I’m genuinely excited that After the Breach exists. A podcast dedicated to educating the public about the Southern Resident orcas and related species is deeply needed, and I look forward to seeing how the show evolves. There’s a lot of heart in this project, and I appreciate the hosts’ commitment to this work.
That said, I’ve had some difficulty engaging with recent episodes. Technically, it’s hard to follow interviews when guests call in. On the harbor porpoise episode, for example, I had to stop listening because I couldn’t make out what the guest was saying. Better mics or audio cleanup would go a long way in making the science accessible to more listeners.
Content-wise, I was frustrated with the harbor seals episode. While guest Cindy Elliser was easier to hear this time, she didn’t seem fully prepared. Key terms like “haul out” weren’t explained, and she repeatedly referenced a PowerPoint she didn’t have in front of her when asked basic questions about harbor seal behavior or diet. Meanwhile, the hosts and guest alluded to legislation proposing a cull of harbor seals, but didn’t name the bill or provide any clear next steps for listeners. I wanted to act, but I didn’t have the information I needed to do so. The tone felt conversational (which I do like), but the lack of clarity, definitions, and actionable info made it feel disorganized, especially for a topic this important.
But the most troubling moment came when the team agreed that “before humans,” the rivers were so full of salmon that you couldn’t walk through them without stepping on fish. This comment invisibilizes thousands of years of Indigenous presence and stewardship. It’s inaccurate and harmful. Indigenous people have always lived here, long before European colonization, and their deep relationships with salmon are why we even know what salmon abundance once looked like. If you mean “before colonization,” say that.
As Robin Wall Kimmerer writes in Braiding Sweetgrass, the idea that humans are inherently destructive to ecosystems is a story rooted in Christian sin narratives and colonial worldviews, not a universal truth. Indigenous cultures across this region have practiced reciprocal, regenerative relationships with salmon for millennia. The salmon weren’t harmed by the presence of humans. They were harmed by a specific extractive colonial culture that continues to build dams, log forests, and poison watersheds on stolen land. And that culture’s epistemologies and legislative solutions cannot be the only ones we turn to now.
If we care about the orcas, the salmon, and the health of these ecosystems, we need to get more precise and more honest. That means grounding science in relationship, naming the actual historical and political causes of collapse, and elevating Indigenous leadership and knowledge systems. It’s not enough to call for action; we have to be clear about what that action is, and who we should be listening to.
I believe this podcast has the potential to grow into a powerful voice for interspecies justice, and I’ll keep tuning in. But I hope future episodes bring in not just scientists, but also Indigenous knowledge holders, activists, and storytellers and that the team embraces the responsibility that comes with holding space for these crucial conversations.
