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Projects

Are your local marine waters safe to swim? PTMSC volunteers take weekly water samples from Memorial Day to Labor Day at Fort Worden State Park for the BEACH Program (Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication & Health). The program is led by the Department of Ecology and Washington State Department of Health and works with county and local agencies like PTMSC.

Learn about Orcasound and the PTMSC hydrophones at Fort Worden State Park.

On Union Wharf, along the waterfront of Port Townsend, WA, you will find a fully articulated, 42-foot male gray whale skeleton on display. He died, emaciated, at the start of a gray whale Unusual Mortality Event, declared in 2019. Locals call him Gunther.

Dungeness crab are important to the animals and people of the Salish Sea. By filling data gaps and supporting fisheries managers this research supports sustainability in the face of a changing world.

Volunteers collect salt water samples using a plankton net. They measure water temperature and salinity, ID phytoplankton, and preserve samples for further analysis. It’s part of a Sound-wide study of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Data is entered into an online database accessible by state health officials for real-time public safety appraisal.

If you found a harbor seal, sea lion, porpoise or whale on the beach what would you do? First, give the animal space and then, call the Marine Mammal Stranding Network hotline! In east Jefferson County, WA, we are the local stranding responders.

By raising endangered pinto abalone within our aquarium, PTMSC is helping this vital species recover and sharing its inspiring story with visitors.