It used to seem easier to spot the polluters. There were the usual suspects: Industrial pipes pumped toxic chemicals into the water; dams blocked the way for salmon; natural resources were over-harvested. Those problems still persist, but ecosystem management in Puget Sound has become increasingly complicated since the 1970s and 1980s. Scientists now recognize that […]
March 10, 2017
Bringing the shellfish back: How Drayton Harbor overcame a legacy of pollution
New in Salish Sea Currents: After a long struggle with pollution, Drayton Harbor has reopened to year-round commercial oyster harvesting for the first time in 22 years. Here’s how the community cleaned up its act, potentially showing the way for shellfish recovery throughout Puget Sound. Read the full article on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.
March 3, 2017
PSI-sponsored session at CERF
The Puget Sound Institute is sponsoring a session at the November 2017 meeting of the Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) in Providence, Rhode Island. The session will focus on technical support for ecosystem management and is now accepting abstracts for presentations. Session title: From objectives to actions: technical support for ecosystem management planning Lead Convener: […]
February 14, 2017
PSI hosts modeling workshop
The Puget Sound Institute is hosting a workshop on “Modeling in Support of Ecosystem Recovery,” on February 15, 2017, from 10am – 4pm, at the South Seattle Community College Georgetown Campus, 6737 Corson Avenue South, Seattle, 98108. This workshop brings together modelers, Strategic Initiative Leads, Implementation Strategy (IS) team members, PSP Science Panel members, PSP […]
February 14, 2017
Where does Seattle coffee go after it’s poured down the drain?
PSI’s Director Joel Baker was quoted in a story by KIRO News on how caffeine and other chemicals like Prozac find their way into Puget Sound. “Scientists like Dr. Baker say caffeine levels in our waters have not reached a crisis level,” KIRO reports, “but the studies point out why in the future, technology must […]
February 1, 2017
Study of seals and sea lions gains interest
Our story last week about the impacts of predators on Chinook salmon populations in Puget Sound continues to gather strong interest from our readers. Several thousand viewed it after it came out last Thursday, and it was reprinted in the Kitsap Sun on Monday. The story was written by PSI senior writer Christopher Dunagan and reports on […]
January 30, 2017
UW scientists unsure of federal funds in Trump era
PSI’s Director Joel Baker was quoted in The Seattle Times this week in a story about uncertainties for EPA funding. Read the full article.
January 25, 2017
Study says predators may play major role in Chinook salmon declines
A new study shows that increased populations of seals and sea lions are eating far more of Puget Sound’s threatened Chinook than previously known, potentially hampering recovery efforts for both salmon and endangered killer whales. Read the story in Salish Sea Currents.
January 19, 2017
Healthy stream, healthy bugs
Many groups have been formed around the goal of saving salmon, but few people talk about a concerted effort to save microscopic creatures. Whether or not a pro-bug movement catches on, future strategies to save salmon are likely to incorporate ideas for restoring streambound creatures known as benthic invertebrates. Read our latest story in Salish […]
January 3, 2017
Study of eelgrass shows populations steady across Puget Sound
Although eelgrass populations have declined in some parts of Puget Sound, overall numbers for the aquatic plant have remained steady ecosystem-wide, according to an analysis of 41 years of data from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The study, published in the Journal of Ecology, was co-authored by Puget Sound Institute lead ecosystem ecologist Tessa […]