Orcas Eat Chum, Too!
Recent research in the Salish Sea and off the Washington coast examined the orca’s seasonal diet. It is well documented that orca prefer Chinook, presumably because of their larger size, but it turns out “Chinook salmon were identified as an important prey item year-round, averaging ~50% of their diet in the fall, increasing to 70–80% in the mid-winter/early spring, and increasing to nearly 100% in the spring. Other salmon species and non-salmonid fishes, also made substantial dietary contributions.” How did the researchers establish this detailed diet analysis? Poop. More specifically, analysis of feces collected from October to May 2004-2017. The authors reach a number of conclusions, ranging from noting that most Chinook consumed consisted of 50-80% hatchery fish, and that the unexpected diversity in species consumed suggests that a successful orca recovery strategy include more than just Chinook enhancement.
Our coho have a perilous journey from the Chittenden Locks to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery — and researchers at the University of Washington, Tacoma and Washington State University, Puyallup have identified the chemical responsible for mass pre-spawning deaths of adult returning coho in our urban streams. 
A plan to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta jeopardizes already endangered salmon populations. NOAA Fisheries biologists and environmental groups are fighting to protect the water source and the fish who call the threatened delta home. 
