Ranking schemes provide a mechanism for narrowing the long list of indicators presented above to a more manageable set that facilitates inference about the status of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Here we suggest that focusing on the specificity and sensitivity of an indicator, in combination with its performance against the “understood by the public and policymakers” criterion introduced above, provides a framework for reporting on the status of Puget Sound.
Topics Overview
Puget Sound Partnership Vital Signs
The Puget Sound Partnership is a state-supported effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses working together to restore and protect Puget Sound. In 2011, the Partnership created a set of "Vital Signs" it describes as “a dashboard of indicators on Puget Sound’s health and vitality.”
The agency writes: “In 2010, the Puget Sound Partnership engaged our regional experts and the public in identifying the key ecosystem indicators and pressures that would help us identify whether we were making progress in restoring the Sound… In 2011, the Leadership Council adopted targets – specific measures that we could use as 'Vital Signs' of Puget Sound's health. The indicators and targets have been incorporated into a Dashboard that is intended to help us track our efforts. The Dashboard will serve as a report card on our success in meeting our targets.”
Sources:
http://www.psp.wa.gov/vitalsigns/
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Photo by Jaime Ramos. Courtesy National Science Foundation.
Background
Three distinct groups of killer whales (Orcinus orca) occupy the coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific. These groups—northern and southern residents, transients, and offshores—are distinguished by diet, behavior, morphology, and other characteristics. Among these, Southern Resident and transient killer whales commonly are found in Puget Sound. Northern residents and offshore killer whales rarely enter Puget Sound (Wiles 2004, Kriete 2007), and therefore are not described in detail here.
Editors
Scott F. Pearson1, Nathalie Hamel2, Steven Walters3, and John Marzluff3
Section Authors
Introduction: Scott F. Pearson1, Steven Walters3, and Nathalie Hamel2
Climate Change: Heather Cornell3
Residential, Commercial and Industrial Development: Steven Walters3
Shoreline Modification: Steven Walters3
Pollution: James West4
Invasive and Non-native Species: Heather Cornell3
Ecosystem Models and Their Evaluation: Scott F. Pearson1 and Steven Walters3
Conclusion: All authors contributed
Phillip S. Levin1, Andy James2, Jessi Kershner3, Sandra O’Neill1, Tessa Francis1, Jameal Samhouri1, Chris Harvey1, Michael T. Brett2, and Daniel Schindler3
1 NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA.
2 University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
3 University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Seattle Washington
topical_article
With funding from the EPA (EPA Interagency Agreement DW-13-923276-01), scientists at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the University of Washington used a field and quantitative modeling ‘source-transport-fate’ assessment approach to classify the vulnerability of shellfish growing areas to closures caused by watershed and marine-derived pathogens. Based on the historical prevalence of nutrient pollution, shellfish closures, and phytoplankton blooms in commercial and recreational shellfish growing area, the project focused on three nearshore sites--the Hamma Hamma (WRIA 16), Dosewallips (WRIA 16) and Samish (WRIA 3).
NOAA has released a draft report establishing a common monitoring and adaptive management framework for Chinook salmon recovery in Puget Sound.
The Puget Sound Recovery Implementation Technical Team has released a draft of a NOAA technical memorandum describing frameworks for adaptive management and monitoring of Chinook salmon in Puget Sound. Download the report.
A recent report by an independent science panel reviewed data on the effects of salmon fisheries on Southern Resident Killer Whale populations. The report was released on November 30, 2012 and was commissioned by NOAA Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Background
Three distinct groups of killer whales (Orcinus orca) occupy the coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific. These groups—northern and southern residents, transients, and offshores—are distinguished by diet, behavior, morphology, and other characteristics. Among these, Southern Resident and transient killer whales commonly are found in Puget Sound. Northern residents and offshore killer whales rarely enter Puget Sound (Wiles 2004, Kriete 2007), and therefore are not described in detail here.
The Puget Sound Partnership is charged with preparing a State of the Sound report every two years to inform the legislature and the public on the status of restoration efforts in Puget Sound.
An independent review conducted by the Puget Sound Institute is featured in findings by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology that there is currently “no compelling evidence” that humans are the cause for recent trends in declines in dissolved oxygen in Hood Canal.