The Whale Museum opened to the public in 1979 as the first museum in the country devoted to a species living in the wild. This one-of-a-kind museum promotes stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. In the Gallery of Whales, you’ll learn about the natural history of marine mammals, with a special focus on the endangered orca whales of J, K, and L pods living in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands.