Despite a very bad summer for local resident orca whales, this winter is shaping up as a premium time to see them from the shore. Orca watchers say the Southern Residents seem to be foraging for chum salmon after finding less Chinook than usual this year.

Legislation is moving through the U.S. House that would weaken how fisheries are managed. That has several groups calling foul, including scientists, seafood producers and chefs, many of them in the Northwest.

A new state initiative called Maritime Blue is pushing for more sustainability in the sector. A 20-member advisory council appointed by Governor Jay Inslee is developing innovation strategies, with the help of consultants from Norway. That has the head of the Washington State Ferries system dreaming big about how to electrify the fleet.

Conservation groups are up in arms over a possible new net pen for Atlantic salmon in open waters off the Olympic Peninsula. A public hearing Tuesday in Port Angeles will touch on the issue.

Flooding, wildfires, heat waves , air pollution : No one expects these anticipated impacts of climate change to respect city and county borders. That's why local leaders plan to begin pooling resources and ideas next year as they brace for a potentially harsher future in the Puget Sound region.

Two state lawmakers have introduced legislation that aims to immediately ban all farming of Atlantic salmon in net pens in Washington waters. If passed, the ban would take effect as soon as it is signed by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Community leaders in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood have a two-year environmental justice grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to address health issues from air and noise pollution. They’re holding a meeting Saturday at the Centilia Cultural Center on the campus of El Centro de la Raza.

New regulations under the Clean Water Act mean 81 cities and counties around Puget Sound have to update their development codes to reduce storm water runoff. A scorecard from two environmental groups shows fewer than half are in compliance .

A group of protestors is camping outside of Starbucks headquarters in Seattle, demanding a fully recyclable paper cup for its coffee beverages. They plan to be there all week. Bellingham-based Stand.earth started camping out Monday.

The average American household tosses out at least a quarter of its food – and that increases over the holidays. In the wake of Thanksgiving, King County wants to remind people why it’s not just better for their pocketbooks to waste less food.