We invite boaters, kayakers, those with waterfront property and all citizen scientists to submit reports of harbor porpoise sightings in Puget Sound. Observations of more than 50 individuals are highly significant to us. Other marine mammal sightings are of interest also, including Dall's porpoise and Pacific white-sided dolphins.

The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a full-time resident of Washington’s Inland Waters, and is the most abundant cetacean. It doesn’t migrate and depends on these waters for all of its life cycle needs. The harbor porpoise is near the apex of a complex food web, feeding on small forage fish. It reproduces on a fast timeline of one calf each year. For study, it is easily identified, charismatic and intriguing. Given this combination of characteristics, PBI has found the harbor porpoise to be an ideal indicator species for monitoring the health of Puget Sound. less ↑