alexandra morton

Alexandra Morton was born in 1957 in Lakeville, Connecticut. She developed her love for animals at an early age when she explored in the woods with her brother. She is Canadian-American, best known for her 25-year study on Orcas in the Broughton Archipelago in British Columbia. Alexandra studied Marine Biology and Cetology, a branch of Zoology, at American University in Washington, D.C.

Despite growing up in inland Connecticut, gravitated towards the water for her entire career. In 2002, she published a memoir called Listening to Whales: What the Orcas Have Taught Us, in which she shares stories of her career.

Besides her marine research on orcas, Alexandra studied Canadian salmon by researching the impact of salmon farming on the wild. As the director of Coast Wild Salmon Society, Morton released a booklet called Salmon Confidential: The Ugly Truth About Canada’s Open-Net Salmon Farms, in which she explores what her study found on the effects of wild salmon. To further raise awareness of this issue to the public, she helped found the movement Salmon are Sacred.

Morton_front.jpg

Born: 1957

Hometown: Lakeville, CT

Education: B.Sc. in Biology

Occupation: Marine biologist

Expeditions: Decades in a remote archipelago in British Columbia, Canada

Favorite Place: In my boat

Best Discovery: Pacific white-sided dolphins are not invaders to British Columbia, but in fact have been here before because their bones are in the native middens

Favorite Item In The Field: Good socks

Personal Hero: Jane Goodall

Hobbies: Playing guitar

Books: Listening to Whales: What the Orcas have Taught Us; Heart of the Rainforest: A Life Story; Beyond the Whales; and others

Website: www.alexandramorton.ca/

Advice: Do not sweat the small stuff, save your energy for the big stuff and keep your voice low and calm, because society has a built-in “off-switch” for shrill women.

Blog Posts: