2009 State of the Sound
In the 2009 State of the Sound report, the Partnership 1) documents the current status of the ecosystem, 2) explains the performance management system we are putting in place to manage recovery efforts in a systematic way and our progress to date in developing the system, and 3) presents an overview of funding and anticipated results for the 2009-11 biennium, as well as accomplishments in 2007-09 biennium.
Executive Summary
For the 2009 report, members of the Partnership's Science Panel evaluated ecosystem status indicators that represent each of the six goals in the Partnership's authorizing statute: human health, human well-being, species and food webs, habitats, water quantity, and water quality. Compared to historical conditions, the Puget Sound ecosystem shows signs of stress and degradation from human activity. For example, pollution and restricted marine harvests have reduced ecosystem support for human health and well-being. In addition, concerns about species viability and ongoing habitat alteration point to vulnerable biological systems in the region. Altered stream flows and water quality are some of the underlying problems in the Puget Sound ecosystem. There are also examples where the ecosystem has positively responded to management activities. For example, the quality of sediments in Elliott Bay is much improved over the late 1990s and the improvement happened at the same time as a decrease in tumors in fish.
