Salish Sea Institute

Split image with an aerial view of the ocean on the right and a round stone with a central hole being held by a human hand on the left.

Don’t miss out! Thurs., Mar. 9, 4:30-5:20 p.m., hear from Josiah Feld and Erin Audrey Corra about the living Indigenous history and stewardship at STOLȻEȽ (San Juan Island) in their collaborative presentation. This will be the final talk this quarter!

Register free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Human silhouette made of ivy walking on a brick wall in front of wind turbines and an industrial background.

Thurs., Mar. 5, 4:30-5:20 p.m., hear from Liz Purdy, manager of community affairs at Puget Sound Energy, about how PSE is transitioning to cleaner energy.

Register for free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

The Salish Sea Institute at Western Washington University invites applications from scholars, journalists, researchers, knowledge holders and others to join an international cohort of Salish Sea Fellows.

The deadline is fast approaching - applications due March 1!

forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Opinion: A story still being written for Southern Resident killer whales As Vancouver and Seattle showcase orcas with branding ahead of FIFA World Cup matches, we must also show we're serious about protecting them

Proud to see Op Ed in Vancouver Sun vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...

Don't wait! Apply to join our third cohort of Salish Sea Fellows. Applications close March 1st!

Aerial view of a section of the Salish Sea.

Thursday, Feb. 26, 4:30-5:20 p.m., hear from Scott McIntosh, Todd Woodard, Andrew Delaney, Elena Fisher, and Calvin Abbott about their work in the Samish Department of Natural Resources!

Register for free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Our Salish Sea Fellows application process is open until March 1. Read below for more info.

*Correction* Sustainability Program Manager Adrienne Douglass-Scott

Aerial view of the Port of Bellingham

Thurs, Feb. 19, 4:30-5:20 pm, hear from Port of Bellingham Sustainability Director Adrienne Douglass-Scott, MSc., on how the Port is working toward climate resiliency and sustainability!

Register for free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Don't miss this Thursday! Learn from Jeff Whitty about the Northwest Straits Commission's Puget Sound Kelp Conservation and Recovery Plan.

Watercolor illustration of a basking shark swimming through the Salish Sea

Did you know that basking sharks used to be a common sighting in the #SalishSea? Watch the recording of Kelly Bushnell’s, Ph.D, Environmental Speaker Series talk on these gentle giants!

Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skdy...

Illustration by Preston Graves

Thanks for the reminders. Would be great to have regional numbers too. Economists tell us that when we don't assign $$ value to nature, they count it as zero ☹️

A small boat floating in the waters of Waiatt Bay

Discover the Wonders of the Salish Sea webinar series! March 23 & 30, and April 13 & 20 from 7-9 pm via Zoom, hosted by the Georgia Strait Alliance @georgiastraitbc.bsky.social. We hope to see you there!

Register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/wonders-of...

Photo by C. Cruso

Chew on this: Feb 5, 4:30-5:20 p.m., Greg Hood, PhD presents his research on beaver in tidal marshes of the #PacificNorthwest, and their positive effect on salmon survivorship.

Register for free: foundation.wwu.edu/event/beaver...

Photo: Steve, Washington, DC, USA, American Beaver, CC BY-SA 2.0

Today is World Wetlands Day!

Wetlands are often overlooked and undervalued. However, acre for acre, few places on Earth give back to our water, climate, and wildlife more than wetlands.

Learn about wetlands and how to protect them with our e-library resources:
library.watersheds.ca/search/?q=we...

Crabbers call in catch for study Green tags affixed to Dungeness crab are an invitation for harvesters in Puget Sound to participate in a region-wide tracking project to learn about crab migration. The Suquamish Tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) teamed up in September 2025 to collect and tag 555 legal-sized male Dungeness crab in mid-Puget Sound so they can learn more about adult crab movement behavior, said Viviane Barry, the tribe’s shellfish program manager.

Crabbers call in catch for study

Green tags affixed to Dungeness crab are an invitation for harvesters in Puget Sound to participate in a region-wide tracking project to learn about crab migration. The Suquamish Tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) teamed up in September…

Federal Court of Appeal upholds decision to keep salmon farms out of B.C.’s Discovery Islands | CBC News Ottawa’s decision to phase out open-net salmon farms in B.C.’s Discovery Islands has once again been upheld after the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge from a local fish farm operator.

Win for BC #WildSalmon👏 New court ruling upholds Ottawa's phaseout of open-net salmon farms in the Discovery Islands—helping to protect wild salmon from disease in one of their most vulnerable migration routes. “When science & the law align, wild salmon can have a real fighting chance at recovery.”

A long stretch of kelp forest along the surface of Puget Sound.

Feb. 12, 4:30-5:20, learn from Jeff Whitty of the Northwest Straits Commission about current efforts to protect and recover our #PugetSound kelp forests. Kelp us kelp you!

Register for free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Photo of killer whale breaching water

Tomorrow, 4:30-5:20, join us for a Q&A with filmmaker and #SalishSea Institute Fellow Jessica Plumb @jessicaplumb.bsky.social following a screening of two of her short films on Southern Resident killer whales.

Register for free: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Photo credit: Joe Gaydos

Waterside image of birds and seals off the coast of the Salish Sea

Are you interested in researching and protecting the #SalishSea? Join us!

From now until March 1st, we are accepting applications for our third cohort of Salish Sea Fellows.

Apply today! forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Don't miss out! Jan 29, 4:30-5:20 p.m. join us for a Q&A with @jessicaplumb.bsky.social Fellow Jessica Plumb, after a viewing of two of her short films about #SalishSea Southern Resident killer whales.

Register here: alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

Canada falls short of 2025 conservation target | The Narwhal Ottawa says it remains committed to hitting its next conservation milestone even as it races to expand critical minerals production

More than 5000 wild species are at some risk of extinction in Canada, largely because the places they live are disappearing.

Yet despite repeated promises, Canada has failed to meet its target of protecting 25% of lands and waters by 2025.
🔗 @thenarwhal.ca
✍️ @ainsliecruickshank.bsky.social

Today is Treaty Day for tribes that reserved the right to fish, hunt & gather in the Puget Sound region when the Treaty of Point Elliott was signed in 1855. They are fighting now to restore salmon stocks—a staple treaty resource—and other fish, wildlife and plants integral to their culture.

Ink on paper drawing by Preston Graves of a basking shark underwater. There are islands in the background.

Jan 22 at 4:30-5:20 pm learn about the History of #SalishSea Basking Sharks from @drkelpy.bsky.social Kelly Bushnell PhD. Free registration alumniq.wwu.edu/index.cfm/ev...

January 15th, 4:30 - 5:20 p.m.

Join us for a free talk over Zoom by Dr. Kathryn Sobocinski on Moving Toward Solutions: Measuring Positive Change in Urban Seas.

foundation.wwu.edu/event/moving...

1/6 Egg yolk jelly, zero-emission trucks, perchlorate, glacier collapse, critical areas ordinance, Capitol Lake, drift logs, public broadcasting, democracy watch Egg yolk jelly (Wikipedia) Egg yolk jelly P hacellophora camtschatica Egg yolk jellies live in temperate waters in the pelagic zone, som...

Tuesday's Salish Sea News and Weather: Egg yolk jelly, zero-emission trucks, perchlorate, glacier collapse, critical areas ordinance, Capitol Lake, drift logs, public broadcasting, democracy watch salishseanews.blogspot.com/2026/01/16-e...

Ink on paper artwork depicting a basking shark with its' large mouth open to feed; this image is the cover of the paper.

Did you know there used to be lots of basking sharks in the #SalishSea? New paper by Salish Sea Fellow Kelly P. Bushnell, PhD! Learn about the history and future of basking sharks in the Salish Sea. Artwork by Preston Graves.
cedar.wwu.edu/salish_pubs/...

Cooperation with Canada isn't just heartwarming; it's crucial | Editorial Cross-border travel has plummeted in President Trump’s trade war. Efforts for cross-cultural connections can make a powerful statement.

The Salish Sea Institute was proud to be a part of this wonderful event, Hands Across the Water, that connected people across the border!

www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

140 feet of Fishing Gear Removed from Humpback Whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca - https://cascadiaresearch.org Fishing gear removed from an entangled humpback whale thanks to a rapid response by trained entanglement responders & a newly established cross-border protocol.

Fantastic cross border work helping to save whales: "Through a newly established NOAA–DFO protocol, U.S. teams received authorization to continue the operation across the border."

cascadiaresearch.org/20251117mn_e...