Latest Puget Sound marine waters overview now available

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Announcement from the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program: Today, the Puget Sound Marine Waters Work Group of the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program released the eleventh annual report on marine water conditions in Puget Sound. The report combines a wealth of data from comprehensive monitoring programs and provides a concise summary of what was happening in Puget Sound’s marine waters during 2022. It covers areas such as climate and weather, river inputs, seawater temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, ocean acidification, phytoplankton, biotoxins, bacteria and pathogens, shellfish resources, and more. The […]

Upcoming event: Science roundtable continues with updates on Marine Survival Project

Salish Sea Marine Survival Project infographic
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Join the next Salish Sea Science Roundtable on December 5th from 12:30 – 1:30 pm (PT) for an Update on the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. The Salish Sea Marine Survival Project was a seven-year collaborative, international research effort focused on identifying factors affecting early marine survival of Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead in the Salish Sea. The evidence from more than 90 individual studies identified that changes in food supply and an increase in predators are the primary factors driving the decline. Habitat loss, contaminants, disease, and hatchery practices exacerbate the impacts, […]

GAO report calls for strengthening of regulations on nonpoint source pollution

A carcass of a female coho salmon affected by the toxic chemical 6PPD-quinone in stormwater runoff in Seattle's Longfellow Creek. This salmon died before spawning, retaining nearly 100 percent of its eggs. Source: Tiffany Linbo, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. | GAO-24-105687
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By Sarah DeWeerdt A new report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) is renewing calls to strengthen Clean Water Act protections against nonpoint source pollution such as stormwater and agricultural runoff.  The recommendation echoes findings made by the GAO in 2013 when it called for Congress to revise “largely voluntary” regulations for nonpoint pollution sources that wash into waterways such as Puget Sound. The report, which focuses on the link between Puget Sound water quality and salmon recovery, also criticizes a series of missed deadlines by the Washington State Department of […]

Puget Sound ecosystem holding on, but recovery remains uncertain, says latest status report

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Efforts to restore ecological health to Puget Sound have largely failed to meet recovery goals, yet fish and wildlife populations are still hanging on, according to a new report that describes many struggling populations as neither increasing nor decreasing to a significant extent. The latest State of the Sound report, released last week by the Puget Sound Partnership, reveals the ongoing difficulty of recovering the Puget Sound ecosystem in the face of rapid population growth, climate change and a legacy of pollution and habitat damage. Yet the report, produced every […]

PCBs in building materials

An aerial image of the lower Duwamish River as it flows into Puget Sound. The river is heavily contaminated with PCBs and other toxic chemicals. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
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On Wednesday, November 1st, the Puget Sound Institute will host its third symposium on PCBs in regional waterways. The online symposium will include a national discussion about the management of PCBs in building materials. Speakers will include: The symposium takes place on November 1, from 9 am – 12:30 pm PT / 12 – 3:30 pm ET. The official start time is 9 am PT, but we hope you’ll join at 8:45 am PT/11:45 am ET for some informal networking. More information is available on the Puget Sound Institute’s Cross […]

Next Salish Sea Science Roundtable will focus on coho salmon

Coho salmon. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
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Join the next Salish Sea Science Roundtable 11.7.2023 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm PT Emerging Salmon Science with Fisheries and Oceans Canada Chrys Neville Program Head – Salmon Marine Interactions Program, REEF/ESDThe story of coho salmon in the Strait of Georgia is complex. Historically it supported a very lucrative recreational fishery. However, the fishery collapsed in the 1990s due to a combination of factors including changes in distribution as well as declines in marine survival. The Salmon Marine Interactions Program has ongoing surveys for salmon in the early summer and fall of each year […]

A no-death census year for Puget Sound’s orcas, with observations about a recent shift to more female births

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For the first time since Census Year 1993, no deaths were reported this year among the Southern Resident killer whales, which frequent Puget Sound, according to the official census report. Two new births were reported among the whales, increasing the population from 73 to 75. I would also like to share some potentially hopeful information about what appears to be a shift in the male-to-female ratio at birth. While worthy of note, the finding of no deaths may be more a coincidence of the census calendar than a suggestion that […]

What may be the nation’s largest estuary seems hidden in plain sight for many people

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What is the largest estuary in the United States? This is a question loaded with confusion and open to interpretation, as you will soon see. Before we get to the likely answer — which may surprise you — let me share a few authoritative views on the subject: Chesapeake Bay Foundation: “Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and the third largest in the world. It is about 200 miles long and holds more than 18 trillion gallons of water.” U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Washington state: […]

2022 Salish Sea toxics monitoring synthesis: A selection of research

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A new report from the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program takes a comprehensive look at some of the greatest dangers posed by toxic chemicals in the Salish Sea. The report was produced with support from the UW Puget Sound Institute, and brings together recent findings on PCBs, CECs, PFAS, 6PPD-Q, and other toxics of concern. It represents a compilation of activities from almost 50 groups in both the United States and Canada. Read it to find out how rogue chemicals are affecting the health of the ecosystem. Overview The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program […]

Warm ocean waters work their way into Puget Sound

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Unusually warm waters in the Pacific Ocean — now pushing up against the Washington coast — are keeping oceanographers on alert for changes that could reverberate through the food web, potentially affecting fish, birds and marine mammals in coastal waters and in Puget Sound. Rising ocean temperatures may be related to recent sightings of warm-water fish not usually seen in the Northwest, including a bluefin tuna that washed up on Orcas Island and large schools of mackeral observed in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Worrisome levels of domoic acid, […]

Salish Sea Science Roundtable begins in October

Image courtesy of Welch et al.
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While there are often opportunities to go deep in our respective fields, breakthroughs can come from unexpected connections and interdisciplinary discussions. The Salish Sea Science Roundtable is a virtual monthly seminar inspired by just that. UW Puget Sound Institute is co-convening the roundtable with several organizations, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Each month we’ll connect to share emerging science that’s shaping Salish Sea recovery and sustainable development, reconnect with colleagues in different fields, and enjoy thought-provoking discussions. We hope you’ll join us virtually the first Tuesday of each month from 12:30-1:30 […]

Collaborative Leadership Project featured at national retreat on scholarship and research

The view from AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Michael Kern.
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In August, PSI Director of Special Projects Michael Kern was invited by the University Network for Collaborative Governance (UNCG) to discuss the research questions driving the Collaborative Leadership Project at the UNCG Scholarship Retreat. The retreat was held at the University of Wyoming’s AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park. It was attended by about 20 top academics and practitioners in the field of collaborative governance, from universities across the country.  Michael provided the attendees with a brief overview of the project, explaining it is intended to capture Washington’s 50-year […]