Gov. Jay Inslee joined former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to open three days of science talks at the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The conference will include about 700 scientific presentations on topics ranging from orcas to habitat restoration, from climate change to toxic chemicals. Read the story in Salish Sea Currents.
March 14, 2018
Governor signs executive order to protect orcas and Chinook
By Christopher Dunagan for the Puget Sound Institute Worried that Puget Sound’s revered orcas are headed for extinction, Gov. Jay Inslee is calling for quick actions to help the whales — including boosting their food supply and reducing underwater noise that could disrupt their feeding efforts. Surrounded by state and tribal officials, Inslee on Wednesday […]
March 7, 2018
Does Puget Sound need a diet?
As the region’s population grows, scientists say we can expect to see increasing amounts of nitrogen and other elements flowing into Puget Sound. Known as “nutrients” these elements are naturally occurring and even necessary for life, but officials worry that nutrients from wastewater and other human sources are tipping the balance. That could mean big […]
February 7, 2018
Looking for student science writers
Are you a student interested in science journalism? PSI has a great opportunity for up to five student writers to help us report science stories from the April 4-6 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. Students will receive free conference admission as well as a $125 stipend in exchange for in-depth reporting on selected presentations […]
February 5, 2018
New Puget Sound herring research
Herring may not be the most charismatic species in Puget Sound. They don’t breach dramatically out of the water. Fish mongers don’t throw them through the air at Pike Place Market. They find their strength in numbers, schooling around by the thousands and serving as food for other creatures like seabirds, salmon and seals. But […]
January 29, 2018
PSI welcomes Tanya Roberts as Research Scientist
Tanya Roberts is PSI’s newest research scientist, and comes to us from the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program. While with Ecology (2005–2012; 2016–2017), Tanya worked with teams monitoring natural resources throughout the state, assessing groundwater, forest streams, and toxics, as well as serving as a data coordinator for a variety of Ecology […]
January 29, 2018
Dispatches: Herring rescue
A Puget Sound scientist’s work is never done. PSI’s Lead Ecosystem Ecologist Tessa Francis sent us this e-mail about a recent call to identify some wayward fish on Vashon Island. It didn’t hurt that she happens to study the same species of fish — Pacific herring — as part of her research at PSI. By Tessa […]
January 18, 2018
Study would explore changes to protections for seals and sea lions
As wildlife managers work to recover Puget Sound’s diminished Chinook population, a proposed white paper is expected to review the impacts of some of the salmon’s chief predators. The study would include a section on potential management of seals and sea lions, prompting open discussion of a long taboo subject: Could officials seek to revise […]
January 5, 2018
Study looks at climate change impacts on zooplankton
PSI’s Lead Ecosystem Ecologist Tessa Francis is co-author of a paper describing the impacts of climate change on freshwater zooplankton communities. The 2017 paper in the journal Climate Change Responses analyzes plankton communities in an Alaskan lake and predicts that some copepods in the study area will decline while other plankton such as cladocerans will […]
December 21, 2017
Local actions highlight ocean acidification report
By Christopher Dunagan, Puget Sound Institute The dangers of ocean acidification — an intrinsic feature of climate change — are coming early to Washington state, causing measurable harm to sea life, according to a new report that outlines a state strategy for pushing back against the problem. The report, titled “Ocean Acidification: from knowledge to […]