Headshot of Ali Barratt.

Ali Barratt

Ali has 20 years of experience in marine conservation, including 2 years as Executive Director of the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. Working with Wild Orca since 2019, she helps reach a wide audience of wild advocates, using inspirational stories and translational science to promote action for change. Ali first met these whales in 2012, and it was love at first sight. She just knew she had to be involved in the fight to prevent their extinction.


Headshot of Dr. Deborah Giles.

Dr. Deborah Giles

Dr. Deborah Giles is one of the world’s leading experts on the Southern Resident killer whales. Starting as a research assistant in 2005, then the subject of her graduate studies and her entire professional career since receiving her PhD, making Giles one of the few scientists to have focused almost exclusively on this iconic population.

Giles serves as the Research Director for Wild Orca, monitoring the Southern Resident killer whales’ health through non-invasive sampling with Eba, her highly-trained scent detection dog.

Giles collaborates with government scientists and other researchers to enhance understanding of the many impacts on these endangered whales from overfishing, pollution and noise. She represents their interests with policymakers, and is frequently interviewed by print and broadcast media as one of the principal voices calling for the recovery of these endangered orcas.