What We Stand For
Mission statement: Our mission is to inspire conservation of wild killer whales through non-invasive research, bold advocacy, and science-based education.
The Orca Behavior Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit based on San Juan Island, Washington. We were founded by a small group of passionate community scientists with a shared vision for the niche we could fill within the Salish Sea whale community and the values that would guide our work and growth. Below you will find a summary of the principles that steer our decision-making, research directives, interactions with the public, and stances on advocacy and conservation issues as well as statements on key topics.
The Orca Behavior Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit based on San Juan Island, Washington. We were founded by a small group of passionate community scientists with a shared vision for the niche we could fill within the Salish Sea whale community and the values that would guide our work and growth. Below you will find a summary of the principles that steer our decision-making, research directives, interactions with the public, and stances on advocacy and conservation issues as well as statements on key topics.
OBI Guiding Principles
Our guiding principles were defined by our founders and aim to codify our core values into clear statements that will help direct our growth and decision making as an organization.
- 1. Put the whales first
- 2. Speak the truth and act with integrity
- 3. Collaborate and openly communicate
- 4. Build bridges through science
- 5. Be adaptable in a changing world
- 6. Foster community
AI Policy
Artificial intelligence is an emerging and unavoidable key issue within the field of scientific inquiry and in our society at large. With many ethical, safety, accuracy, and environmental considerations, we believe it's important to be transparent about how we as an organization will make decisions about our use of AI. The following AI policy was adopted by our Board in August 2026.
- • We commit to supporting real artists
- We aim to fairly compensate artists, musicians, and writers and to promote the authentic work of students, community members, and small businesses.
- • We discourage the use of AI in our educational classes
- In support of our goal of improving scientific literacy, we encourage manually working with data as a route to fostering critical thinking.
- • We support HITL (human in the loop) analysis
- With accuracy, safety, and ethical concerns in mind, we support human involvement, verification, and oversight of AI workflows.
- • We will be mindful of the balance between AI and environmental sustainability
- While some uses of AI and machine learning are or will be essential to the future of scientific inquiry, we will continue to prioritize environmental stewardship in our decision making.
Position Papers
When working with endangered or threatened species, we believe it's not just important but necessary to go beyond research and education to become advocates for the animals we study.
We regularly participate in public comment opportunities that relate to management actions and conservation considerations for Southern Resident and Bigg's killer whales and the ecosystem they rely on. The white papers and group letters below summarize our position on a few of the recent key issues.
We regularly participate in public comment opportunities that relate to management actions and conservation considerations for Southern Resident and Bigg's killer whales and the ecosystem they rely on. The white papers and group letters below summarize our position on a few of the recent key issues.
ISZs: Interim Sanctuary Zones
October 25, 2022
RBT2: Roberts Bank Terminal 2
February 7, 2022
Whale Watching
September 22, 2020
Navy Training and Testing Activities
July 17, 2020