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A proposed amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act has renewed a debate over the merits of killing seals and sea lions to protect salmon.

The 15th annual Puget Sound Marine Waters Overview combines summaries of monitoring data for marine conditions occurring in 2025. It represents the collective work of federal, tribal, state, and local agencies, academia, nonprofits, and private and volunteer groups.

Described as ‘ocean nomads,’ sperm whales range widely throughout the world’s oceans. In Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, there has been only one documented record of a sighting in Haro Strait in 2018.

A new report from the Puget Sound Institute and the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences examines a species-level approach to oxygen risks in Puget Sound. Case studies of Dungeness crabs, English sole, and Chinook salmon provide new details on when and where individual species may be most vulnerable. Funding for this

The news of two new southern resident orca calves this year marks the 50th anniversary of whale counts from the Center for Whale Research.

Killer whales are active both day and night, but most scientific research focuses on their daytime activities. A recent study looked at a small group of endangered southern residents to find out how often they hunt after the sun goes down. Ocean noise tends to decrease at night, potentially making it easier for the whales to catch salmon, but could