The Salish Sea is the network of inland marine waterways in western Washington and British Columbia that includes Puget Sound. This week, several hundred scientists, tribal leaders, managers, conservationists, and educators gathered at the Washington State Convention Center to discuss the state of marine ecosystems in the Salish Sea. It was the 7th annual Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference, and involved three days of concurrent presentation sessions on a whole suite of issues, from water pollution to dam removal projects to local effects of ocean acidification.
Talks that were of particular interest to me included one by Jameal Samhouri on the differences in intertidal and stream communities between more and less urbanized environments. Correigh Greene, Sean Naman, Casey Rice, and colleagues also presented a series of fascinating talks on an intensive pelagic sampling program they conducted in 2011. A complete list and description of the sessions at this year’s Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference can be found here. The list of talks throughout the three day meeting is provided here.