How 50-year-old carbon emissions came back to ravage Northwest shellfish, how scientists and hatcheries unraveled the mystery of acid upwellings, and how a clam farmer persuaded Gov. Gregoire and the Obama administration to take action, with a little help from Ron Sims.
There's all that oil from Alberta's tar sands, and coal in Wyoming and Montana. All of it is yearning to burn free, but not for free, in Asia, or wherever else top dollar will be paid.
With Norm Dicks leaving office, the Sound needs more protection than ever from potential oil spill pollution. And shouldn't the Obama administration look for another supplier of oil for military needs?
The lamprey may be ugly, but it is an important food source for Northwest salmon and the tribes of the Columbia River Basin. Scientists say it's nearly extinct.
As Washington legislators make critical budget decisions, Martha Kongsgaard of the Puget Sound Partnership discusses the challenges for the state's future of potential budget cuts.
Environmentalists are appalled at a possible end run of long-awaited Department of Ecology rules. But cities and developers say it's too much, too soon.
After dramatic failures to meet Clean Water Act standards for stormwater runoff, Seattle is trying to protect Puget Sound with new tactics in Ballard and other parts of the city.
State officials are defending their lack of action to remove a boat that shut down shellfish harvesting when its sinking created an oil spill off Whidbey Island.
EarthFix reports, "Algae populations boom during sunny warm weather. The spring snowmelt funneling out of rivers into Puget Sound also provides a lot of nutrients for the algae and calm winds have made for an ideal growing environment."
EARTHFIX
After a boat fire, Penn Cove shellfish harvest may be a total loss
"Mussel harvesting has been suspended until further notice in Whidbey Island's world-renowned Penn Cove after a 128-foot derelict fishing vessel anchored there burst into flames and later sank, officials said."
SEATTLEPI.COM
How hatchery salmon continue to imperil wild stocks
EarthFix reports, "The ocean’s a pretty big place, right? Maybe not big enough for wild salmon and hatchery salmon to share, according to new research."