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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Delegates stressed the need for a federal partnership with state and local governments to save salmon, orcas and Native American culture. Puget Sound Institute senior writer Christopher Dunagan visited Washington D.C. during the May 4 -6 ‘Day on the Hill’ event, in which Puget Sound representatives met with federal policymakers to advocate for ecosystem protection. …
Washington and British Columbia residents are largely unfamiliar with the Salish Sea. A recent study conducted by the SeaDoc Society and Oregon State University reveals a need to improve geographic literacy and familiarity with the Salish Sea among those communities who share and live alongside this integrated transboundary ecosystem. This is a guest blog from …
By Christopher Dunagan WASHINGTON, D.C. — Optimism, as related to a possible increase in funding for Puget Sound recovery, permeated discussions this week, when 80 officials from the region met with lawmakers in the nation’s capitol. “It’s the first time in several years that we’ve actually been in a position to direct more money to …
Puget Sound Institute senior writer Christopher Dunagan is in Washington, D.C. covering this week’s “Puget Sound Day on the Hill” event. By Christopher Dunagan WASHINGTON, D.C. — About 80 leaders involved in restoring Puget Sound to ecological health have been gathering here in the nation’s Capitol since last night to meet with federal lawmakers and …