Find of the Month

Each month we highlight interesting, important, and odd items from our collection, along with the stories they tell.

Most recent Find of the Month

November 2025 - Fake Willy

Wildlife managers at the Ballard Locks have long been vexed by sea lions hanging around the fish ladder and eating migrating salmon. A file in Department of Neighborhoods records reveals one unique approach to the problem in the 1990s – Fake Willy.

KISW radio personality Bob Rivers promoted the idea of floating a fiberglass orca near the locks to deter the seals, and listeners helped raise the funds to buy Willy from a Scottish fish farmer. A Shoreline Management Act exemption form described how the whale would be placed at a depth of 2 to 4 meters below the surface, anchored from its belly and with flotation buoys attached to its back. The City’s Department of Construction and Land Use signed off on the project.

The 16-foot-long whale was positioned near the locks in 1996. At a press conference at the end of the season, Rivers announced cautiously optimistic results. The average number of sea lions was down during Willy’s deployment, although he noted that other factors like increased trapping may have contributed to the outcome. Rivers had released a song in homage to Willy, to the tune of "Black Betty":

Whoa Fake Willy gonna block the lock
Whoa Fake Willy gonna block the locks
He's a fiberglass guy
Block the lock
So that the fish don't die
Block the lock
And when the whale says hi
Save the stock
They gonna swim right by
Scam the dam
Whoa Fake Willy is a damn good scam
Whoa Fake Willy is a fisherman's friend

Eventually the whale was determined not to have had a significant effect and was retired. Rob Mattson of the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center was approached to find a home for Willy. In a memo, he wrote, "As there are no immediate plans to replicate last year’s effort to deter sea lions, the promoters felt that the damn thing might provide an interesting and educational element to a public facility in the Ballard area." He signed off with a PS: "Although not stated specifically, I'll bet free delivery is available."

In the following years, the orca temporarily resided at several businesses and at History House in Fremont. Finally, in 2019, Fake Willy came full circle – he was donated to the Ballard Locks, where he is often on display near the visitor center.

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