SAN JUAN ISLAND, Wash. — As dawn broke over San Juan Island, a team of scientists stood on the deck of a barge and unspooled over a mile of fiber-optic cable into the frigid waters of the Salish Sea. Working by headlamp, they fed the line from the rocky shore down to the seafloor — home to the region's orcas.
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A protective conduit is strung onto a fiber-optic cable Oct. 10 on San Juan Island, Wash.
An orca swims past a whale-watching boat Oct. 11 in the San Juan Islands, Wash.
An orca swims Oct. 11 in the San Juan Islands, Wash. Scientists from the University of Washington recently deployed fiber-optic cable in the Salish Sea to test whether internet cables can monitor endangered orcas.
Researchers from the University of Washington prepare to deploy fiber-optic cable.
Photos: Scientists hope underwater fiber-optic cables can help save endangered orcas
An "Orca Crossing" sign is posted on San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Researchers from the University of Washington deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Isabelle Brandicourt, a graduate student at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, prepares to fuse fibers on a barge off San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
A protective conduit is strung onto the fiber-optic cable on San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
The Salish Sea, home to some 75 endangered Southern Resident orcas, is visible from San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
An orca swims past a whale watching boat in the San Juan Islands, Wash., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
An orca swims in the San Juan Islands, Wash., Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Isabelle Brandicourt, a graduate student at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, prepares to deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Sam Juber, a graduate student at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, prepares to deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Researchers from the University of Washington deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Researchers from the University of Washington prepare to deploy a 1.3-mile fiber-optic cable to test whether internet cables can detect endangered orca vocalizations near San Juan Island, Wash., Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
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