What four decades of canned salmon reveal about marine food webs

By analyzing 42 years worth of canned salmon, University of Washington scientists show that levels a common marine parasite rose in two salmon species in the Gulf of Alaska from 1979 to 2021. The rise may be a sign of ecosystem recovery, possibly influenced by the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Northern and southern resident orcas hunt differently, which may help explain the decline of southern orcas

In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, southern resident orcas have experienced no net population growth since the 1970s. But northern resident orcas, with a similar diet and territory, have grown steadily. A new study may help explain why: The two populations differ in how they hunt for salmon, their primary and preferred food source.