Low dissolved oxygen levels put aquatic life in Puget Sound at risk – but not everywhere. A combination of careful monitoring efforts and powerful computer models are now enabling scientists to identify which areas of our regional waters are most prone to low oxygen levels, when, and why. This article is part of a series of reports funded by King County about the quest to define healthy oxygen levels in Puget Sound.
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful new tool for whale identification. New software can be adapted and used to identify any animal with a dorsal fin on its back.
Beavers are typically associated with freshwater environments, but scientists have learned that they also survive and thrive in the shoreline marshes of the Salish Sea. New research is shedding light on the vital connection between tidal beavers and salmon.
Oxygen is indisputably essential to aquatic life, but conflicts are brewing over water quality standards mandated in state regulations. This article is part of a series of reports funded by King County about the quest to define healthy oxygen levels in Puget Sound. By some estimates, those definitions could affect billions of dollars in state and local spending. [Editor's note: King County is currently in litigation with the Washington State Department of Ecology over the issue of dissolved oxygen water quality standards.]
Pink salmon now comprise nearly 80 percent of all adult salmon in the North Pacific. This record abundance is coming at a cost to other salmon species such as threatened Chinook, which compete with pinks for spawning territory. A new study shows that the ecological toll may extend all the way to endangered southern resident killer whales.
Recent discoveries of two new shark species in Puget Sound have sparked public interest and may encourage greater conservation efforts. In this seven-part series, Christopher Dunagan provides an overview of sharks in Puget Sound and some of the recent work among scientists to protect these often misunderstood creatures.
Soupfin sharks were not known to occur in Puget Sound until one was hooked by a fisherman in 2022. Scientists say warming oceans from a changing climate may be bringing more of the species into local waters. Our series on the sharks of Puget Sound continues with a closer look at soupfins and why they are being considered for inclusion on the Endangered Species List.
Bluntnose sixgill sharks are among the largest sharks in the world, reaching lengths of almost 16 feet. Research shows that Puget Sound may be an important place for sixgills to give birth and raise their young. We continue with part three of our series on Puget Sound's sharks.
The Pacific spiny dogfish is the most abundant shark in Puget Sound, despite its former decline due to overfishing in the 20th century. Part four of our series on sharks looks at this well-known Puget Sound resident and what is being learned about its migratory habits.
While several shark species are observed more frequently off the coast of Washington than in Puget Sound, some are seen on rare occasions in the inland waterways. Detailed information on these sharks is limited, but the same thing might have been said for sixgills, sevengills and soupfin sharks until recent discoveries opened the door to new research. Part five of our series on Puget Sound's sharks outlines some of our region's lesser known shark species. The following information comes from various sources, including fishing and scuba diving reports, scientific studies and the book “Fishes of the Salish Sea” by Theodore Pietsch and James Orr.
