Wheat farmers fear extinction if Snake River dams are removed to help orcas In the southeastern corner of Washington state, wheat goes down the river, while salmon are trucked up around dams on the road. “And taxpayers pay for all of it,” said Sam Mace, with Save Our Wild Salmon. Eilís O'Neill
'Slowly slipping away.’ Fewest sockeye salmon ever counted at Ballard Locks Sockeye salmon are returning to Lake Washington in the smallest numbers since record-keeping started. As of early August, 17,000 sockeye had returned from the ocean, compared to hundreds of thousands at their peak. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch
This Seattle woman sniffs 500 cans of salmon a day — for you There’s the bunny sniff (sniffsniffsniff). Ross Reynolds
Orca population drops as 3 more killer whales presumed dead Three endangered orcas are believed to be dead, according to the Center for Whale Research, which keeps an eye on the southern resident killer whales of the Salish Sea. Isolde Raftery
The river runs alarmingly low in North Bend It’s been raining this July, but much of Washington is still in a drought, because of our hot, dry spring and early summer. Just 30 minutes outside Seattle, in the town of North Bend, most development is on hold till an issue of water is resolved. Eilís O'Neill
Salmon catch airlift toward spawning grounds after rock slide blocks their way An emergency operation is under way to help salmon fly – and help orcas not run out of food. John Ryan
Preventing another salmon escape: New rules for Puget Sound fish farms The four remaining Atlantic salmon farms in Puget Sound have new water quality permits from the Department of Ecology. Eilís O'Neill
Endangered orcas have been missing for 8 weeks. This is unprecedented, researchers say It all comes back to chinook salmon. John Ryan
What are that new baby orca’s chances of surviving? The calf, still ruddy and wrinkled from its time in the womb, brings the endangered population of southern resident killer whales up to 76. John Ryan
