A stranding response team tried to save a young male killer whale stranded on Carmel River State Beach on the Central California Coast. Unfortunately the animal died in transit to a rehabilitation facility in Santa Cruz. A necropsy on Wednesday found no underlying injuries or health problems.  Learn more.

Removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on Washington's Elwha River presented an opportunity to study the ecological response of a river ecosystem to large-scale disturbance and subsequent restoration. Central to this effort was the development and implementation of an adaptive management framework aimed at guiding the recovery of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout populations. Extensive monitoring showed that removing the dams positively impacted Chinook salmon and steelhead populations and improved the ecological condition of the river. These results were published in the special issue “Large-Scale Dam Removal and Ecosystem Restoration” of Frontiers.   Learn More!

Prey scarcity is one of the main threats to the survival and recovery of Southern Resident killer whales. Their preferred prey, Chinook salmon, are threatened by habitat degradation. Restoring riparian habitats that provide refuge for juvenile salmon on their way to the ocean is crucial for boosting salmon populations and providing more prey for the whales. This master’s capstone project analyzed the cost-effectiveness of habitat restoration methods to support Chinook salmon recovery in the Stillaguamish River Basin.  Learn more!

New research shows that vessel noise—the rumble and churn of boats and ships—disrupts killer whales' ability to find and capture food. This can have serious consequences for these whales, especially considering the challenges they already face. The findings were published recently in the scientific journal, Global Change Biology. Learn More!

It’s hard to grasp the scale of giant kelp unless you’ve seen it. It’s, well, giant. It grows longer than 150 feet from top to bottom, forming swaying forests teeming with underwater life. But you probably have seen giant kelp, just at the store as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. And the market for seaweed keeps growing. Enter Ocean Rainforest, a seaweed company with a pilot farm located in Santa Barbara, California, and farms in the Faroe Islands who are producing high-quality seaweed for scientific research.  Learn more!

Scientists studied two populations of fish-eating killer whales: the Southern Residents and the southern Alaska residents. They wanted to know if these two populations of fish-eating killer whales eat different things and how their diets change throughout the year. This information will improve our conservation efforts. The Alaska resident killer whale population appears healthy and has been growing. But Southern Resident killer whales are endangered and are one of NOAA Fisheries' Species in the Spotlight. Learn more!

Harbor seals consume as many as a third of young steelhead smolts migrating out of the Nisqually River’s delta in southern Puget Sound, new research shows. The finding indicates that recovering populations of predators can derail salmon and steelhead recovery, especially when fish populations are small and struggling. Scientists said the results, published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, demonstrate the need to test new management actions to exclude seals from areas where salmon are most vulnerable. Although seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, some steps may help limit their impacts.  Learn more!

NOAA scientists have upgraded a crucial tool for Chinook salmon conservation. This genetic reference tool allows researchers to pinpoint the river system individual fish come from, enabling more precise management and protection of threatened and endangered populations.

“It's like giving every fish a unique genetic fingerprint,” says Donald Van Doornik, a NOAA Fisheries fish biologist and lead author of a new paper describing the work in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management. “We can use this fingerprint to figure out where that fish came from by comparing it to other fish's DNA.”  Learn more!

The arrival of endangered Southern Resident killer whales in Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound in September triggered a voluntary slowdown for large commercial vessels. Last year, the slowdown reduced by half the underwater noise reaching the whales. The Voluntary Large Commercial Vessel Slowdown is an initiative of Quiet Sound, a program of Washington Maritime Blue. It’s driven by a leadership committee composed of ports, agencies, tribes, and other groups collaborating to reduce threats from large commercial vessels to killer whales and other marine mammals. You can help by reporting whale sightings. The Whale Report Alert System will relay the sightings to mariners so they know when and where to watch for the marine mammals. Learn more!

Before dams and levees altered and blocked Central Valley streams and rivers, 81 independent CCV steelhead populations lived throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins and high into the cold waters of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Now, the species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The few remaining populations are confined to areas downstream of dams and undammed creeks, and they rely heavily on hatcheries to maintain their abundance which can affect the health of the wild populations.  Learn more!

Michael Milstein, Public Affairs Officer Lead (971) 313-1466

Areas of Focus: Salmon recovery, west coast sustainable fisheries, endangered species recovery, marine mammal protection act, anadromous fish passage and reintroduction, fisheries science, protected species science, habitat conservation.

Lalena Amiotte, Tribal Relations Coordinator (360) 519-4222

Areas of Focus: West Coast Region tribal relations, training, and resources support, formal government-to-government consultation, General Counsel, Office of Law Enforcement, and Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers.

Alessandra Puig-Santana, Digital Community Coordinator 

Areas of Focus: Social media management, content creation, science communication, newsletters.