Scientists are reporting some potentially good news about the health of Puget Sound’s streams. Ten years of data from 126 stream sites within King County have shown a slight improvement in water quality, according to the county’s Water and Land Resource Division. The study examined the variety of insects and other invertebrates that were collected […]
August 30, 2019
Project seeks to “depave” Puget Sound
This is a guest blog from Partners in Puget Sound Recovery, an inter-agency group focused on strategies for stormwater mitigation, habitat protection and shellfish recovery in Puget Sound. Project Spotlight: Replicable Model for Depave and LID Retrofits Overview: This project will conduct three depave and retrofit activities providing direct stormwater benefit to three communities resulting in […]
August 9, 2019
Are the orcas starving? Scientists say it’s not that simple
The reported deaths this week of three more southern resident orcas have brought renewed urgency to efforts to save the critically endangered population of whales. Many scientists and policymakers are focusing on the orcas’ access to their main source of food, the Chinook salmon. Members of the orca population are appearing dangerously thin and malnourished. […]
July 23, 2019
Ancient harvests: A history of Salish Sea herring
If you were to ask a group of experts to make a list of culturally important foods in the Pacific Northwest, it would not be a surprise if salmon rose to the top. But researchers say Pacific herring may have at times rivaled salmon in importance in the Salish Sea. Scientists believe that herring have […]
June 27, 2019
Unsung seabirds could help track Puget Sound health
Pigeon guillemots have attracted relatively little scientific attention compared to other seabirds in Puget Sound. That may be because their population is generally stable, but a group of citizen scientists is helping to put guillemots on the conservation radar. They hope the birds can be used as an indicator of Puget Sound health. Eric Wagner reports for Salish […]
June 10, 2019
Video series features science and adventure in the Salish Sea
A new video series follows local scientists into the water, capturing the adventure behind the research. “Salish Sea Wild” is entering its second season and we interviewed the series host and producers. Among our burning questions: What’s it like to have a Steller sea lion chew on your head? By Jeff Rice It’s the middle […]
June 4, 2019
Kolodziej, Peter Featured in SIFF Documentary on Seattle’s Thornton Creek
A new documentary featuring PSI collaborators Ed Kolodziej and Kathy Peter was selected to premiere at the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) on Saturday, June 8. The 70-minute documentary, “Engineering with Nature – An Ode to Water, Wood, and Stone” was directed by environmental filmmaker Shelly Solomon and is distributed through Leaping Frog Films. […]
May 31, 2019
Story map details efforts to stop green crabs in Puget Sound
Researchers have been on high alert since the 2016 discovery of the invasive European green crab in Puget Sound. So far, monitoring teams have found relatively few crabs, but experts worry that a population could grow rapidly and damage the native ecosystem. Now a collaboration of volunteers, agencies and tribes is working to stop the […]
May 30, 2019
Young herring ‘go with the older fish’ a key finding in Ocean Modeling Forum’s efforts
Puget Sound Institute lead ecosystem ecologist Tessa Francis was quoted in a recent article in UW News. From UWT News Service: “Young herring ‘go with the older fish’ a key finding in Ocean Modeling Forum’s efforts,” by Michelle Ma, UW News, May 29, 2019, http://www.washington.edu/news/2019/05/29/young-herring-go-with-the-older-fish-a-key-finding-in-ocean-modeling-forums-efforts/. Tessa Francis is both the lead ecosystem ecologist at the […]
May 24, 2019
How did science fare in this year’s legislature?
By Jeff Rice There is no such thing as a general “science budget” for the state of Washington, but scientific research is meant to inform and catalyze many of the policies that govern Puget Sound recovery. There would be little understanding of how to protect Puget Sound’s beloved orcas without legions of scientists in the […]