34 On the shores of the Salish Sea, just south of Seattle, a quiet but extraordinary operation is saving marine wildlife lives in the Pacific Northwest. The Sealife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research (SR3) organization operates the region’s first—and still only— dedicated marine mammal hospital, a 14,000-square-foot facility purpose-built to care for animals that have nowhere else to go. When Executive Director Casey Mclean moved to Washington, she was stunned to discover that a region so defined by its marine life lacked a hospital for its ocean residents. “People assumed it was being done already,” she recalls. “It made me mad that it wasn’t happening.” A veterinary technician by training, Mclean did something about it in 2016, She formed SR3 and began and began treating injured animals--sometimes taking them via ambulance all the way to California for treatment, The group also responded to entangled whales Healing the Salish Sea: Inside SR3’s Marine Animal Hospital and filling critical gaps in killer whale research. In 2021, after years of planning and persistence, SR3 opened the doors to its hospital. Today, the hospital is one of only 32 marine mammal rehabilitation centers in the United States, and the only one serving the Pacific Northwest. Inside, veterinary teams treat between 60 and 100 patients annually. The most common arrivals are harbor seal pups—sometimes just hours old—suffering from injuries caused by dog attacks, boat strikes, or simple separation from their mothers. Other patients reveal a deeper, more systemic problem: cancers and illnesses linked to toxins in the marine ecosystem. SR3’s work extends into the open ocean. Teams respond to entangled whales—gray whales and humpbacks caught in crab gear. Using drones, researchers also monitor whale health from above, assessing body condition and calf development. This data has already informed policy, including updated viewing distance guidelines designed to better protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Community support for SR3 is essential, especially as funding challenges grow. In 2025 alone, the organization lost $150,000 in federal grants, underscoring the fragility of conservation work at a time when protections like the Marine Mammal Protection Act face increasing uncertainty. Maritime industry leaders like Meredith Tall—founder of the Victoria Clipper and a founding SR3 board member—bring important perspective. “It’s valuable to have her insight into how humans can co-exist with marine life,” Mclean observes, highlighting the importance of collaboration between conservationists and the industries that share the same waters. Mclean notes that there are simple ways to help local sea life. Keep Learn more about SR3 and support their work Aerial image of a social group of “Sounders” gray whale taken in April 2021. Image was collected non- invasively using a remotely-controlled drone flown at >150ft over the whales under NMFS research permit #22306. Photo by Holly Fearnbach (SR3) and John Durban (Oregon State University). SR3 has a highly skilled and federally certified response team to help address the increasing problem of entanglement in trash and fishing gear. In this image, the team is disentangling a humpback whale.
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