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The southern resident killer whales — those fish-eating orcas that were once tied closely to Puget Sound — have managed to stay somewhat intact, with no deaths among the adult population for more than two years. As I reported this summer, four new calves were reported during the recent census year, ending in July, but […]

Regulatory efforts to confront low-oxygen problems in Puget Sound have turned toward sewage treatment plants, as the Washington Department of Ecology proceeds to reissue operational permits, some ahead of the normal five-year schedule. Excess nitrogen has been found to contribute to low-oxygen problems in Puget Sound, and computer models have identified locations where reducing nitrogen […]

Pending one final check, it appears that this year’s census of the endangered southern resident killer whale population will show a positive increase of two orcas — an annual increase equaled only four times in the past 20 years. The Center for Whale Research, which conducts the annual census, needs one more encounter with a […]

By Eric Wagner A few weeks ago, biologists with the Australian Antarctic Program published a study on bioRxiv, a preprint service that allows scientists to share their work before it has been peer-reviewed. The study was titled, “Mass mortality of southern elephant seals during multi-species outbreak of HPAI H5N1 on sub-Antarctic Heard Island.” In it, the […]

Researchers from all over the world come together at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories to ask and study questions about marine science and engineering. This summer, two UW Tacoma undergraduates will join them as part of a full immersion research experience that offers one-to-one guidance from marine scientists. The internship

Tucked along the shoreline of Commencement Bay, the Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of dozens of wastewater treatment plants that discharge directly into Puget Sound. It serves more than 320,000 people — roughly a third of Pierce County’s population — in an area that includes Tacoma, Lakewood, University Place, and surrounding communities, processing […]

The past, present and future of natural conditions in the United States are described in a new report, which has traveled a bumpy road to its current draft form, now out for public review and comment. “The Nature Record,” originally titled the “National Nature Assessment,” was launched in 2022 as a government project — the […]

While not exactly a chicken-or-egg debate, when it comes to regulating a deadly tire chemical, Washington state lawmakers are being called upon to decide what comes first in the effort to save salmon. In public hearings this week, speakers were clearly divided in their views on companion bills in the House and Senate to ban […]

A new bill introduced to the Washington Legislature, now in session, would require tire manufacturers to reformulate the rubber in their tires to remove a chemical responsible for killing large numbers of coho salmon and other fish. If approved, the legislation would give tire manufacturers nine years to find a suitable replacement for the compound […]

Today, we look inland at our mountains and forests where top predators like cougars remind us that nature is still wild and — often — unpredictable. PSI staff writer Eric Wagner has this look at a new paper with insights into when, where and why cougars may be more likely to cross paths with humans […]