A group of concerned scientists met in Friday Harbor yesterday to talk about the decline of the Puget Sound orca population and how the health of the salmon population and the Sound impact orcas.  According to an article in the Kitsap Sun, the group thought that people might be activated to save the Puget Sound ecosystem as they come to understand its impact on salmon and orca.  The orca population in the Sound has declined by 7 this year, dropping it to the lowest since 2003. 

The issues are complex.  There has been a lot of concern lately that the orcas are starving to death because there is not enough salmon for them to eat.  There not only needs to be an abundant salmon population for food but that has to be timed to support lactating female orcas.  And the food has to be in the places that the wide-ranging orca pods are near.  Since the Puget Sound pods travel from the Frazer River in Canada to northern California, there is a lot of territory that matters to their health. 

It was also reported yesterday, separately, that researchers now have more evidence that the orcas are indeed starving.  The Seattle Times reported on a UW Center for Conservation Biology project that tracks and tests orca scat.  With the help of Tucker, a dog trained to track the scent of orca scat, researchers have analyzed the scat and find lower than normal thyroid levels, an indication that the orca may not be getting the nutrition they need.

There was also news out yesterday that help could be on the way.  Three commonly used pesticides that have been shown to damage salmon and steelhead, will be restricted to areas that do not flow into waterways.  The restrictions, triggered by a lawsuit filed in 2002 under the Endangered Species Act, would impact farmers up and down the West Coast forcing them to use alternative pest control practices. 

"The fisheries service found the three pesticides, chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion, threatened salmon and steelhead by hurting reproduction, impairing fish development, damaging the ability to swim and avoid predators, and poisoning insects the fish feed on."

If upheld by the EPA, the National Fisheries Marine Services ruling may well force changes in additional pesticide usage as well.  The fisheries service is still reviewing 34 more pesticides under the court order that triggered Tuesday's decision.

In another move to protect the Sound, the Everett Herald reports that the Snohomish County Council voted to increase the fees homeowners and commercial property owners pay for stormwater management earlier this week.  New federal rules, which we've written about in the past, require additional local monitoring and maintenance, triggered the Council's decision.  The increase will pay for groundwater monitoring, working on preserving environmentally sensitive areas, and supporting volunteer assistance.

The question will be whether or not we can make the needed changes in time.  If you have not yet weighed in on the Puget Sound Partnership's Action Plan for Saving the Sound, do so now!