Our Water Ways

Photographic portrait of Christoper Dunagan

Puget Sound Institute senior writer Christopher Dunagan discusses the challenges of protecting Puget Sound and all things water-related. As the very first environmental reporter for the Kitsap Sun, he has been a respected voice in the region for more than 25 years. He has been covering science-related stories for the Puget Sound Institute since 2015.

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Virus related to measles could push Puget Sound orcas to extinction, study says

Researchers studying the killer whales that frequent Puget Sound are growing increasingly concerned that a dangerous virus or other disease-causing organism could spread through the population and hasten extinction of these critically endangered southern resident orcas. Without dramatic changes to their environment, extinction is already considered the likely future for the southern residents, as they […]

March 7, 2020

" alt="Harvest managers setting this year’s salmon seasons struggle to find ways to help orcas">

Harvest managers setting this year’s salmon seasons struggle to find ways to help orcas

As state, tribal and federal salmon managers work together to establish this year’s fishing seasons, they have not forgotten about the needs of Puget Sound’s endangered killer whales. In fact, new documents related to the southern resident orcas describe an investigation looking to find ways to reduce fisheries at certain times and locations that might […]

Blog topics | Reports orcas | Southern Resident Killer Whales | Salmon fishing | Pacific Fishery Management Council

February 25, 2020

" alt="Shoreline armoring in Puget Sound gets new scrutiny from the Army Corps of Engineers">

Shoreline armoring in Puget Sound gets new scrutiny from the Army Corps of Engineers

Shoreline bulkheads, which can damage beaches and destroy fish habitat, could come under more extensive review and permitting as the result of a revised shoreline policy announced last week by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The revised policy (PDF 163 kb), which resulted from a federal lawsuit, now requires a Corps of Engineers permit […]

February 20, 2020

" alt="New fishing rules increase limits on warm-water fish to indirectly help orcas">

New fishing rules increase limits on warm-water fish to indirectly help orcas

In an effort to protect young salmon from predation, new fishing rules will allow anglers to double their catch of some warm-water predatory fish found in 77 lakes across Washington state. Reducing the population of salmon-eating bass, catfish and walleye is one of many ideas promoted by the governor’s Southern Resident Orca Task Force, which […]

February 6, 2020

" alt="New report describes anticipated climate-change effects in Washington state">

New report describes anticipated climate-change effects in Washington state

Early effects of a warming Earth have reached Washington state, as we can see from actual measurements. Annual snowpack is declining in the mountains; ancient glaciers are shrinking; sea levels are rising; and coastal waters are becoming less hospitable to sea life. These are some of the changes outlined in a new easy-to-read briefing report […]

January 30, 2020

" alt="Missing orca named ‘Mega’ lived a long, productive life, says Ken Balcomb">

Missing orca named ‘Mega’ lived a long, productive life, says Ken Balcomb

A 43-year-old male orca named Mega, now missing and presumed dead, was one of the first new calves that researcher Ken Balcomb spotted when he began his extensive census of Southern Resident killer whales back in 1976. Ken didn’t know it at the time, but the baby orca — one of nine born in 1977 […]

January 29, 2020

" alt="How air pollution becomes water pollution with long-term effects on Puget Sound">

How air pollution becomes water pollution with long-term effects on Puget Sound

When thinking of air pollution, I used to think only of breathing toxic chemicals into our lungs, with uncertain health effects. That’s bad enough, but air pollution — which is everywhere — is also getting into our waterways and penetrating deep into our food webs. Rivers, lakes and Puget Sound, no body of water escapes […]

January 22, 2020

" alt="Partnership explores revised measures of Puget Sound health, as 2020 deadline arrives">

Partnership explores revised measures of Puget Sound health, as 2020 deadline arrives

It is the year 2020. You could say that the time has run out for restoring Puget Sound to a healthy condition. But time marches on. When the Legislature created the Puget Sound Partnership in 2007, lawmakers included this sentence in state law: “It is the goal of the state that the health of Puget […]

Implementation strategies | Blog topics Vital Signs indicators | Puget Sound Partnership

January 13, 2020

Infographic showing how carbonate ions are consumed into bicarbonate ions as CO2 increases.

" alt="Sharing info, as changes in ocean chemistry affect Northwest waters at alarming pace">

Sharing info, as changes in ocean chemistry affect Northwest waters at alarming pace

It was fairly alarming, even to scientists, to hear the latest research regarding ocean acidification — a powerful change in ocean chemistry that results from excess carbon dioxide passing from the atmosphere into the oceans of the world. One of the most alarming reports came from Richard Feely, senior scientist at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental […]

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound | Research Ocean Acidification | Washington Ocean Acidification Center | EarthLab

January 7, 2020

" alt="Welcome to ‘Our Water Ways,’ a blog about Puget Sound and all things water-related">

Welcome to ‘Our Water Ways,’ a blog about Puget Sound and all things water-related

Welcome to “Our Water Ways,” a new blog I’m writing for the Puget Sound Institute with a name that will sound familiar to some. For the past 12 years, I’ve been writing a blog called “Watching Our Water Ways” for the Kitsap Sun. Now, my blogging efforts will have a new home. I’ve outlined the […]

Blog topics Encyclopedia of Puget Sound | Our Water Ways | Environmental blogs | Puget Sound Institute

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