Next time you see a salmon moving upstream to spawn, consider the importance of estuaries. Estuaries, places where rivers and creeks mix with the waters of Puget Sound, help salmon adjust the ions (salts) in their bodies so they can safely make the transition from marine to fresh water. A new report by University of Washington scientist Thomas Quinn looks at the different ways that adult salmon and trout use Puget Sound’s estuaries and why this matters for ecosystem recovery. The report was commissioned by the Puget Sound Institute with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. Download “The role of estuaries in the ecology of adult Pacific salmon and trout” on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.