Oak Harbor

Three adult harbor seals in Puget Sound have tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain, marking the first incidence of HPAI in marine mammals on the West Coast, and officials are urging beachgoers to avoid contact with wildlife.

Joe Gaydos found a bluefin tuna washed up on Orcas Island off the coast of Washington state. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the fish usually roam the more temperate waters of the Pacific Ocean.

We saw over 100 on a 1/2 mile stretch of beach. I am wondering if the chiton die-off is related to the stormy conditions or something else?

A record-shattering heat wave June 26-28 coincided with some of the year's lowest tides on Puget Sound. The combination was lethal for millions of mussels, clams, oysters, sand dollars, barnacles, sea stars, moon snails, and other tideland creatures exposed to three afternoons of intense heat.

To a greater degree than in many other animals, including humans, the southern resident orcas put family first. Their society is matriarchal, with the pods led by grandmothers and mothers.

Southern resident killer whales which are often spotted in the Salish Sea near Vancouver throughout June haven't been seen this season, and scientists believe that could be because of the lack of chinook salmon.

Researchers say their absence is a stark reminder that the orcas are slowly starving to death because there is not enough Chinook salmon to sustain them.

If you see something that looks like tomato soup in Puget Sound, here's why.

Washington state officials have proposed a new tack to save the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered orca population. Their idea is to boost salmon

Last month, a pen in Washington State holding hundreds of thousands of fish broke, sending swarms of silver Atlantic salmon swimming to the south and north.

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific knew its Cypress Island facility was “vulnerable” before the spill that sent tens of thousands of invasive Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. Now, the future of Atlantic salmon farming in Washington is in doubt.

It's unclear how many Atlantic salmon escaped from the pen. The Lummi Nation says tribal fishermen have removed 20,000 from the Puget Sound. Washington state officials says Cooke Aquaculture has recovered 120,000 fish from the pen and that more are still inside.

Some are concerned about the farmed Atlantic salmon coming to Alaska and bringing unwelcome competition for native species.

A fish farm was destroyed after the Atlantic salmon escape, with Cooke Aquaculture calling it a “salvage operation.” Scientists debunked the statement from Cooke that “exceptionally high tides and currents coinciding with this week’s solar eclipse” caused the damage.

Officials blame the failure of a pen near Washington's Cypress Island on high tides caused by the eclipse, but that is being questioned. Fishing boats are scrambling to catch as many as possible.

Local Indigenous community says the invasive species could devastate fishing industry in the area

A First Nation near Bellingham, Wash., has declared a state of emergency after thousands of Atlantic salmon escaped a U.S. fish farm in the San Juan Islands near Victoria, B.C.

Did Monday's eclipse play a role in a huge Atlantic salmon spill from a fish farm in the San Juans? The company says yes. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is urging the public to catch as many of the fish as possible, with no limit on size or number. The fish are about 10 pounds each. No one will know how many escaped until harvesting is completed.

Thousands of Atlantic salmon have escaped into Pacific waters east of Victoria after a net pen was damaged. The company is blaming high tides, but the tides weren't unusual.