Our May 9th report on the discovery of opioids in Puget Sound mussels continues to be picked up by many national and international news organizations. The research was conducted by PSI’s Andy James in collaboration with scientists at the Puget Sound Mussel Monitoring Program at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Traces of oxycodone […]
May 30, 2018

Ocean acidification may be twice as extreme in Puget Sound’s seagrass habitats, threatening Dungeness crabs
Ocean acidification could be up to twice as severe in fragile seagrass habitats as it is in the open ocean, according to a study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The conditions may threaten Dungeness crabs by 2050 and will be especially pronounced in the winter, the study says. […]
May 21, 2018

Stormwater mimics oil spill’s effect on Pacific herring
Pacific herring exposed to stormwater in Puget Sound show some of the same effects as fish exposed to major oil spills. Symptoms include heart and developmental problems. Read the story from Katie Keil in our magazine Salish Sea Currents.
May 18, 2018

Diving deeper to understand eelgrass wasting disease
New studies show that eelgrass wasting disease is more common in warmer waters, leading to concerns over the future effects of climate change on eelgrass populations in Puget Sound. We continue our series on science findings from the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference. Robin McLachlan reports for Salish Sea Currents.
May 3, 2018

Kelp continues steady decline in Puget Sound
This week marks the beginning of an occasional series we’ll be producing on findings from the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. Last month, we sent more than a dozen student and professional writers to the conference to gather stories on the latest science influencing Puget Sound recovery. We’ll be rolling those stories out […]
April 4, 2018

Future of orcas takes center stage at Salish Sea conference
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.
September 28, 2017

PSI will host a wide variety of sessions and panels at the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference
The announcements are in and Puget Sound Institute researchers will be chairing or co-chairing at least five different special sessions at next year’s Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Seattle. The sessions will include subjects as varied as Contaminants of Emerging Concern, microplastics, Pacific herring, ecosystem modeling and the potential influence of the region’s technology industry […]