Puget Sound Institute senior writer Christopher Dunagan discusses the challenges of protecting Puget Sound and all things water-related. As the very first environmental reporter for the Kitsap Sun, he has been a respected voice in the region for more than 25 years. He has been covering science-related stories for the Puget Sound Institute since 2015.
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October 12, 2026
" alt="Southern resident orca population increases by two; no adult deaths reported in latest census"> The southern resident killer whales — those fish-eating orcas that were once tied closely to Puget Sound — have managed to stay somewhat intact, with no deaths among the adult population for more than two years. As I reported this summer, four new calves were reported during the recent census year, ending in July, but […]
September 29, 2026
" alt="Sewage treatment permits being revised to address nitrogen, low-oxygen problems"> Regulatory efforts to confront low-oxygen problems in Puget Sound have turned toward sewage treatment plants, as the Washington Department of Ecology proceeds to reissue operational permits, some ahead of the normal five-year schedule. Excess nitrogen has been found to contribute to low-oxygen problems in Puget Sound, and computer models have identified locations where reducing nitrogen […]
July 27, 2026
" alt="Annual census could show an increase of two killer whales among southern residents"> Pending one final check, it appears that this year’s census of the endangered southern resident killer whale population will show a positive increase of two orcas — an annual increase equaled only four times in the past 20 years. The Center for Whale Research, which conducts the annual census, needs one more encounter with a […]
March 17, 2026
" alt="Nature assessment describes both peril and promise, as humans relate to the natural world"> The past, present and future of natural conditions in the United States are described in a new report, which has traveled a bumpy road to its current draft form, now out for public review and comment. “The Nature Record,” originally titled the “National Nature Assessment,” was launched in 2022 as a government project — the […]
January 21, 2026
" alt="Testimony in legislative committees focuses on when a toxic tire chemical should be banned"> While not exactly a chicken-or-egg debate, when it comes to regulating a deadly tire chemical, Washington state lawmakers are being called upon to decide what comes first in the effort to save salmon. In public hearings this week, speakers were clearly divided in their views on companion bills in the House and Senate to ban […]
January 13, 2026
" alt="Washington lawmakers to decide whether to ban a tire chemical shown to be toxic to salmon"> A new bill introduced to the Washington Legislature, now in session, would require tire manufacturers to reformulate the rubber in their tires to remove a chemical responsible for killing large numbers of coho salmon and other fish. If approved, the legislation would give tire manufacturers nine years to find a suitable replacement for the compound […]
December 16, 2025
" alt="Looking back on a year of Puget Sound surprises: rare birds, gray whales, water"> The year 2025 has been fairly mystifying to experts who make their living studying natural systems in the Puget Sound region. Unusual observations this year include record-low dissolved oxygen levels, unexpected gray whale visitations, and the sudden arrival of an astounding number of short-tailed shearwaters — a seabird almost never seen in Puget Sound. Cold […]
October 27, 2025
" alt="Experts expect the recent arrival of chum salmon to bring orcas back to Puget Sound"> UPDATE: Monday, Nov. 3 Whales return to Central Puget Sound without youngest calf All three pods of southern resident killer whales traveled into Central Puget Sound Sunday, making it as far south as the southern end of Vashon Island, if not farther. The past few days, various whales have been spotted in the San Juan […]
July 16, 2025
" alt="Annual orca count grows by one, as the Puget Sound whales stay on the hunt for food"> Although an official census report is not due until October, it appears that the population of our southern resident killer whales has increased by one over the past year. That slight increase is the net result of four births and three deaths, according to the Center for Whale Research, which is responsible for the annual […]
July 7, 2025
" alt="A photographic tour of the entire Puget Sound shoreline by watercraft and aircraft"> Kayaker-scientist Brian Footen is back on the waters of Puget Sound this summer, paddling through inlets and circling islands on a 2,700-mile journey to photograph the shoreline and document natural and human-caused changes to the habitat. This state-funded project is Brian’s second photographic trip along the sinuous shoreline throughout the entirety of the Sound, from […]
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