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Report cover with text and image of salmon swimming underwater.

The role of estuaries in the ecology of adult Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound

The extensive loss or modification of estuaries throughout Puget Sound creates a significant challenge for adult salmon as they migrate to their natal streams to spawn. A 2024 report by University of Washington scientist Thomas Quinn looks at how different species of salmonids use estuaries to move from marine to freshwater environments. The report was commissioned by the University of Washington

A pair of dolphins leaping out of water side by side.

Pacific white-sided dolphins in the Salish Sea

Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) are found in the colder offshore waters of the North Pacific, but they also occasionally occur in inshore waters of the Salish Sea, and more rarely, Puget Sound. They make use of cooperative foraging techniques, and feeding at night in dark conditions means their finely tuned sonar or echolocation serves them well.

Image of dark blue ocean water surface overlaid with a light blue double helix graphic.

How eDNA is changing the way scientists track species in Puget Sound

Scientists can now identify the presence of species just by testing the water for traces of DNA. The relatively new technique is being compared to the invention of the telescope or the microscope as a significant new tool for understanding ecosystems like Puget Sound. It could be a revolution for tracking the movements of all kinds of species, from salmon and killer whales to invasive green crabs.

2005 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Conference: Abstracts and Biographies (cover)

2005 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Research Conference: Abstracts and Biographies

This publication includes a listing of the presentation abstracts and speakers for the Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Conference hosted by the Puget Sound Action Team and the Georgia Basin Action Plan March 29-31, 2005 in Seattle at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

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2007 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Research Conference: Abstracts and Biographies (cover)

2007 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Research Conference: Abstracts and Biographies

Over 900 delegates attended and participated in the 2007 Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

2001 Puget Sound Research Conference Abstracts and Biographies (cover)

2001 Puget Sound Research Conference Abstracts and Biographies

The Pugert Sound Action Team and generous co-sponsors, including state and federal agencies, local governments, universities, and businesses, convened the fifth Puget Sound Research Conference in 2001 in Bellevue, Washington.

1977 The Use, Study, and Management of Puget Sound Symposium Proceedings (cover)

1977 The Use, Study, and Management of Puget Sound Symposium Proceedings

"Since man is sometlmes nearsighted in establishing the routes to achleve his goals, it is good practice to review those routes occasionally to see if indeed the correct track is being folIowed." – Alyn C. Duxbury, 1977

The 1977 sypmposium, The Use, Study, and Management of Puget Sound, posed questions about the uses of Puget Sound, the regulations that govern the uses, and the effects of those

Cruises of the R.V. Brown Bear 1952 – 1965 (cover)

Cruises of the R.V. Brown Bear 1952 – 1965

The University of Washington research vessel R.V. Brown Bear made 381 scientific cruises between 1952 and 1965.

Aerial view of Puget Sound showing multiple rivers and inlets. The text reads ‘The role of estuaries in the ecology of juvenile Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound’ by Thomas P. Quinn from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington.

The role of estuaries in the ecology of juvenile Pacific salmon and trout in Puget Sound

This overview describes the different ways that juvenile Pacific salmon and trout use estuaries, and why those differences are important for ecosystem recovery efforts. The report was commissioned by the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program.

An open motor boat sitting in sill water as to people place a fishing net across the channel.

A new beginning for threatened Chinook

The Stillaguamish River is home to what may be the most imperiled stock of Chinook salmon in all of Puget Sound. What scientists are learning here at the Stillaguamish estuary on Port Susan Bay could help turn the tide for these fish and other salmon around the region. E