆEN presented using key terms in SENĆOŦEN. The book is called KELL̵OLEMEĆEN: The Introduction, and is intended to be the first in [...]

The QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians team is preparing to attend and present at the IMPAC5 conference. The IMPAC5 conference, which will be held from February 3rd - 9th 2023, has accepted the WLC's presentation, New Beginning: QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians. The International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) is an international conference that brings together experts in ocean conservation and high-ranking government representatives to discuss, debate and take action on marine protected areas. Shown here are the Marine Guardians practicing, preparing, and setting up for the conference next week. RECENT POSTS Leave Us Your Feedback [...]

Meet Shelly Selivanov, the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians' new SRKW Marine Biologist Learn more about Shelly and the work she'll be doing with the Marine Guardians to help save the KELL̵OLEMEĆEN. Click play to view the short video, or read the transcript below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swiYpGeR1NA Interviewer: Can you tell us a bit about who you are and where you’re from? My name is Shelly Selivanov and I was born in Israel, but at a young age my family moved to Ontario where I lived in Anishinaabe territory till I was about 18 years old. And since I was little, [...]

Meet Dan Baker, the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians' new SRKW data analyst Learn more about Dan and the work he'll be doing with the Marine Guardians to help save the KELL̵OLEMEĆEN. Click play to view the short video, or read the transcript below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2aA8UuvwFM Interviewer: Can you tell us a bit about who you are and where you’re from? My name's Dan Baker. I'm working as the SRKW data analyst, and I just started looking at the killer whale interactions with vessel traffic in the Salish sea. I was born in Comox, British Columbia, and I've been living [...]

The past week, the QENTOL, YEN / W̱SÁNEĆ Marine Guardians team has been monitoring the Salish Sea for the KELȽOLEMEĆEN (Killer Whales). They spotted a pod of Transient/Bigg’s Killer Whales, possibly teaching their young to hunt. Other sightings included pods of Dall’s Porpoises, seals, sea lions, and an abundance of Salmon. RECENT POSTS How are we doing? Leave Us Your Feedback Here