Puget Sound

New environmental group to serve as Puget Sound watchdog

Bellamy Pailthorp — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 01:01:06 +0000

With its eelgrass beds and rocky beaches, Puget Sound’s shoreline is frequented by hundreds of species of fish and other creatures. State and federal agencies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on its restoration.

But Amy Carey, Executive Director of a new group called Sound Action, says the marine ecosystems that support sensitive species are still declining.

Seattle Mayor aiming high on green infrastructure for stormwater

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:46:46 +0000

When you look around the streets of Seattle, you can expect to see less concrete and more greenery being put in over the next 12 years.

The City is planning to dramatically increase its use of green infrastructure to treat stormwater runoff.

Stormwater runoff is acknowledged as the single largest source of pollution in Puget Sound.

6 orcas identified off West Seattle as sun sets

The Associated Press — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:02:06 +0000

More than a dozen killer whales swimming past West Seattle gave residents a spectacular sight Monday as the sun set.

Puget Sound economy bouncing back faster than the U.S.

Ashley Gross — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:00:00 +0000

There have been a few glimmers of hope lately for the U.S. economy, such as a better-than-expected jobs report. But local economist Dick Conway says there’s even more reason for optimism for the Puget Sound region.

Newborn orca calf reported in Puget Sound

KPLU News Staff and The Associated Press — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 20:53:18 +0000

BREMERTON, Wash. — A newborn orca calf has been reported off the west side of San Juan Island in the Puget Sound.

The Center for Whale Research reports the new calf was first spotted midday Monday among the adults of J pod, one of three killer whale pods that frequent Puget Sound.

Algae bloom on Puget Sound 'more intense' this year

Monica Spain — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:55:21 +0000

If you’ve taken a ferry across Puget Sound recently, you may have wondered if someone dumped out cans of tomato soup in the water. Some have worried there's been an oil spill.

Large levels of algae called Noctiluca are visible in Puget Sound and people sailing on the water are noticing. The Washington State Department of Ecology says they are getting more worried calls this year.

Battle over building in Puget Sound flood plains

The Associated Press — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:39:06 +0000

A federal judge is hearing arguments Tuesday over whether to stop the federal government from issuing flood insurance policies for new development in flood-prone areas around Puget Sound.

Ban on cruise ship discharges proposed for Washington waters

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:18:53 +0000

Cruise ships are big business for the Port of Seattle.

Last season, about 200 calls brought nearly 900,000 passengers and their wallets though the city. Projections for this season are about the same. Each call equates to about $1.9 million in local spending.

But that economic benefit comes with ecological risk.

Now the state’s Department of Ecology is backing a proposed ban on cruise ship discharges while the vessels are in Washington waters.

Puget Sound 'tub' tainted by industrial residue of toxic dioxin

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:50:00 +0000

When you think about Puget Sound, a bathtub might not be the first image to come to mind.

But that’s one way environmentalists and scientists sometimes describe it, because the shape of Puget Sound is an important factor when it comes to keeping it clean.

A long-awaited report from the Environmental Protection Agency on the health effects of dioxin is confirming what many experts have known for a long time.

Improving economy predicted for the Puget Sound

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:19:57 +0000

"It is a sunny day, with some clouds," says Dick Conway, a Puget Sound Economic Forecaster. "The more I study the Puget Sound economy, the more I am struck by the fact that the more it changes, the more it stays the same."

Sea lion vs. octopus: Photographer catches rare glimpse of battle

Evan Hoover — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:41:17 +0000

Last Wednesday, Dec. 7, Everett Herald photographer Mark Mulligan caught a rare sight on camera – a stellar sea lion feeding on an octopus. (See video inside.)

More seal pups spotted ashore in Seattle

The Associated Press — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:41:43 +0000

A bumper crop of chubby, adorable harbor seal pups have been hauling out on rocks and beaches of West Seattle in high numbers in recent weeks.

New refuge preserves underwater landscapes in Puget Sound

Bellamy Pailthorp — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:52:30 +0000

The state is adding 15,000 acres of protected land around the Nisqually Reach Wildlife Refuge, exempting it from commercial development of any kind.

All the land is under water. It’s the seventh and southern-most area in Puget Sound to be designated as an Aquatic Reserve. Signing of a new management plan takes place today at 1:30 p.m.

Illegal crab activity Puget Sound put crab populations at risk

The Associated Press — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:20:51 +0000

With more people taking up crabbing in Puget Sound, the people who police the harvest are seeing an uptick in illegal activity. Officials say the illegal activity is a major threat to future crab populations.

Dead gray whale calf on Bremerton beach was very emaciated

The Associated Press — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:18:47 +0000

BREMERTON, Wash. – A gray whale that washed up on a Bremerton beach was alive when the stranding was reported this morning but it was dead when a National Marine Fisheries employee arrived on the site on Dyes Inlet.