Puget Sound Institute

The northern right whale dolphin is one of the most unusual marine mammals of the North Pacific Ocean and it can sometimes be spotted in the Salish Sea. It is one of only two dolphin species in the world without a dorsal fin, and its slender and streamlined shape make it appear almost eel-like. We have published a new overview of this species in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. https://www.eopugetsound.org/article/northern-right-whale-dolphins-salish-sea

Hatchery production is a key tool for supporting vulnerable Pacific salmon stocks, but it comes with tradeoffs. When salmon reproduce in artificial versus natural habitats, different environments can select for different traits — and those genetic effects may carry long-term fitness costs for integrated stocks.

Join Tim Healy of Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the next Salish Sea Science Roundtable to learn about recent findings from the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative on heritable effects of hatchery production in British Columbia.

Tuesday, June 30 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Free. Registration required. https://tinyurl.com/June30-SSSR

Tire companies race to replace deadly tire chemical

A chemical found in tires is leading to the deaths of untold numbers of coho salmon in Puget Sound every year. Chemical companies are searching for an alternative but say the unique chemistry and function of 6PPD are major challenges. We take an in-depth look at the latest efforts to find a solution. Read the article in our magazine Salish Sea Currents. https://www.eopugetsound.org/article/tire-companies-race-replace-deadly-tire-chemical

Sea lion season in Ballard is winding down, but California and Steller sea lions are still hauled out at Shilshole Marina's boat lift dock (Dock X). Their presence may be no accident. Herring restoration efforts in Central Puget Sound, led by the Suquamish Tribe, are showing signs of success — and the sea lions appear to be following the fish.
Learn more about the sea lions and other mammals of the Salish Sea: eopugetsound.org/species/marine-mammals

PSI's Michael Kern will be team teaching a course on Collaborative Leadership with Zoe Barsness of the UW Tacoma Milgard School of Business as part of the Collaborative Leadership Program at the UW Puget Sound Institute.

The course is open to both undergraduates and graduates as well as non-matriculated students; will provide public, private, and civic sector perspectives on Puget Sound protection and restoration; and offers an opportunity to earn four or five credits in just one month over three in-person Saturdays and three online Tuesday evenings.

If you are interested, or can help spread the word, please check out and/or repost the info below.

Develop your collaborative leadership skills this summer!
The Milgard School of Business is offering T BUS 490/TBUS 590 Collaborative Leadership during Summer Session A (June 22–July 22, 2026).

This hybrid course explores the theory and practice of leading across organizational, cultural, and political boundaries. Through case studies, guest speakers, and applied group projects, you'll learn how Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest leaders address complex environmental and natural resource management challenges.

Course Details:
📅 June 22–July 22
🖥️ Remote: Tuesday evenings
🏫 In-person: Saturdays (June 23, 27, 29 and July 11, 14, 18)
⏰ Enrollment deadline: Friday, June 19

Whether you work in public, private, nonprofit, or tribal sectors—or aspire to—this course will equip you to build and sustain effective cross-sector partnerships and drive collective impact.

Access students are also welcome!
Learn more: https://www.pugetsoundinstitute.org/collaboration/collaborative-leadership-program/

What a night! Seabirds Live! brought together seabirds, science, and a packed house. Eric Wagner read from Seabirds as Sentinels:

"I work myself deeper into the rocks. The sun is gone, the wind rises, and Destruction Island resounds with the songs of besotted auklets: waa-waaaaaa-waa, waa-waaaaaa-waa. Lying on my back on the beach, letting their songs wash over me, it is easy to believe––to know––that thousands of birds live on these bluffs all around me."

We also learned that rhinoceros auklets are, genetically speaking, actually puffins. Thank you to Eric Wagner, Peter Hodum, and Jeff Rice for a memorable evening — and to everyone who joined us. Thanks also to our sponsors: University of Washington Tacoma, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Press, and King's Books in Tacoma.

Author Eric Wagner and seabird biologist Peter Hodum in conversation about what seabirds are telling us about the health of the Salish Sea. Hosted by Jeff Rice. Field photos and audio from Destruction Island. Books available for purchase on site, book raffle, and a signing with Wagner.

FREE — seating is limited. Tickets are going fast. Get yours→ https://tinyurl.com/SeabirdsLive

Sponsored by the University of Washington Tacoma, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Press, and King's Books in Tacoma.

Meet one of our featured guests at Seabirds Live! Peter Hodum is a seabird biologist and conservation ecologist with over 30 years of experience studying threatened birds and island ecosystems, including tufted puffins. A professor at the University of Puget Sound, he'll join author Eric Wagner on stage on May 13 at UW Tacoma for a live multimedia conversation about what seabirds are telling us about the health of the Salish Sea. FREE event. Register → https://tinyurl.com/SeabirdsLive
Puffin photo: Peter Hodum

Sponsors: University of Washington Tacoma University of Puget Sound University of Washington Press and King's Books in Tacoma

The International Space Station crew got the wide shot. We're focused on what's in it — and everyone who calls it home. Happy Earth Day.

“To study rhinoceros auklets, and especially their ecology, is to study the fish they need in order to live. Really I am a fish scientist, even if I cannot bring myself to admit it.”

That's author Eric Wagner in Seabirds as Sentinels — and it cuts to the heart of why these birds matter. Every night during breeding season, auklets return to Destruction Island under cover of darkness with bills full of fish for the single chick waiting deep in the burrow. The data scientists gather from these birds — what they eat, when they arrive, whether they successfully raise a chick — reveals a great deal about the state of the sea in any given year. The auklet, it turns out, is an ecosystem sentinel.

Hear the full story at Seabirds Live! — a FREE multimedia event on May 13 at UW Tacoma. Register → https://tinyurl.com/SeabirdsLive Photos: Peter Hodum

Sponsors: University of Washington Tacoma, University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Press, and King's Books in Tacoma.