PODCAST · science
After the Breach Podcast
by Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu
A podcast for whale enthusiasts by whale enthusiasts. Join professional guides and whale watch captains Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu as they share their passion and love for whales, bringing you personal stories of recent whale sightings and encounters, research, news and interviews.
Episodes
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Episode 55 - Killing Seals Won't Save Salmon
A new bill in Congress would dramatically expand the killing of seals and sea lions in Washington waters in the name of salmon recovery. We’re joined by Casey McLean, executive director and veterinary nurse at SR3, to examine the history and science behind pinniped culls—and why removing…
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Episode 54 - Gray Whales, the Sounders, and a Species in Crisis
Gray whales have long been considered one of conservation's greatest success stories, recovering from the brink of extinction after commercial whaling. But today, the species is facing new challenges. In this episode, we sit down with marine mammal researcher John Calambokidis, co-founder of...
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Episode 53 - Part 3 Southern Resident Killer Whales 20 Years Endangered
Part 3: Twenty Years of Action: Where Do We Go From Here In this third episode of our multi-part series on Southern Resident killer whales, we take a look at some of the best things that have happened, some not necessarily driven by SRKW recovery as well as topics that need to be addressed,...
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Episode 52 - The Mystery of the T419s & March Whales
There were a lot of whales in the Salish Sea during the month of March, including a few new calves to some familiar Bigg's killer whales. The story of the month, however, is the appearance of a mystery group of three killer whales who have become known as the T419s. Sara and Jeff are joined by...
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Episode 51 - Winter Adventures
We had some some incredible winter adventures during our short offseason and although not all of them were with whales they are worth sharing on this episode of After the Breach podcast. We have some cool videos to share on this episode, so check out the show notes on our website to view them.…
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Episode 50 - Part 2 Southern Resident Killer Whales 20 Years Endangered
Part 2: Twenty Years of Action: What We've Tried, What it Cost, and What it Changed In this second episode of our multi-part series on Southern Resident killer whales, we take a look at the last twenty years of effort that has included new vessel regulations, salmon habitat restoration…
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Episode 49 - January Whales in the Salish Sea
There were a lot of whales here this January and the winter months are a great time to see them in the Salish Sea. On this episode we talk about our January encounters and who has been present in the Salish Sea this winter. We also discuss how this was not always the case in the Salish Sea and…
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Episode 48 - Southern Resident Killer Whales: 20 Years Endangered - Part 1
Part 1: How We Got Here In this first episode of our multi-part series on Southern Resident killer whales, we step back to look at the full historical arc — from the pre-capture population, through the capture era, to the endangered listing that shapes recovery efforts happening today. This…
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Episode 47 - Attempts by Wild Killer Whales to Provision People
Returning guest Jared Towers from Bay Cetology joins us on this episode of After the Breach Podcast to discuss a paper he co-authored in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, "Testing the Waters: Attempts by Wild Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) to Provision People (Homo sapiens)." Before getting…
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Episode 46 - 2025 Whale Sightings Recap
It's time for our annual recap of whale sightings from the past year. Frequent guest Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of the Orca Behavior Institute, joins hosts Sara and Jeff for a discussion of 2025 whale sightings, observations, and trends. Find out how we did on our predictions...
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Episode 45 - T65A5 "Indy"
We've mentioned him on many episodes. He's a young and fascinating whale, a social butterfly and sometimes a troublemaker. On this episode of After the Breach, Jeff and Sara are joined once again by Monika Wieland Shield of the Orca Behavior Institute to talk about T65A5 “Indy”. This young male…
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Episode 44 - Orca Behavior Institute 10 Year Anniversary
This episode of After the Breach is a special one—it was our first recording with a live audience! In celebration of the Orca Behavior Institute’s 10th Anniversary we joined Monika Wieland Shields and Michael Weiss at the Center for Whale Research’s Outreach Center with some of OBI’s biggest fans...
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Episode 43 - Harbor Seals
Joining us on the latest episode of After the Breach Podcast we welcome back Dr. Cindy Elliser from PacMam Research to talk to us about a very important, non-cetacean that inhabits the Salish Sea—the harbor seal! These pinnipeds are an important species, both as prey and as predators. We talk…
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Episode 42 - Fight Club vs. Flight Club
Joining us on this episode is Trevor Branch, a professor at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, to discuss his paper, "Most “flight” baleen whale species are acoustically cryptic to killer whales, unlike “fight” species." The discussion details how baleen...
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Episode 41 - Whale Stories from March
March was an incredible month for whale sightings in the Salish Sea, with killer whales encountered on almost 90% of our tours with Maya's Legacy Whale Watching. On this episode of After the Breach Podcast, Sara and Jeff share several stories about the whales they encountered in March, including…
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Episode 40 - Harbor Porpoise
Often encountered on the water, Harbor Porpoise are the smallest cetacean in the Salish Sea and can be very underappreciated. Joining Sara and Jeff to share incredible information and research about these unique mammals is Cindy Elliser, the founder and research director of Pacific Mammal…
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Episode 39 - Trip Report, Humpbacks of the Silver Bank
Sara, Jeff and a group of After the Breach Podcast listeners just returned from the Dominican Republic where they spent a week with North Atlantic humpback whales in their winter breeding waters on the Silver Bank. The plan was to record this episode from the Silver Bank, but everyone was having…
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Episode 38 - Killer Whales of Bremer Canyon, 2025 Update
On this episode of After the Breach, Jeff is reunited with Sara after she returns from Bremer Bay, Western Australia. The two of them get down into the details of what she encountered while out on the water with Naturaliste Charters. This time Sara spent almost two months down there and started…
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Episode 37 - Calf Mortality & Reproductive Rates in Salish Sea Killer Whales
On Episode 37 of the podcast, co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, welcome back returning guests Monika Wieland Shields of the Orca Behavior Institute and Michael Weiss of the Center for Whale Research. With two very different populations of killer whales using the waters of the Salish Sea they wanted to…
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Episode 36 - 2024 Whale Sightings Recap
Frequent guest Monika Wieland Shields, co-founder and director of the Orca Behavior Institute, joins hosts Sara and Jeff for a recap of 2024 whale sightings, trends and observations. What stood out most is that there were a lot of whales in the Salish Sea in 2024. The episode covers the sightings...
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Episode 35 - Alexandra Morton: From Whales to Salmon and Back Again
Joining us on episode 35 of After the Breach podcast is special guest Alexandra Morton. She has been called "the Jane Goodall of Canada" because of her incredible thirty-year fight to save British Columbia's wild salmon. She joins hosts Sara and Jeff to talk about her journey from whale…
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Episode 34 - The Legacy of Captain Jim Maya
Episode 34 brings to the podcast a long overdue and special guest, the legendary Captain Jim Maya, to tell his stories, talk about his whale watching experience on the Salish Sea dating back to 1996, and the legacy he has created. Captain Jim is an epic story teller, teacher, whale and wildlife...
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Episode 33 - Killer Whale Rescues: T46C2, T73B & T109A3A
After a fall hiatus while our co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, were busy on the water, the dynamic duo is back with Episode 33! Joining them is returning guest, Jared Towers, from Bay Cetology. Jared last visited to chat about the rescue of T51 “Roswell” and T49A2 “Jude” from Barnes Lake in Alaska on...
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Episode 32 - Demystifying Killer Whales Part 2
Join your hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, along with returning guests Monika Wieland Shields from the Orca Behavior Institute and Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research as they dive back into demystifying killer whales. The topics range from T109A3A’s saga to Iberian orcas to...
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Episode 31 - Recent Sightings
On Episode 31 Jeff and Sara catch up on the most recent sightings in the Salish Sea and which whales have been seen lately. It’s been a hectic few weeks and they had recorded this previously and then there was just so much more happening that they had to record it again. And it’s a good thing too…
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Episode 30 - Demystifying Killer Whales
Episode 30 of After the Breach brings to the table a conversation we often have off the air. Joining us are Michael Weiss from the Center for Whale Research and Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute. Throughout our discussion we try to “demystify” killer whales. Being around these...
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Episode 29 - Killer Whales of Iceland
On Episode 29 co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, welcome Judith Scott to the show. Judith has been around the world watching whales and spends much of her year in Iceland with the killer whales of the North Atlantic. She gives an introduction to the killer whales they see regularly off of Iceland and…
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Episode 28 - Sea Lion Predations
On Episode 28 of After the Breach co-hosts Jeff and Sara dive into Steller’s sea lion hunts, recent sightings, and some good news surrounding T109A3A. This spring has been one that has been filled with a lot of sea lion hunts. And for many of these hunts the whales involved have been, or…
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Episode 27 - April Whales
On Episode 27 of After the Breach podcast co-hosts Jeff and Sara share all about the most recent sightings from the Salish Sea. It has been a busy few weeks whale-wise and the duo felt they needed to catch up about it almost as soon as they had finished recording the previous episode! Dive in…
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Episode 26 - Latest Whale Sightings & Silver Bank Trip Report
Episode 26 of After the Breach Podcast finds co-hosts, Jeff and Sara, reunited after Jeff’s trip to the Silver Bank to swim with humpback whales at the largest breeding ground in the world for North Atlantic humpback whales. Jeff shares some of the amazing highlights from his time there…
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Episode 25 - Winter Whale Research + Special NRKW Encounters
On Episode 25 of After the Breach Podcast, co-hosts Jeff and Sara welcome back their friend and colleague, Gary Sutton. Aside from being a captain in the Salish Sea he has also been working with OceanWise as a researcher and he joins in to talk about the research he’s a part of and some exciting...
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Episode 24 - Whale Watching & Whale FAQs and Early Season Sightings
Episode 24 of After the Breach is a long-awaited FAQ episode. Co-hosts, Jeff and Sara have been collecting questions from listeners and guests to Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching for a while and now they’re going to sit down and answer as many as they can. This will be the first FAQ episode but with...
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Episode 23 - Killer Whales of Bremer Canyon Part 3
Episode 23 finds co-hosts Jeff and Sara back home in Washington State after their visit to Bremer Bay, Western Australia. Join these (more than) slightly jet-lagged whale enthusiasts as they chat once again with their friend and colleague, April Ryan, about their trip down under. This will be the...
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Episode 22 - Bremer Canyon Killer Whales Part 2 - A Few Quick Highlights
Episode 22 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Sara and Jeff, still down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia with their friend and colleague, April Ryan. They have had so many encounters over the past two weeks and there’s so much to share! This time around the three of them share a quick highlight...
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Episode 21 - Killer Whales of Bremer Canyon
Episode 21 of After the Breach finds co-hosts, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, coming to you from on the road. The two are down in Bremer Bay, Western Australia for the month of January and with them is their colleague and episode guest, April Ryan, who joined them on Episode 8 “Orcas Take a…
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Episode 20 - Whale Numbers
On this episode of After the Breach podcast, hosts Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu are joined by Monika Wieland Shields from Orca Behavior Institute to recap the season in numbers. We discuss sightings data for both Southern Resident killer whales (salmon eaters) and Bigg's killer whales (marine...
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Episode 19 - Killer Whale Rescue
In mid-August two killer whales were observed to be trapped in Barnes Lake, near the small community of Coffman Cove, in Southeast Alaska. Through an amazing collaboration between residents of Coffman Cove, NOAA, scientists and others, the whales were successfully rescued and guided back to open...
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Episode 18 - Center for Whale Research
The Center for Whale Research (CWR) is dedicated to the study and conservation of the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population and also study the thriving Bigg's killer whale population. Joining us as our guests from CWR are Research Director, Dr. Michael Weiss, and Orca...
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Episode 17 - September Whales
There is often something special about September whales. Mid-August through mid-October is a favorite time to view whales in the Salish Sea, typically with an abundance of orcas, humpback whales and many days of beautiful fall lighting. Sara and Jeff begin this episode by sharing some highlights…
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Episode 16 - Catching Up & September Photo Workshop
We are back! Sara and Jeff found time to connect for a new episode to talk about some of the latest amazing sightings and our upcoming photo workshop & all day tours on September 23rd and 24th. We talk and tell stories throughout the episode about how many different groups of orcas have been in…
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Episode 15 - Brothers
On this episode of After the Breach podcast, hosts and professional guides, Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu, talk about a recent interesting encounter they had on May 20th with two brothers from the Bigg’s killer whale population, T125A and T128. Also joining us is returning guest, Monika Wieland...
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Episode 14 - Responsible Whale Watching
The collaboration between whale watching companies in the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) and other groups makes whale watching in the inland waters of Washington state and British Columbia unique, resulting in some of the most responsible whale watching on the planet. Erin Gless, the...
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Episode 13 - Inbreeding Depression & Killer Whales
Following up on our last episode where we discussed the low genetic diversity of Antarctic Type D killer whales, in this episode we chat about another recently published genetics paper that focuses on killer whale populations in the Northeast Pacific, including Southern Resident, Northern…
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Episode 12 - Type D Killer Whales
Sub-Antarctic "type D" killer whales are a very distinctive and rarely encountered ecotype of orcas found in the offshore waters of the Southern Ocean. Jared Towers, director of Bay Cetology, joins us in this episode to discuss his fascinating encounter with a group of "type D" killer whales and…
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Episode 11 - Our Offseason, Whales around the World
We are back on San Juan Island after our winter offseason. People often ask us what we do during our offseason. We go whale watching in other parts of the world! Daven joins us on this episode as we share stories of our offseason whale adventures. Between the three of us we traveled to the…
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Episode 10 - Corky
The award-winning 2022 documentary Corky is the story of world’s longest-held captive orca, the changing public sentiment about orcas in captivity, and the rise of sea sanctuaries. Christine Caruso, the producer and director of Corky joins us to discuss the film. Corky is a member of the Northern...
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Episode 9 - Orca Research with Gary Sutton
Joining us as our guest, from Vancouver Island, is our friend Gary Sutton. Gary is a whale researcher with Ocean Wise Research and Bay Cetology. He is also a professional whale and wildlife guide. After recently returning from his field research season off northeast Vancouver Island and the…
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Episode 8 - Orcas Take a Minke Whale
On October 7, 2022 two families of Bigg's killer whales, the T065As and T099s, successfully hunted an adult Minke whale south of the San Juan Islands in Washington state. We were able to document the hunt as well as the hours long feeding behavior afterwards. Bigg's killer whales in the Salish…
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Episode 7 - Humpback Whales of the Silver Bank
The Silver Bank is the largest breeding ground for North Atlantic humpback whales. Gene Flipse, owner and operator of Conscious Breath Adventures, joins us to discuss and share stories from one of our favorite whale experiences, swimming with humpback whales on the Silver Bank. The episode begins...
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Episode 6 – Culture & Social Dynamics of Bigg’s Killer Whales
Bigg’s killer whales are a thriving population we see often in the inland waters of Washington state and British Columbia. In this episode we take a closer look into what we are learning about their fascinating culture and social dynamics. Joining us is return guest, Monika Wieland Shields,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast for whale enthusiasts by whale enthusiasts. Join professional guides and whale watch captains Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu as they share their passion and love for whales, bringing you personal stories of recent whale sightings and encounters, research, news and interviews.
HOSTED BY
Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does After the Breach Podcast have?
After the Breach Podcast currently has 55 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is After the Breach Podcast about?
A podcast for whale enthusiasts by whale enthusiasts. Join professional guides and whale watch captains Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu as they share their passion and love for whales, bringing you personal stories of recent whale sightings and encounters, research, news and interviews.
How often does After the Breach Podcast release new episodes?
After the Breach Podcast has 55 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to After the Breach Podcast?
You can listen to After the Breach Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts After the Breach Podcast?
After the Breach Podcast is created and hosted by Jeff Friedman and Sara Shimazu.
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