The Manchester Research Station stands on property that has served the federal government for more than 100 years – first as a fortification to protect the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and later as a Navy fuel depot.

Today, the Manchester Research Station is a leader in state-of-the-art salmonid culture technologies. Under the NWFSC’s Resource Enhancement & Utilization Technologies (REUT) Division, and collaborating with other Divisions such as Fish Ecology (FE) and Conservation Biology (CB), View their WEB SITE

Two views of NOAA's pier depict a net pen, see red dot on previous page.


This pen was used to study and bring back to good health, a young orphan killer whale who was separated from her mother and pod in January of 2002. She was given the name of SPRINGER.


Springer was brought into the net pen at this research station


Springer became very healthy
She was transported several hundred miles north.
View the story in a VIDEO.


Go To Puget Sound Key Map
Springer was first observed while gaining comfort by being close to the boats of Puget Sound and the humans aboard. Closer observation establishes that Springer is in poor health, having Dermal disease, Ketotic breath and loss of weight.


Springer was fed very well while bring her back to health.


Springer then became the first successful placement of a lost killer whale with her original pod.