There are few things more iconic of Puget Sound than the killer whale. Each winter, dozens of orcas that spend the warmer months in the San Juan Islands and Pacific Ocean make their way to the southern stretches of the sound, hunting salmon and providing a spectacle along the way. People flock to the shore when the whales pass through the Seattle area, and news crews are often sent to capture the majestic animals’ appearance. On Vashon, orcas have brought hundreds of people to beaches, including Point Robinson, where the whales have been known to put on a show, so to speak, swimming in circles, jumping and spy hopping as they socialize just off the beach. It’s hard not to stand in awe when provided such a glimpse into the natural world, to remember what a special place we live in.

But unless we take action fast, our grandchildren or great grandchildren could live to see a Puget Sound with no orcas. The animals’ population is dangerously low, and they’re threatened from seemingly every angle.

Puget Sound is an increasingly unhealthy place, and due to commercial fishing and development, salmon stocks are just a fraction of what they once were. Research has shown there’s simply not enough food for orcas. Their noisy underwater world also makes it tricky for them to locate food that’s there. On top of that, pollution in the sound is sending toxic chemicals into the orcas’ bodies, something researchers believe likely contributed to recent deaths in the Southern Resident population.

Even if the whales’ numbers — which have dipped in recent years — can be steadied, the group is still too small to provide proper genetic diversity, and each generation becomes less healthy and more susceptible to disease. Climate change could bring new diseases to our waters and is also predicted to hit the salmon population hard.

To retain any hope of seeing these creatures survive, we should increase our efforts to sustain the ecosystem they live in and the food chain they’re at the top of. We all play a role — from individuals choosing green products for their homes to the conservation efforts of local organizations to legislative action that sustains our transportation infrastructure rather than putting more cars on the road.

When the news crews stop filming and whale watchers leave the beach, these animals we revere are still hurting. Some have made it their mission to preserve the orcas, but as a society we’re not doing enough. The outlook is bleak and solutions often costly, but we can’t let Puget Sound as we know it die for lack of having tried.